


Jay's Story

by gatekat, KarlWolfemann



Series: A Heritage of Power [3]
Category: SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron, Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, Anthropomorphic, BDSM, Bestiality, Cannibalism, F/M, Furry, Genocide, M/M, Mass Death, Necrophilia, Sexual Violence, Slavery, Snuff, Teen Romance, Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2004-12-13
Updated: 2005-08-23
Packaged: 2017-11-27 22:14:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 19
Words: 560,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/667070
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gatekat/pseuds/gatekat, https://archiveofourown.org/users/KarlWolfemann/pseuds/KarlWolfemann
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jay is Jessie's grandson and was raised in space with the colony ships Aristal sent out. When he was eight, he blinked and found himself on Nar Shaddaa where two years would pass before a fallen Jedi Knight found him. </p><p>Sequel to <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/works/656685">Jessie's Story: Daughter of the Future's Past</a>, set about 60 years and two generations later. While reading the first two stories in the series shouldn't be necessary to follow this one, it is recommended, as it'll give a lot of background and explanations to events mentioned here.</p><p>Set roughly 3000 years before the Battle of Yavin will shatter the Republic (the events of New Hope) in a universe where Furs replace most of the 'human' races but not much else has changed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Lost Kitten Found

**Author's Note:**

> So what does former Jedi Knight turned gambler and professional drifter do with a scraggly kitten that's too potent in the Force to leave where he is and going back to the Temple just isn't an option? And more importantly, what does he do now that this kit from another galaxy has attached himself to his life and proceeds to turn it completely upside down?

Doruth Parn's eyes shifted as he walked down the crowded, filthy streets of Nar Shaddaa's slums. Normally he didn't like coming back down here, but he hadn't been doing particularly well at the sabacc tables lately. He couldn't afford all that much _more_ than a room in the slums at this point. He'd have to either get off the planet soon, or start winning his card games.

Preferably the latter.

The Panther's ears twitched as he heard shouts from a few blocks away. He continued walking on, trying to ignore it. It wasn't the first time, or be the last, that he'd heard the sounds of violence down here. Not by a long shot.

About ten paces later he paused and shook his head. It also wasn't the first time he'd do something stupid trying to help whoever the victim was. He turned and bolted for the sounds of the fight, hoping he hadn't wasted too much time already.

About a block away, six large Wolves were gathered around a scrawny, dark furred feline, not even in his teens yet.

"Didn't your ma ever teach you not to steal from people bigger than you are, kid?" One of them growled.

Instead of answering, the kit twisted and dived out of the way of a blow he shouldn't have seen coming and growled back, his shaggy tail lashing and his ears flat as he faced off against the superior opponent. Of them, only Doruth recognized the early combat training and more that was crouched there in the ally.

Training and talent aside, against six opponents who were bigger than he was meant his odds weren't very good. Especially since they'd probably been fighting and killing down here for almost as long as the kit had been alive.

"Back off," Doruth said firmly, resting his hand on the grip of the blaster at his hip.

"Keep yer nose outta this," the Wolf snarled, turning to glare at the Panther behind him, his partners keeping an eye on the kit. 

He knew what was going through the Wolf's mind. Doruth was wearing the light outfit common to a smuggler, a heavy blaster pistol at his hip. Even with the blaster, he was only one person; easy pickings for the gang at first glance. "The brat's a thief; we're just makin' sure he learns his lesson."

"Some lessons aren't worth teaching. I doubt he stole much from you, and he probably needs it more than any of you do. Just walk away; a bunch of strong, healthy Wolves like you six can probably earn it back before he has a chance to spend it." Doruth spoke calmly and precisely, reaching out with his mind to put some extra force behind the words. For a moment, he thought it was going to work.

"You think you can take us, Blackie?" 

Doruth growled, his expression darkening. He hated it when people called him that, and he hated bullies like this even more.

"Easily." He replied sharply. "The question is if I have to. I'm not in the mood to kill today."

"You're not the one who'll be doin' the killing." The Wolf's hand went for the blaster he wore even as the kit took advantage of the distraction to work his way out of the circle.

It was all the excuse Doruth needed. His own blaster was in his hand in a flash, spinning up so the grip was in line with the barrel. He shifted slightly to the right as the Wolf fired, the shot missing by a matter of inches. Before the Panther had taken his next breath, his 'blaster' emitted the meter-long blade of energy that each of the thugs recognized instantly for what it was and what it meant the Panther was.

Then he was in the middle of the thugs in a flash, his electric-blue blade flashing skillfully. Graceful spins and well-practiced strikes created a glowing spiral of death that left three of the thugs, including the one who'd drawn the blaster, dead, the others fleeing for their lives. Doruth allowed himself a vicious half-grin as he watched the last one fall, but caught himself before the kit in the back of the alley had seen it.

He realized without looking that he was too late. The kit's sharp eyes had been locked on the battle as soon as the blade came out, but more, he was watching with a focus and attention through the Force that was as unnerving as a Master.

Doruth extinguished his blade, flipping the handle down into the less conspicuous shape of a blaster, and turned to look at the rust-brown kit that was in serious need of a few good meals and a bath.

"You okay?" He asked softly, taking a couple steps closer after he holstered his 'blaster.' He was almost surprised that the kit wasn't worried about him. No matter what he knew about Jedi, it was unusual to say the least for a street-kit to react the way this one did.

"Yeah," he smiled up at him with manners that had been taught young and not completely forgotten yet. "I'm Jay. Thank you."

"You're welcome," Doruth replied easily. He looked down at the bodies, but decided against rifling their pockets for credits. Jay probably had enough bad habits now. Habits the Panther knew from experience could be risky if he was right about him. 

Habits that Jay clearly already had from the way he went through the dead thugs' pockets after a glance at the Panther, offering him first dibs before displaying an expertise well beyond his experience to find the credits and a few odds and ends the kit deemed useful.

"Why don't we get out of here before whoever these thugs worked for decides to come looking for them, okay Jay? Get you something to eat."

"Sounds great," he grinned agreeably and looked up at the big tom. "What's your name?"

"Doruth Parn," the Panther answered and sighed inwardly. Jay'd spent way too long on the streets already, from the looks of it. "You have a home to go back to some time, Jay, or are you a street kit?" He asked, starting out and back towards the main streets.

"Street, 'long as I'm stuck in this galaxy." He shrugged easily and fell in near Doruth, who looked down at him with a surprised expression.

"This galaxy?" He asked dubiously.

"Yeah, one of my projects went screwy on me and dropped me here while back." He nodded as if it was a perfectly normal statement. "Back home hasn't met the Republic or any of the rest out here yet."

"Okay," the Panther nodded, not quite sure what to make of that. After all, as far as he knew, even the fastest hyperdrives took weeks to make any sort of trip near the galactic rim, let alone intergalactic. The idea of a kit barely old enough to become a Padawan managing to accidentally send himself from one galaxy to another....

As much as Doruth preferred to believe that luck did affect some things, this was an extreme enough situation that his training had him immediately wondering just what the Force had in store for Jay's future as they walked along, not as odd a pair by appearance as they were in reality.

Before long, they had made it back to the 'pub' Doruth was staying in, more of a flophouse with an open space for locals to drink.

"Stay close," he warned the young kit. "It's safer in here than the streets, but that's very much a relative statement."

"Everything is," Jay quipped back, but did as he was told.

"Very true," Doruth chuckled slightly, walking up to the bar and pulling a flask out of his hip pocket. "I'll take a refill, and we need two meals with drinks."

"And you'll be paying for it today?" The Badger behind the bar asked suspiciously.

"I always settle my tab, Renkin," Doruth said. "It's not my fault if you lose it in a fair bet."

"Not today, Parn. Today you'd better have credits or leave the kit." 

The look the Panther gave him said very plainly what he thought of the second option.

"I've got the credits," he said simply. The Badger took the flask, filling it up with a deep blue liquid and handed it back to Doruth before he led Jay to a table in the corner. As much as they didn't look too out of place on the streets, in here they stood out easily.

So, how long have you been here," Doruth asked Jay quietly, keeping an eye out for signs of trouble and couldn't help but notice the natural way the kit did the same.

"Couple years, I think," he answered easily, eager to have someone to _talk_ with. "Keeping time hasn't been my top priority."

"I imagine not," the Panther chuckled slightly. "Never was for me. Where'd you come from?" He asked. Maybe with a description he could find out if the kit was just mistaken about how far away it was.

The question drew a chuckle and shake of the kit's head. "My nominal homeworld is called Aristal. It's in an arm of a spiral galaxy we started exploring late in my grandmother's time. My folks were born on Aristal, but they went with the third expeditionary fleet when it launched and then continued on with the eighth fleet when it left from the Juquisal colony. I was born a few years after that. But that little oops that dropped me here was when we were in a colonization cycle on Damital."

"So you're a spacer, huh?" That could explain how the kid was working with something that had dropped him that far away. None of the names were familiar, but Doruth knew a little bit about how things usually worked on a colony ship. Everybody did something, even the kits. If he was being trained to work with the hyperdrive, it just might have worked out that he'd managed to blind-jump himself. "Lucky you ended up planetside when that little 'oops' happened. At least I'm guessing it didn't bring your whole ship with you."

"It wasn't even attached to a ship at that point," he grumbled. "And no, none of it came either. I'd be home if it had."

"Good with hyperdrives, huh?" Doruth asked, as their food was brought out along with drinks for both of them; the same dark blue liquid the Badger had filled the Panther's flask with for him and a dark amber juice for Jay.

"Good with pretty much anything tech," he chuckled. "Like that weapon you've got."

"I'd suggest not asking what anything's made of," the Panther chuckled slightly. "It's edible, but Hutt worlds are rarely safe ones to ask for recipes on."

"Hey, I've been eating its leftovers for a couple years, this is an upgrade." Jay smirked and dug in with perfect survival instincts for questionable fare.

"I've watched Hutts eat," he chuckled. "I don't think they do leftovers." He thought for a few minutes, eating at a much more relaxed pace. Unless he was grossly mistaken, Jay had a talent for working with the Force. Maybe another time he would have managed to drop himself on Coruscant or another Core world and receive the training he needed. As it was, Doruth's own training was practically screaming at him that he couldn't just leave him to learn entirely on his own. Especially not on _this_ world.

"How'd you like to get off this planet?" He asked and instantly had Jay's undivided attention, the food an abrupt second priority.

"What do I have to do?" He asked simply.

"Help me get my ship back in flying shape," Doruth said easily. "That's the big one. It's not a very big ship, but I'd rather find a way to make it work than end up in debt to a crime lord for a 'new' one again."

The kit cocked his head, and then nodded. "I'll see what I can do with it."

"Just try and keep us in this galaxy," Doruth chuckled slightly. "It'd be a good thing for at least one of us to know about where we are."

"I'll try," he nodded seriously. "I'm not sure what I did last time, so I'm not sure how not to repeat it."

"Y'know Jay," Doruth smiled, "for a kit who's been on the streets of Nar Shaddaa for a couple years, you're pretty good about trusting people."

He ducked his head instantly, somewhere between blushing and kicking himself for it. "Guess I'm easy to bribe." He murmured in embarrassment. "But my instincts aren't usually that wrong either." He glanced up, a bit more serious. "And if you aren't a Jedi, well, I've picked up enough to know running wouldn't have gotten me very far from them."

"If you'd wanted to, it would've gotten you away from me," Doruth said softly. "And no, I'm not Jedi. Not any more, at least. Just couldn't stand by and watch those Wolves hurt you."

Jay looked at him funnily, the statement not quite computing even as it scared the hell out of him. "You're Sith?" He whispered, shaking just a bit as his breath caught in his throat and his shaggy tail curled up in front of him.

"No!" Doruth kept his voice low, but the force behind the statement was clear and seemed to calm the kit significantly. "I've never been that far gone, Jay. I was trained as a Jedi," he explained, "I'm just not one any more."

That earned him another confused look. "Is this an adult thing I'll get when I'm older?" He finally asked as he calmed down.

"Or when I have a better time and place to explain it," Doruth nodded. "If you want me to. Just not here."

"Okay," Jay nodded and went back to work on his meal. "Is your ship nearby?"

"Fairly close," Doruth nodded. "Once I have enough credits to pay for our meals and my back docking fees, we can go there if you'd like."

"How much is that?" He asked quietly.

"The meal's about thirty cred's," Doruth explained. "That I can cover. The docking fees... that's a bit more. About two-thousand by now, once you get through the fees and anybody I have to bribe to get them to 'remember' that the ship's really mine."

"I think I pulled that much off the Wolves and a few others today," he offered a little hesitantly, fingering the electronic chips in his pocket and asking them nicely to shift a few bits of data.

As usual, they were reluctant at best.

"I'd wait a bit to make that offer," Doruth told him quietly, even as Jay managed to convince the chips to do what he wanted them to. "I should be able to get it together. Besides," he chuckled slightly, "if they were carrying that much I'd be very surprised. Thank you for the offer though," he smiled, looking around the room to see what sorts of games were being played. The corner of his mouth quirked up in a slight smile as he noticed a fellow hustler in the corner, running a chance-cube scam much like the ones the Panther had run before his Master had found him.

"Okay," he nodded and followed the Panther's gaze, not nearly so sure what was going to happen.

"Go ahead and finish your lunch, Jay," Doruth told him reassuringly, picking up his glass. "And mine, if you're hungry enough," he winked, standing up from his seat. "I've got to go to work for a little bit."

"Okay," he nodded again and alternated between munching down on what was on the table and watching Doruth in a mixture of fascination and confusion. As he watched, the Panther struck up a conversation with the Rabbit standing in the corner. He couldn't make out everything they were saying, but he could tell that Doruth was making some sort of a bet. The Rabbit went along with him, and Jay really couldn't be sure what Doruth was thinking. 

But, as he watched, every time the cubes were rolled, he had the inexplicable feeling that Doruth knew exactly what the result would be just before they landed.

The truth was, the Panther did. The game was simple enough, especially from the Rabbit's point of view. Two sets of chance-cubes, each rigged to land a different way. Two red was a loss, two blues a win, one of each tied. Start out by giving the mark a winning streak, reel him in ... then switch cubes, and take him for everything he was willing to throw at it.

The problem was, Doruth wasn't losing when he was supposed to. Each time he put down more money, each time the Rabbit rolled the cubes that were supposed to put every credit in his pocket ... and every time they came up wrong. The times they _did_ come up like they were supposed to the Panther's bet would have dropped significantly.

Three hours later, the Panther had lost about a tenth of his bets, tied three-fourths of them, and won the rest. But, by the time he linked his cred-stick to the Rabbit's, he was leaving the crooked gambler short a solid half his bankroll. He walked back to the table, stopping off at the bar to pay for their meals. The Rabbit was examining his chance cubes in disbelief, rolling them time and again like he was trying to figure out if they were broken.

"Ready to go?" Doruth asked.

"That was an interesting trick," Jay nodded and slipped from his chair, having finished the food some time before.

"Not something I like to do too often," Doruth admitted quietly as they left. "But when it's a con-artist who's making his money by posing as a real gambler, I don't mind as much." They started to make their way up from the slums to the better parts of the city. "I think it's similar to how you work with machines so well."

"Really?" He looked surprised. "The machine-thing is a family talent." He half explained. "I thought the Force was something different."

"So you know about the Force?" Doruth asked him. "And it might be different. But Force talents run in family lines very often."

"Just talk here and there," Jay ducked his head a bit. "It's what Jedi use to fight, and why they can use a lightsaber and normal folks can't."

"That's part of it," Doruth nodded. "What most people think it is. But there is more. If you'd like," he offered as a lift carried them up near the docks, "I think I could teach you more about it."

"Sure," he nodded and smiled up at the tom that looked so much like the hologram his father kept of _his_ father. "It's not just physical effects then?"

"Oh no," Doruth said easily. "Not just physical. Bloodline, the physical part of things is a part of it; you have to have the gift to learn to truly use it. But there is more to it than that. And I think you do have the gift, unless I miss my mark. Which is possible," the Panther admitted.

"I have gifts," Jay told him simply. "This one is cool, but it's not the end of the world if I don't have it like you think."

"Sorry," Doruth chuckled slightly. "Just don't want to get your hopes up, then have you find out I was wrong. To be fair," he admitted quietly, stepping off the lift with a more sober tone, "I should probably take you back to Coruscant if I'm not."

Jay followed, taking a moment to place the name as the Republic's capitol world.

"Why?"

"If you are sensitive to the Force," Doruth explained quietly, "it'd be better for you to be trained by somebody who was qualified. Like I said; I was trained, but I'm no Jedi."

"Oh," he nodded and didn't really try to make sense of it this time as he filed it under 'things to ask later'. "What happened to your ship?"

"A pilot who's better at flying them than doing his own maintenance," the Panther admitted, ducking his head slightly and rubbing the back of his neck.

"So it's generally run down, no major battle damage?" Jay asked, apparently not perturbed by either option.

"Right," he nodded. "I've been doing my best, but at this point I'm losing track of what's original and what's one of my repairs."

"You won't recognize her when I'm done." He promised with a grin that was both a promise of quality work and a warning of a mischievous personality that knew how to make a machine work for him.

"Just make sure I can still _fly_ her when you're done, or we're in the same boat for a different reason," Doruth chuckled, shaking his head. "And remember, I'll have to win our repair costs. C'mon," he said, pulling out his credstick as they approached the first of several officials between the entrance and his ship. "I'll show you what you've got to work with for now."

"Repair costs?" Jay looked at him funnily. "I thought you said she was still intact, just not working."

"Which usually means needing to buy parts to replace what isn't working," Doruth chuckled slightly. "The Kalrass doesn't have the resources to build replacement parts on like a lot of capital ships do."

"Oh," he nodded. "If it's there, it doesn't have to be bought again." Jay informed him. "Fixing stuff is what I do."

"All right," the Panther nodded, wondering just how accurate Jay's statement would end up being as they navigated their way through bureaucratic red tape and greed while Jay took it all in with bright, curious eyes that tended to watch the technology more than the people.

"Well, there she is," Doruth motioned to a craft that looked more like a large fighter than a ship meant to live in for any length of time.

"You're right, she needs some serious TLC." Jay nodded without any recrimination in his tone, just a critical eye for what needed to happen as he worked his way around the exterior of the craft, then over and even inside parts of the engine pods. It was the better part of two hours of touching and looking, mostly touching, before he slid down the side of the ship and walked inside with Doruth.

Even before the Panther could offer a tour the kit was off again with a purposeful gate that went right for the engine room to repeat his touching everything inspection by vision, knowledge, Force and that something odd he had as well.

Doruth followed him down. While Jay was inspecting the engines and everything else he could get his hands on, the Panther was watching him. He wasn't honestly sure how much was technical skill and how much was the Force... or what the rest of his talent was from. But it was fascinating to watch him at work, regardless of how he was doing it.

"Do you have any tools?" Jay asked without any visible sign that his inspection had shifted to repair mode.

"Yes," the Panther nodded, frowning a little, though more in surprised curiosity than disapproval. "You're ready to start pulling things apart already?"

"Yap," he nodded. "Getting everything back in shape will take a few days, maybe a week."

That clearly surprised the Panther. The computer's estimates had been that it would take a full crew that long to perform the maintenance and repairs necessary.

Still, it wasn't like he could do any more damage than Doruth already had himself.

The Panther opened up the storage panel near the door, and pulled out the tool kit.

"These look familiar?" He asked, offering the selection of tools to Jay.

"Some," he nodded with barely a glance at the box as his hand moved over the selection to pick one out and began to disassemble the hyperspace drive with a precision and care that surprised Doruth a bit. Each piece, even the covers, were handled in turn, Jay's fingers tracing over each object before it was put down.

As Jay worked, the pile of parts took on a kind of order that would have impressed the most anal retentive of mechanics, but the kit was doing it without seeming to think about it. His full attention was on the part he was handling and the natural power use that came instinctively to him.

The most surprising part to Doruth was that, looking at the parts that had been stacked; they appeared to be in virtually new condition. Years of damage, from general wear and tear, the occasional space battle, and frustrated amateur repair jobs, seemed to have never happened by the time Jay was done handling them.

The Panther had seen a lot of things in his life. This sort of miracle repair was not one of them; even top-of-the-line repair droids took longer than this to do half the work Jay already had.

* * *

Twelve hours later, Doruth walked back into the engine room carefully. He'd long ago left Jay to his devices; the kit seemed to have a better idea of what he was doing than the Panther ever would, so it only made sense. He'd spent some of that time splitting up the single quarters so they could share them, then spent a few hours meditating for the first time in what was probably far too long.

Eventually though, he decided that it was probably well past the point where Jay needed to be snapped out of his work for a little bit.

He was glad to see that the hyperdrive was back in one piece, and that they were still on the same planet. It wasn't hard to see what Jay had been working on since then; most of the parts hadn't looked that good when Doruth had gotten the ship, let alone earlier that day.

"Hey," he called, hoping to get Jay's attention without having to step through the stacks of parts and coils of wiring. "Jay, think it's time you took a break."

"I'm okay," the kit replied easy, his hands still moving.

Doruth was about to object when he recognized a shift in the Force of it slowly unwrapping its grip on the kit, much like coming out of a deep meditation. It was several minutes before Jay stood up and walked through his half-finished project in a bit of a daze.

"Working trance," the Panther murmured, recognizing the response from his own training. Jay was _definitely_ a sensitive, and a powerful one at that to be tapping it the way he seemed to this early.

"Hungry?" He asked the kit, stepping back to let him through the door to the engine room.

"Mmm, yeah." He nodded as reality started to catch up with him. "Sounds good."

"C'mon," the Panther smiled. "I'll show you to our quarters. Only one crew compartment on the ship," he admitted sheepishly, "but it should be big enough."

"I don't doubt it." Jay chuckled a bit, looking much more with it as they walked.

"You really do get focused, don't you?" Doruth asked conversationally as they made the short trip to the crew quarters. A light curtain hanging just off to one side marked the division of the room. Bunks were mounted into the sidewalls, one on the open half, and presumably a matching one on the hidden side.

"When the work is that extensive, yeah." He nodded and hopped up on the bunk in the open with a grin. "It'll be cool having a real bed again."

"I'll bet," Doruth chuckled. "So Jay, did they use sonic showers on the ship you were on before you ended up on the streets?"

"Only when we had to," he made a face. "That's what this ship has?"

"Afraid so. Not really the space for a regular one. Didn't even have that before I won it off its last owner; Gamorrean smugglers don't exactly rate hygiene as a priority."

"Better than nothing," he nodded and regarded the well-groomed and healthy Panther thoughtfully. "Do you have pest killer? It'd be nice not to itch too."

"Unless you had something from back home, the dry-wash in the shower will do the trick," Doruth said easily. "Just use it like a shampoo; it towels off instead of rinsing."

"Okay," Jay nodded and slipped of the bunk to head for the small bathroom and it's sonic shower even though he hadn't been shown where it was yet, something Doruth didn't remember until after he heard the quiet but distinctive whine of the showers.

"I think I'll just assume he found the ship's layout while he was working for now," the Panther murmured, getting up to put something together for dinner.

* * *

Jay shivered in the raw pleasure of not having little things crawling over his skin after three very thorough scrubbings of the powder Doruth said to use. It felt almost as good to see his real fur colors when he looked down. But the best part was _smelling_ like himself again. It wasn't as good as a water shower would have been, but it wasn't going to be anything he complained about anytime soon. It just felt too good to be himself physically again as well as mentally.

The Panther might not be kin, but he was nice enough and he _needed_ Jay's help. That made just about anything worth putting up with. That added with being clean, well fed, a real bed and getting back in space was enough to make him ecstatic.

He didn't bother to stop the low sound of pleasure at being free of pests and dirt as he turned the shower off and stretched upwards before stepping out with the intent of searching for something clean to wear.

He almost jumped back to see Doruth standing there, a folded light brown bundle in his arms.

"Thought you might like something clean to wear," he explained, leaning down to offer the bundle to the rich brown kit marked with Tiger stripes Leopard rosettes that was his guest. "They should be close to your size; I'll pick up something a bit closer tomorrow while you're working."

"Thanks," Jay smiled and accepted them, not the least bit concerned that he was standing there naked as he made quick work of getting dressed in the loose cream and brown pants and robes. They were a bit big, but certainly a better fit that the adult clothes he'd expected to have to use.

"That should work for the night," the Panther nodded approvingly. "I put your old clothes to be cleaned, I'll see about mending them after that if you want. They're in pretty good shape for what they've been through."

"Great-grandfather Jake was very good at such things," Jay grinned. "He hated to sew, so he created uniforms that didn't require much after they were made. I think I smell dinner too." He looked up hopefully.

"Well, I can tell your nose is working," Doruth chuckled. "Hope you don't mind eating in our quarters. It's there, or back here," he explained, "and the bunks are a lot more comfortable than supply crates."

"I bet," he grinned and happily padded along at Doruth's side. "So what are the other things I have to do to get off this world?"

"What do you mean?" Doruth asked, looking down at the much shorter kit.

"You said fixing the ship was ' the big one' I had to do to get off this world," Jay almost quoted from when they ate that first meal together. "What is the rest?"

"That was before either of us could get off," Doruth said, chuckling slightly. "Sorry, I'm not always the clearest when I'm talking. You don't have to do anything beyond the ship. Though if you'd like, I could start training you with how to use the Force. I might not be the best teacher, but I could get you started at least."

"That would be after I fix the ship," Jay said firmly. "I want out of here."

"Understood, and agreed," Doruth smiled, leading Jay into their shared quarters. He handed the kit a plate of what looked like fried meats and fruits cut up into finger-food sized pieces.

"You cook better than the last meal," Jay grinned and dug in with a relish, though he did make an effort to chew before swallowing and enjoyed the tingle of having completely clean fur and clothing almost as much as a tasty meal and full belly.

"I wish," the Panther grinned, eating his own more slowly. "I have a friend who works in the kitchen for one of the local politicians. Sometimes I can mooch off of him."

"Good friend to have," he grinned back and licked his muzzle to get every last bit of the food between bites. "What do you do when you aren't stuck on a planet?"

"Mostly find another planet, touch down, and stick around until I get sick of it or debt collectors come after me," he chuckled slightly. "I have to admit, I'm more of a professional drifter these days. Sabacc usually keeps my tabs settled, keeps me from ending up totally on the outs, but I'm not quite a good enough pilot to be a smuggler and I try to stay out of fights most of the time." Doruth pulled the flask out of his pocket and took a drink from it, making a mental note to make sure he had enough supplies that Jay could drink without getting hammered.

"Don't you ... _do_ ... anything?" The kit asked, at a real loss of understanding for the Panther's life. "Want to do something?"

"I haven't for a long time," Doruth said, leaning back and thinking. "I wanted to, but that all fell apart."

Jay stilled, his meal not quite finished as he realized what he was wearing. "These were yours, weren't they?" He asked quietly.

"Yeah," Doruth admitted. "Hope you don't mind hand-me-downs. They didn't fall apart until I'd grown out of those by a fair amount," he chuckled slightly.

"I'm happy for anything clean," the kit nodded seriously. "What happened?"

"The impossible, if you ask the Jedi," Doruth said, the chuckle having a slightly bitter tone to it. "Or at least the extremely improbable. My Master fell to the Dark Side, while I was taking the Tests. Nobody knew until he tried to turn the outpost on Dantooine into a smoking crater."

"They kicked you out for something he did?" Jake frowned, not getting it on multiple levels.

"No," Doruth said softly. "I stopped him. I was the hero of the day; they were going to waive my last test, give me my Knighthood, and declare me ready to train a Padawan of my own. Nobody seemed to care how I stopped him. I did the one thing a Jedi can't afford to do, and I got away with it. They didn't kick me out, Jay... I left, in the end. I'm not fit to be Jedi. My Master proved that, just before I blew up the ship he was using."

"Maybe that was your real test," the kit pointed out, drawing from a family history rife with such events, even if they usually ended differently. "Whether or not you could be true to your beliefs when you didn't have to be."

"If it was, then damned if I know if I passed or failed," the Panther chuckled slightly. "It's why I'm not sure if I'd be a good teacher for you though. Everybody who uses the Force has to deal with the darker parts of it. When I dealt with them, they won. They came very, very close to consuming me that day."

Jay cocked his head. "Sounds a lot like what Dad and Grandma calls The Demons of our Gift. Some of us chose never to use their full potential so they didn't have to fight it."

"How much do you know about this?" Doruth asked. It sounded too much like the Dark Side... and like it might have a healthy hold on Jay's bloodline.

"My family history and the Gift?" He asked. "As much as anybody who wasn't there. It's one of the first things a Clawson is taught."

"Would you mind telling me more about it, some time? There might be ways to make fighting it easier, when you reach the point where you have to choose."

"Sure," he nodded easily, proud of his heritage. "Only one's ever lost to the Demon, though the next four generations have all said it's been close at one point or another. And at least in one timeline, one branch of the family, the half that aren't Clawsons, don't have problems after two generations, but they can't do nearly as much as we can either."

"At least in one timeline?" It was beginning to sound more and more like displacing himself by a galaxy or three by accident wasn't entirely unusual for Jay's family.

"Yeah," he chuckled a bit. "Grandma Jessie got dragged to the future by a time-mage that didn't like what had happened the first time around. He wanted her to pick up enough in that time to defeat the aliens that had ruined things and where still trying to kill everybody. She did, big time; brought an inter-galactic colony combat cruiser back to her time that wasn't even in the space age yet. She also brought back a cousin who was her father's ... great great great granddaughter ... by a shekat who snuck some of his sperm and used it to get pregnant four years after he died in both timelines. The line that descended from Miss Briggs doesn't have nearly the problems, but doesn't have nearly our gifts either.

Doruth was quiet for a moment, trying to absorb that.

"I think I'm either going to have to stop drinking, or start drinking harder," he decided after a moment, shaking his head. "I've heard of some strange things happening, but I think your family would consider this galaxy tame by comparison."

Jay giggled, then dissolved into laughter and ended with his plate set on the floor and him in a ball of mirth on the bunk.

"Oh, kats, you have had _such_ a tame life." He continued to snicker, his grin almost breaking his face. "That was nothing. Great Grandpa Jake's life was _way_ more crazy."

"I'm not sure I want to know," Doruth laughed. "Around here, your story's about as unusual as a lot of them come. From the sound of it, you're nowhere near the rest of your kin yet."

"Nah, probably never will be." He chuckled and retrieved his plate to finish his food. "It gets a little less interesting, and less powerful, with each generation. Assuming I don't breed up the family line like what happened to make Grandma Jessie, there's probably only three or four more generations that'll be more than talented. The Gift will probably be gone then."

"For better or for worse, I wouldn't bet on it too heavily," Doruth pointed out. "Gifts like that seem to have a habit of coming back full strength when they're least expected to."

Jay cocked his head, considering that. "Possible. It'd hardly be the weirdest thing to happen with us. The pattern has held true in both family lines though. And I really doubt any of us would make the same deal that got us the Gift in the first place again."

"Deal?" The Panther asked, cocking his head slightly.

"Yeah," he nodded, not nearly so enthusiastic about this part of his family history. "The first one with the Gift was named Jermain Tabisan, but he went by Dark Kat for most of his life that amounted to anything. Dark in the same way you mean it too. He made a deal with some creature for his Gift, but it didn't work out like he expected. It drove him insane, made him the worst Omega in history. It got really ugly then, 'cause his son, my great grandfather Jake Clawson, had grown up without him, and went into the Enforcers. It was the fight we all have inside laid out in a way for everybody to see, and they learned to fear us."

"That's... odd," the Panther said quietly. Of course, being from a different galaxy, it was to be expected that not everything would work out the same. It sounded almost like some of the stories of Exar Kun and the Sith ... but with a twist that let it affect the family as well. The more he thought about it, the more he felt convinced that, one day, Jay would have to be taken to Coruscant, for his own good if nothing else. "Whatever the power came from, it may not have the ability to reach this far," he pointed out to the rusty-furred kit.

"It's in our blood. If it couldn't come with me, I wouldn't have been able to fix as much of the engine room as I have," Jay replied simply. "That's the Gift in action. Well, it's one of its major abilities I can access at least."

"So it's more a matter of when, than of if," Doruth mused. It had to be rough, being that young and knowing you'd have to face something that had nearly ruined so many in your family.

"Yeah, full access usually comes around puberty," he nodded, apparently at ease with it. "Two, three more years before it's even an option. Unless I'm desperate enough that I manage it younger."

"Well, with any luck you won't have any reason to be that desperate," the Panther said reassuringly. "I, for one, prefer to avoid that sort of trouble."

"Yeah, but when you have a Clawson around, trouble hunts you." The kit said softly. "There is only so much avoiding you can do."

"If that's the case, then we'll deal with it as we have to. I try to stay out of trouble, but I can handle it when I have to," Doruth explained with the confidence of somebody who knew that what he was saying was true. It earned him a small smile and a bit of relief from the kit that had half expected to be put out.

"Yeah, we will." He held back a yawn as 'tired' took over from 'filthy' and 'hungry' as his predominant reality.

"Why don't you get some sleep, Jay," Doruth smiled. "You could probably use it. It's safe here; you can rest."

"Sounds good," he mumbled and grabbed the blanket to pull it over himself as he curled into a tight ball near the pillow and was all but asleep in a few breaths.

Even as Doruth stood to make the arrangements for when they left, he blinked at the seemingly empty, unmade bunk. A moment of staring and he realized that the kit had created a 'blanket' of Force-suggestion over himself to hide his presence. He had a feeling his life had suddenly become a lot more interesting.

* * *

Doruth was deep in a mental inventory of what they had by way of supplies already, what they still needed, and trying not to continuously shake his head at what the kit kept doing to his ship with nothing but time and food in just two days and what it would look like by the end of the week.

"So what are your hobbies?" Jay asked him out of nowhere between bites.

"Hmm?" The Panther looked back at Jay, surprised more by the fact that the kit was breaking out of his focus than by the question. "Depends on what you consider a hobby, I suppose," he admitted. "Most of what I do these days is part hobby, part work or practice. Closest to just being a hobby would probably be my combat training," he chuckled slightly. "And you probably don't want to know what most people who hear that say."

"Probably about the same thing that folks say when they ask a Clawson what we do for fun and the answer is 'working on the jet'." He giggled. "Though most of the adults add 'sex' to that." He cocked his head a bit. "Don't you enjoy anything that isn't about survival?"

"The combat training isn't just survival, Jay," Doruth chuckled slightly. "Of course, neither are the cards. I guess you might call it a habit I've still got from my training. Hobbies are usually something the Jedi use to help bring them closer to the Force, more than something they do simply to relax. Meditation, gardening, reading... for me, it worked out to be 'saber training. It helps me clear out distractions, focus, even relax."

That left Jay a little perplexed, and more than a little frustrated as his attempt to understand the Panther failed.

"So this life you have is everything you want?" He tried another track.

"That I'm a little less sure of," Doruth admitted. "I've done pretty well for a street kit, but I've always wanted to do more to make things better."

Jay nodded, understanding that on an intrinsic level all too well. "Are there less corrupt worlds in the Republic?"

"Much less," Doruth smiled. "Nar Shaddaa's about the lowest you can get. Once you get out of Hutt space, the corruption levels shoot down fast. Not that there isn't some corruption on most worlds, but not where the entire world runs on it. I was meaning to ask you about that, actually; what type of world would you like to try and go to first?"

Jay cursed internally at the question. He didn't know nearly enough yet to know what would draw the Panther into something he'd enjoy more than just making ends meet.

"I'm not sure," he admitted the truth. "Most of what I'm interested would either bore you to no end, go way over your head, or probably cost way too much right now. Mostly I just want away from what's _here_."

"That I can do easily enough," Doruth smiled, thinking of places that would provide a shift from the slums Jay was probably used to by now. "How do you like forests?"

"As long as it doesn't involve a lot of raw meat," he chuckled. "Camping is fun."

"Nah," Doruth grinned. "I can at least cook well enough to keep us from having to eat raw dinners. Think I know a few good places for us to go then, at least to get started. There are a lot of beautiful places in the galaxy once you get away from the city and industrial worlds."

"Cool," Jay grinned. That would give him plenty of time to see Doruth outside an environment that had gambling and what the Panther's life contained right now. "I haven't gotten to see many wilderness worlds that were safe to camp on."

"Safe is very much relative," Doruth chuckled. "Some of them are safer than most of the civilized worlds, others you don't sleep on without leaving an armed guard unless you're not worried about being eaten. I know a place that's nicely out of the way; spent a few months there when I was younger, so I know we wouldn't be too likely to get turned into panthac fodder."

"Sounds good," Jay grinned at him, pleased with the idea on a lot of levels. "A few days and the ship'll be ready to go."

"That's great," Doruth grinned. "You know, it really is a miracle what you've been able to do here," he said gratefully as Jay ducked his head a bit in self-consciousness.

"The ship remembers what she was," he said softly. "It's a huge help that I don't have to figure out what something used to be, _then_ figure out how to make it do what I need it to do. Everything here wants to do what it was meant to do; it just needs a little help to clean up the mess time and wear and tear created."

"You can talk to the ship?" Doruth asked. It was an odd concept, given that as far as he knew there'd never been any sort of intelligence installed into it. Of course, he was hardly an expert on the subject.

"If it's manufactured or crafted, I can talk to it," he nodded. "It's how I get it to do what I want. I ask."

"I don't suppose there's any way you could apologize for the damage I've managed to do trying to keep her spaceworthy?"

"She knows," Jay smiled at him. "She wishes you'd gotten real maintenance to do the work more often, but she understands you do what you can."

"That's good," Doruth chuckled. "I'd hate to have the ship mad at me."

"You've never have gotten this far," Jay grinned at him. "Besides, you're a _lot_ more respectful than her last owner."

"I think I'd have to try not to be," Doruth smirked. "You wouldn't believe how long it took to get the smell of pig out of this place. So, how do you like it here?"

"It's not home, but it's a lot better than the last two years." He nodded. "Company's better too."

"Thanks," the Panther smiled. "It's pretty good having somebody else around here too," he admitted, finishing up his dinner and watching as Jay curled up for a long nap under his Force-blanket as well as the physical one before going back to work.

* * *

Four days into repairs and Doruth was starting to wonder if there was anything that kit couldn't do with technology. He wasn't even finished and the Kalrass was already capable of outclassing her original specs and quite a few other ships it shouldn't be able to touch as well.

He shook his head slightly as worked through the streets to a market to get the last of the supplies they'd need for the trip to Mantessa and a nice long, relaxing stay there. He had to admit that it would be a pleasant break from the slums his life has been comprised of recently. A ripple in the Force abruptly took his full attention from his musings. A sensitive with some training was calling on its assistance and needed it badly.

"Well, I've already gotten in one fight this week," he muttered, taking off at a run in the direction he'd felt the disturbance. This time his lightsaber was already in his hands, snapped into fighting position and ready for action when he found the fight. Any sort of violence outside the slums was well beyond the point where somebody was going to be talked down.

He heard the screams of pain, crashing bodies and the humming whir of a lightsaber and blasters at work before he turned the corner and had to duck a flying body.

Mercs. A small army of them.

In the middle of it was a sight much like he would have made in such events. A big gray shewolf in the light clothes of a smuggler and a bright green lightsaber in one hand and blaster in the other was holding her own, but it wouldn't last. She didn't have the training for it for all she was proficient with her 'saber and the bit of Force-shoving she used to an outsider.

His own blade hummed as he ignited it. He focused for a brief moment, feeling the Force flowing through the area. He took a few steps, and then leaped up into the air, flipping and twisting to land facing the back of a merc coming up behind the shewolf with a vibroaxe. He opened the Gamorrean's back with an easy stroke, its death-cry mingling with the noise of the battle.

He noted in the back of his awareness that she noticed, but didn't take her focus off the battle as she moved closer to accept his assistance and guard each other's backs for the fight. It was then it sunk in what had felt off about her movements. She couldn't have had more than a year or two of formal training. It left her dangerous to these mercs, but by far the less proficient of the two of them.

Unfortunately, it also meant he had to watch her movements as much as his own to avoid hurting either one of them.

He shifted his blade to one hand as he saw a Rodian in the back limber up a weapon that looked like a large crystalline blaster rifle. He thrust his open palm at the strange weapon and heard the satisfying crunch of its components crumbling. Another of the mercs fired a blaster into the melee, but he deflected the bolt before it could hit the shewolf behind him.

His efforts also left her open to do what she did best: close quarters slicing. She didn't move too far away from him to keep the mercs from separating them, but she make take a rather gleeful half-circle of destruction around her of anything that got close enough for her 'saber.

Doruth was just glad she was keeping them from coming in too quickly; her own obvious pleasure in the fight was feeding into the darkness inside him. He kept reminding himself that she didn't know what she was doing beyond the basics; she couldn't be a dark sider, at least not yet. He was still probably on the right side of the fight.

"A strategic retreat may be in order, Jedi." He heard her voice over the battle. There wasn't any fear in it, though he could feel her concern. "Reinforcements will come before we take these out."

"Sounds good to me," he said. He snarled as one of the mercs got through his defenses and hit his arm with a stun baton. The baton and arm that held it fell to the ground, followed shortly by the offender's head.

"Back to the docks would be best," he growled, trying to keep his control. "The internal defenses will nail anybody with an active weapon; we'll be safe once we're there."

"Gotcha," she nodded and began to move, more experienced with getting out of trouble than she was with her 'saber.

He could hear her breathing, heavier than was a good sign, but nothing in her movements indicated she was injured and she certainly wasn't letting up on the damage she was dealing as they fought their way out of the combat zone.

Still, even if she was just winded it was a damned good sign that the fight had to end soon.

"Brace yourself," he warned her. He gave her just long enough to do that before summoning the Force surrounding them into a solid wave. He released the burst of air, knocking the startled mercs back, some of them falling flat as their comrades stumbled into them. "Go for it!" He shouted, turning and starting to run back for the docks. He hoped Jay had the ship flightworthy. It didn't much matter _why_ the mercs were after her; after this he'd have to get off the planet fast, even if she didn't.

Her ragged breathing followed him, clear after just the first few paces that she couldn't enhance her speed or endurance but had a solid reserve to draw on naturally and was pushing that to its limits keeping up with him. He slowed down, knowing that if the mercs caught up with them he'd have to be close to help her in the fight that followed.

The delay meant that he didn't notice the calm, even steps that carried a tall, thin twi'lek into the street. He barely noticed the bounty hunter raise his blaster in time to raise his 'saber and block the shot.

The Panther lunged forward, angling his bright blue blade for a lethal blow that would probably slice the green-skinned fighter in two - only to have his eyes go wide with shock as his 'saber blinked out.

"I never get sick of that expression," the twi'lek smirked, slamming the butt of his blaster into Doruth's jaw and sending the Panther staggering back a few steps even as the zrrratt of a heavy blaster knocked the twi'lek off balance long enough for a snarling mass of muscle and very sharp fangs to impact.

Doruth swallowed at the pure savagery of the Wolf's attack. If it wasn't for the way she scrabbled to her feet, lunged to grab up both blasters from the ground and took off again for the docks he probably would have been sick before he'd managed to realize that there was no emotion at all surrounding her shredding of the merc's life.

The most frightening part of it was thinking of how close he'd come to that on more than one occasion. He could only hope he was right about her not having any formal training; if he wasn't, it raised the disturbing question of who would have trained her and left her that uncontrolled.

He got to his feet quickly, taking advantage of the stunned reaction of the rest of the mercs to make it the rest of the way to the docks, holstering his lightsaber before the internal defenses decided he posed a threat.

"You have a ship?" He asked her, breathing hard, ignoring the blood dripping from her muzzle and smeared over her body as she wheezed for breath and shook her head.

"You?"

"Yeah," he nodded tiredly, rubbing his jaw gingerly. He froze up suddenly, then grabbed the shewolf and pulled her tightly against him as he turned into a small side-corridor and forced himself to focus enough to create the image of a dusty, unused supply closet. He was grateful that she didn't twitch or make a sound she could avoid; she even managed to control her breathing to an extent until the mercs had passed them by. Then she glanced at him, willing to follow his lead for the moment.

He motioned for her to stay quiet, closing his eyes for a moment and thinking.

It was only then that he started to come out of his battle focus enough to start realizing what the rush of adrenaline and being so close to her well-muscled body was doing to him. He forced his body to behave while he put together a mental route that would get them to the ship without anybody being too likely to see them. Opening his eyes, he let her go and started down the corridor with a silent signal to follow that was complied with. 

They both kept their senses open, but the circuitous route avoided the mercs, who thankfully hadn't recognized Doruth enough to know what ship was his. There were advantages to not being the only Panther in the docks.

"Any objections to getting off this rock?" He asked her. "If not, we're out of here as soon as my other shipmate has the Kalrass ready to fly."

"Not at all," she shook her head fervently, sending still wet blood flying in small droplets. "Anywhere but here is a good idea."

"Then let's get moving!" He said, looking both ways before bolting for the ship, praying once again that Jay would have it ready to go.

And that he wouldn't necessarily be around to see the blood-soaked shewolf.

He almost stopped when he realized the engines were powered up and the ship ready for liftoff as soon as they came on board. That kit would _never_ stop surprising him. He was sure of it now.

"Shower in the cargo hold if you want to get the blood off," he offered the shewolf as the ship's doors closed behind her. "I'll go talk with our pilot and make sure he's got the nav computer going."

"Great," she grinned at him, as eager to get the blood and battle out of her fur and clothes as he was to have it gone and worked her way to the cargo hold, the only place on a ship like this that a shower of any kind could have been installed.

Doruth ducked into his quarters long enough to grab a rag and wipe the dark blood on his paws off. He always wondered how it was that twi'leks could be so many different colors and have the same shade blood in them. Dismissing the question, he headed back through the engine room and into the cockpit, surprised at just how much was back in one piece now.

"We've got a new passenger," he explained to Jay briefly, sliding into the pilot seat quickly. "And probably a couple dozen hutt-slugs after us once they figure out who the Panther with the lightsaber is."

"Yeah, and if this was back home, they'd already be swarming the ship." The kit shivered. "You made a major splash on local chatter. We're ready for liftoff. I got it all back together to get us to Mantessa when the fight started."

"Well it's not like I could just let 'em kill her," the Panther said defensively, taking the controls on reflex. "Let's get out of here then. You have the nav-computer set up?"

"Yap." He nodded easily. "You had good timing. I was about to take the computers and main power down just before I caught what was happening. We would have been stuck here for hours if I'd started that." He paused as they lifted off. "Is she okay?"

"Physically, I think so," Doruth nodded. "And believe me, I'm _very_ glad you hadn't done that before you picked it up. How _did_ you know what was happening?" He asked, piloting the ship up and away from the Nar Shaddaa docks, along with the traditional 'negotiation' with Hutt security forces; a few shots from the blaster-cannon on the tail of the ship across the bow of anything unlucky enough to try and get in their way.

"Doruth, _everything_ was talking about it. That was a huge force to be sent after one person, and _two_ lightsabers in one battle was almost as big a deal. The area'll be chatting about this for days."

"Didn't know you were listening to the comms, or that anybody was watching," the Panther admitted. "Almost wish I'd had the chance to figure out what that damned twi'lek was wearing," he murmured, double-checking the coordinates in the nav-computer. It wasn't that he didn't trust Jay, but he wasn't particularly crazy about the idea of coming out of hyperspace in the middle of a star either.

"Not the comms," Jay shook his head. "The machines, the city and spaceport itself. I haven't really listened for a long time," he admitted quietly. "They're so much violence and hate and pain in the slums that it hurt to pay attention any more than I had to to stay out of trouble. The spaceport is more fun to listen to. There's life and excitement and stuff going on."

"I'm sorry," Doruth said softly. He knew the feeling all too well, and that was after he'd learned enough control to block out the 'background' of the slums if he had to. The sky darkened as they left the atmosphere of Nar Shaddaa, giving way to the clear blackness of space and a pleasant sigh of coming home from Jay.

"Hope you've been through hyperspace before, Jay," he said, keying the controls to prepare for the jump as soon as they were out of the planet's gravity well. "Hold her steady, I'm going to go make sure our new shipmate's braced for the jump."

"Right," the kit nodded and easily took control of a craft he's never been trained on. The instruction was simple enough, though, even without getting the computer to help him.

Doruth breathed a sigh of relief of his own when he couldn't smell blood as he entered the small cargo hold to find the shewolf sitting on a stack of crates waiting for him, dressed in her clothes from the battle that had seen as much washing as she had.

"So, Jedi, do you have a name?" She asked rather conversationally.

"Doruth Parn," he said. "And I'm not a Jedi anymore. They tend to frown on their members being gamblers. You?"

"Tes Ramaris," she chuckled with a nod. "And I never was one. I just picked up the sword from a crash a few years back."

"Taught yourself to use it?" He asked, impressed. Even with a Jedi Master to help with the training it wasn't easy to learn. "And just who did you tick off to get that many mercs and bounty hunters sent after you?"

"Jenaba and Beshaba the Hutts." She leaned back, displaying her body a little more enticingly without being too blatant about it. "They didn't want to pay me for a job. I kind of turned Beshaba into diced Hutt."

Doruth winced; he'd heard rumors about that while he was picking up supplies.

"Yeah, they usually object when somebody does that who isn't being paid by another Hutt. You've got a bit of a temper, don't you?"

"Not that anybody's noticed," she shook her head a bit. "I lost my ship and crew on that job, so I was already pissed when he started talking about making me a slave girl to pay me for my trouble." She cocked her head at him. "Though by Jedi standards, yeah, I probably do. I am an Alpha Wolf by nature and upbringing."

Doruth growled slightly. "That he deserved to be diced for. Just was a little surprised when you went after that guy with tooth and claw, since you had a blaster on you."

"You would have had a blaster hole in your head if I'd taken the time to take that many shots," she shrugged. "The first one didn't even scorch his armor."

"I was a little distracted at the moment," Doruth admitted. "Hadn't noticed the first shot. So you've never been trained to use the Force by anybody but yourself?"

"I've snagged a few vid-lessons over the years, but it's pretty much just been me." She nodded. "Something that whatever training you got makes it _very_ obvious I barely know what I'm doing with it."

That was about what he'd thought, and it was almost a relief. Of course, it meant that she knew just enough to be a threat to herself at the same time. Too many sensitives had taken self-training and turned it into a short, violent career as a warlord. On the plus side, if she hadn't already, it wasn't likely high on her list of inclinations either.

"I might be able to help you with some of that, if you don't mind cramped quarters for a while." Why was he leaving himself open for this? Of course, it wasn't like he was offering to make a Jedi out of her; it was just too risky to leave her with as little control as she had. A small warning light went off, and he looked up at it. They were out of the planet's gravity well. "For now, I need to go get us into hyperspace. As much of a miracle worker as my co-pilot is, I don't want him doing that without knowing how," he chuckled, standing up.

"Ummm, yes, that would not be good," she chuckled and shook her head as she got down. "And I'd love to have a better grip on what I can do. Where's a spot for a third party to strap down?"

"At this point, it's about on the level of finding somewhere nothing's going to fall on you and being glad I had the cargo bay converted for livable space," he admitted. "Though for the jump you could borrow one of the bunks in the quarters. Unfortunately, there's only enough space for two; I hadn't exactly been planning on picking up passengers until this week."

"I'll take a bunk, if you don't mind," her body language making it clear she didn't mind sharing it for sleeping either.

"Go ahead," he nodded, showing her the crew quarters as they walked by. He also decided this was probably a good time to let her know that his 'crewmate' was a kit. "I use the one behind the curtain, so you probably want to grab that. And as tempting as the offer is," he chuckled slightly, "I'm afraid the guy who uses the other bunk is about ten."

That raised an eyebrow right into her hairline. "You have found an interesting crew in a week, Doruth Parn." Tes chuckled and shook her head. "So where are we headed, anyway?" She asked as she brushed the curtain back.

"You don't know the half of it," he chuckled. "Just wait until you meet him; I'm still trying to figure out how he does half the things he can. And we're heading to Mantessa."

"Do I even want to know why we're headed to a world infested by panthacs?" She raised her eyebrow even higher.

"For one thing, the entire world isn't infested," Doruth chuckled. "Unless something went screwy, I know a few islands that don't have any on them. They're not actually that bad if you're careful; I spent about a week in the middle of panthac country while I was training. Besides," he shrugged, "it's safer than hitting Maridun, and don't get me _started_ on Kashykk."

"Okay, okay," she lifted her hands in surrender and chuckled. "Let's just get out of this Hutt hell."

"Right," he nodded, heading back out towards the cockpit. "We'll be hitting hyperspace in just a couple minutes." With that, he went up to start the Kalrass' shift.

* * *

Tes stepped softly into the crew quarters behind Doruth and spread her fingers up his back. "The kit is occupied, the door locks, care to claim your reward now?" She rumbled seductively in his ear.

"Mmm ... only if that's not the only reason," he chuckled, turning to wrap an arm around her waist, rumbling and running his fingers up her own well-muscled back. "I'd like to think I don't _have_ to save somebody's life first," he winked.

"No, but it does make things a little sweeter," she grinned before kissing him hungrily and rubbed against the solid block of muscle of his chest. "And you _know_ it's not the only reason to bed you."

"I know it, but no way of telling if you do yet," he grinned, kissing her again and drawing her back towards the bunk only to be stopped when she pushed him against the bulkhead and worked his shirt off.

"A big, strong, powerful, skilled, handsome male like you?" Tes breathed against his bare chest as she nuzzled and licked her way down to his pants. "If you were a Wolf, I'd fight to have you."

"High compliment," he rumbled deeply. And it was, especially from her; alphas were notoriously picky about bed partners, especially ones they'd fight for. He groaned as her attentions made his shaft harden in anticipation. His hands working her back and shoulders skillfully through her own jacket and shirt.

He shivered as his belt was undone and pants slid down. She nuzzled his crotch, her long soft tongue working his velvety balls as she breathed in the musk of his arousal that heightened her own.

"Oh fuck," he groaned, leaning his head back and closing his deep blue eyes in pleasure. "Been _way_ too long...."

"You and me both." Tes murmured and took his rough shaft all the way down to the sheath in a single motion.

The Panther groaned deeply, his grip on her shoulders tightening as pleasure coursed through him. He tried to remember how long it had been for a moment, but decided to forget about it and just go with the flow for now.

Which, all things considered, was _much_ more pleasant.

He felt his claws come out, stopped by her vest, as she worked him to so close to climax he could taste it. It may have been a while since she'd had a partner, but she remembered how to take him down her throat and vibrate around it while she worked her own clothing off between fondling his heavy balls and feeling the rest of his body.

It didn't take long for the unfamiliar but _more_ than welcome pleasure to push him over the edge. He locked his jaw, groaning through clenched teeth as thick Panther-seed shot into her hungry, sucking muzzle to be swallowed easily. He shuddered with a deep moan and squeezed his eyes shut as she continued to work him past his orgasm, keeping him hard until he'd stay that way.

"Take me," Tes rumbled into a demanding kiss as she put her own back to the wall and lifted one leg to wrap around him, rubbing her slick sex against his shaft. "Make me feel your power."

"Dangerous request, Tes," he said, serious despite the grin that spread along his muzzle as he rubbed against her. "Sure you want to make it without giving me a ground rule for what's too far?"

"No broken bones or serious bleeding," she replied seriously and pulled his head forward for a hard kiss.

"That I can manage," he rumbled as their lips parted, claiming another kiss as he ran his hands down along her sides possessively. His claws left deep furrows in her double coat of fur as he started to let go of his self-conditioning, getting ready to really let loose for the first time in years. He felt her intoxicating arousal and hunger for the promised roughness and pleasure against his mind as much as in his nose and on his tongue. It silenced even the last bit of concern that he might go too far.

She was as eager for the unbridled passion as he was, and had no illusions about what that meant. The only obstacles left between them and it were inside him.

He let out a feral growl as most of those fell away and he sank his claws into her flanks. He shifted, driving his barbed length into her hot, wet sex with a single thrust, starting to fuck her mercilessly without any hesitation. Her unabashed growls and moans of pleasure and cries for more spurred him on. Her slick sex tightened around his shaft with every powerful thrust as she gripped him across his broad shoulders and willingly surrendered to the first male she'd met who was worthy of dominating her, even if it was just to be in bed.

Doruth bit down on her shoulder lightly, forcing himself not to break the skin as his balls pulled up close to his body, spilling their contents into her wombs as he hilted inside of her, his thick shaft stretching her around its barbed length.

"Oh Yes!" Tes howled and pulled him even tighter against her body as she milked his cock for everything he was worth. He pressed close to her until both their sexes were done, then kissed her neck, grazing her throat with his teeth and relished the way she shivered at the dominating behavior.

"Want me to move you, or willing to move yourself?" He asked her with a deep rumble.

"I can move," she moaned and squeezed his cock, still deep inside her body. "Wherever you want me."

"On your knees," he rumbled, pulling out of her with a groan. "Bed or floor."

Tes nodded with a moaning gasp at being empty and quickly got on the bunk with her ass in the air and tail over her back. She looked at him hungrily. "Fuck me, Panther."

"With pleasure," he rumbled. He practically pounced on her, sinking his shaft into her dripping sex again. He nosed her hair out of the way, his jaws closing tightly on the scruff of her neck. The metallic taste of her blood filled his mouth as he started fucking her for all he was worth and found his efforts returned in her tightening sex and growled for more.

His breath came hot and metallic as he groaned into her thick fur and she thrust back into his pounding hips with abandon and desire that pushed him even higher than the physical pleasures her body offered him so wantonly.

It wasn't much longer before he groaned into her scruff, spilling another load of semen into her pussy. Before he'd even finished, he pulled out of her body and started pressing his sex-slicked shaft into her tight ass. He felt her surprise across her body and against her mind, and the pain of being spread open for the first time in a very long time.

Despite that, she moaned deeply, her desire and arousal flagging only briefly as she accepted the pain and relished the pleasure that came with it.

He hilted inside her, his barbs raking the tender flesh as he started to pull out. He couldn't take her as roughly as he had before, but it wasn't for lack of trying. Soon, he was speeding up, pounding his shaft into her impossibly tight ass with gusto until his balls tightened against him again to pour their last offering for a while into her body while she shuddered at the sensation of the thick, hot liquid deep in her stretched ass.

"Ohhh, yeah." Tes moaned as he began to relax along her back and she settled on the bunk, both their juices oozing from her body. "Oh, yeah." She murmured in real contentment at his hard-muscled body a warm blanket over her.

"You can say that again," he panted, licking at her bloodied scruff and snuggled close to her as he started to calm down and gradually slid from her body as he softened.

* * *

Jay relaxed at the controls of the Kalrass, watching and listening to the ship's systems while the adults got some rest, and fun if the shewolf has any say about it, when the comm system beeped for his attention to an incoming message in reply to one he'd sent several days before.

> >   
>  Attention: Jay Clawson  
>  Message from: Jedi Temple, Coruscant  
>  Re: Status of Doruth Parn
>> 
>> Records state Doruth Parn is no longer a Padawan. Recognized as a Knight since shortly before disappearance appr. 5 years ago.  
>  Requesting information regarding his whereabouts and condition, with possible meeting to be arranged.
>> 
>> Knight Jolani Panthera  
> 

  
He considered the language for a while, and then typed up the first of two replies he expected to write on the subject.  


> >   
>  Attention: Knight Jolani Panthera  
>  Message from: Jay Clawson  
>  Re: Status of Doruth Parn
>> 
>> Doruth is physically in good shape, mentally fairly good, still holding off the Dark Side and is currently between the middle of nowhere and another middle of nowhere.
>> 
>> A meeting will be arranged if he agrees.
>> 
>> Jay Clawson  
> 

  
He reread the message and sent it off before getting up to go look for the adults.

The ship was actually pretty quiet as he walked back to the crew quarters. Not too unusual, given the thickness of the bulkheads. He knew the door was locked even before he tried it and heard as much as felt the familiar sounds of adults playing. He snickered as he relaxed against the bulkhead while they finished.

"Hey, Doruth!" He called out even as he asked the door to open and it complied. "Got a message you need to see."

"The hell - Jay?!? Close the door!" He could hear the surprise in Doruth's voice from behind the curtain. His nose told him clearly enough that he'd been right about what they were up to.

"You were finished," the kit wined, but he backed out and let the door shut, muttering about what the Panther thought he was hiding and what the big deal was.

"He has a point, we were." Tes chuckled from behind the curtain.

"He could've at least given us a little warning though," Doruth muttered. "Either I'm going to need to start looking for a bigger ship or start welding doors shut...." A few moments passed before the door opened again, the Panther just inside it and wearing a hastily-donned pair of pants.

"I didn't mean to yell, Jay," he apologized. "Just... knock or something next time, okay?"

"Okay," the kit shrugged. He didn't get what the big deal was, _his_ family sure as hell didn't care, but then maybe it was a Jedi thing. "A message came in from the Jedi Temple you should see."

"The Jedi... now how the hell did they find me?" Doruth asked, cocking his head curiously. After five years, he couldn't come up with any way they would have found him... now.... "You figured out how the hyperspace transceiver worked," he guessed.

"They haven't found you," the kit said simply. "I just asked what your status among the Jedi is."

"I meant to send a message here," Doruth explained, leaning back against the dresser protruding from the wall. He couldn't really blame Jay too much; at least this way he'd know if it was safe to take him to the Temple. "So, have they decided I'm a renegade, or just fallen?"

"She replied to it," the kit shrugged. "And neither. You're a Knight."

"They still have me listed as being a Knight?" The Panther's expression was one of disbelief. "Five years after I disappeared on them?"

"Yap," Jay nodded. "Knight Jolani Panthera wants to meet with you."

"She made Knight, huh?" He said, leaning back thoughtfully. "Well, at least I know there's no chance somebody's pulling a fast one if she's the one we're supposed to meet. She leave a place or time?"

"No," he shook his head. "I don't think they expected to get that much cooperation. She asked where and how you were, though."

"Sounds like her, though I imagine they were a lot more precise with the language," he chuckled slightly, looking back towards the curtain Tes was lounging behind. "Any objections to meeting an old friend on Mantessa while we're there?"

"Not as long as she doesn't try to arrest me," the shewolf laughed. "Go make arrangements."

"Trust me, she's not about to try and arrest anybody," Doruth laughed, shifting to stand up straight and look down at Jay. "So, you want to finish up arranging this yourself, or should I?" He asked with a chuckle.

"I just wanted to know if they were trying to kill you." The kit pointed out. "This part is your business."

"All right," he nodded. "Though just something to keep in mind; the Jedi don't do death warrants. If they do, they certainly don't take 5 years to find the person it's out on, and they almost certainly deserve it. I'll go send the message; we might be staying a little longer than expected depending on how fast the ship she uses is."

"Right," Jay nodded, clearly not all that convinced of the first two facts as he watched Doruth head up to the bridge and the messages.

* * *

"Dor!" Jay's excited voice, and the new variant on his name, exploded onto the bridge just before the kit did as they were making a final approach to Mantessa. "Set down at 00 north, 66 east!"

"Huh?" The Panther looked over at Jay, then down at the map. He shrugged a little thinking about it. "Sure, not that far from where I was planning on setting down anyways." He punched in the changes, just a mile or two from where they'd been planning on landing as it was. "What's the buzz?"

"There's a ship down there that wants to be ours." He grinned, almost dancing in his excitement. "A _seriously_ cool one."

"Okay," Doruth chuckled, moving in for the approach. He frowned slightly as they saw the area they were supposed to land in; a ragged hole seemingly torn in the dense forest on the island. "Jay, are you _sure_ this is where we should be landing?"

He paused a moment, then nodded. "Yap, that's the spot."

"Okay," Doruth nodded. He could feel something there too; something different than the last time he'd been here. The last time it had been calm and tranquil. Now... the tranquility had been disturbed.

"Jay, I'm going to have to set us down a little distant from it, but not far. Just a matter of finding a decent landing spot for the Kalrass... the ship you're feeling probably didn't land under its own power by my guess."

"No, he didn't," the kit agreed and took over the co-pilot's seat. "I don't mind walking."

He slowed their descent, taking the small ship in though what he was pretty sure was the crash zone. Fortunately the small ship was built for dodging through asteroid fields more densely packed than this particular chunk of the forest; he was able to weave between the trees until they found a small clearing not a mile away.

"Before we go, Tes and I are going to have to make sure we're ready," the Panther said seriously, standing up out of his seat. "I'll need a blaster, at least."

"And she needs to get dressed." Jay added with a snicker and innocent look that he knew Doruth wasn't buying. Still, he knew enough to tell when the Panther was blushing, even if his thick black fur covered it up.

"If that's the case, you and I've both been out here since we dropped out of hyperspace, so it hardly means anything," he pointed out calmly and only got another snicker for the effort. "I don't suppose that anyone taught you how to shoot on that cruiser you were on before you zapped yourself out here?" He asked, surprisingly serious for talking to a kit a third his age.

"Of course," Jay grinned. "I'm a Clawson. We're all sharpshooters. Great-Grandpa redefined the term."

"Blasters, or some other type of weapon?" Doruth asked, thinking as he headed back into the cargo hold with Jay on his heals. He'd thought this island was safe before, but that had been a long, long time ago... he hadn't been _that_ much older than Jay then. A lot of things could happen in that much time.

"Light blaster, laser riffle, air riffle, bow, spear, Glovatrix, fighter," he started to count it off from memory. "I didn't get to learn the bigger personal weapons 'cause I'm not big enough to really handle them yet, but I know how to do maintenance on the entire line. Ranged weapons come easy to us."

"Definitely a military family," the Panther mused, opening up the concealed panel that hid the admittedly small arsenal he'd loaded up. He pulled down a sport-grade blaster rifle, and handed it to the kit. "That should be light enough for you. Just keep it set to stun for now; I don't _think_ we're going to run into anything that'd need more."

"Right," Jay nodded and made a quick, efficient examination of the variant on a familiar theme. "I should be able to hit just about anything close enough to be dangerous. And of course we're a military family. We're SWAT Kats."

"One of these days you're going to have to tell me just who the SWAT Kats are," Doruth smiled, selecting a heavier carbine for himself. "Jay? If we do run into any trouble out there, get back to the ship and close the door if you can. I'll go get Tes."

"Special Weapons Assault Teams," the kit grinned at him, covering the fact that he had little intention of leaving them to anything that dangerous.

"That sounds military all right," Doruth nodded, keying the intercom for the quarters. "Tes, we're landed. Jay thinks he spotted a ship near here. Something doesn't feel quite right, so make sure you stop back here to grab something that'll fire full-auto. Some moron might've brought something off another planet."

"Right," she replied with the sound of rustling clothes before the comm clicked off.

"Black ops, technically," he added thoughtfully as he went over his family history. "Well, it _started_ as an unofficial almost vigilante unit, then got adopted into official Ops status when politics changed a bit."

"Black ops?" Doruth looked back at Jay, raising an eyebrow as he was reminded of just how odd the kit's family was. "Y'know, I think I'd like to meet that family one of these days," he chuckled slightly. "If it wasn't for the galaxy in there somewhere."

"Stick around me, you will." He grinned up as Tes strode into the room with a nod to both of them and went to the stash of weapons to select a heavy-duty plasma riffle. "We always find the lost members eventually."

"Ready to go?" She asked the pair.

"Ready," Doruth nodded. "Let's hope I'm just nervous about there being a crashed ship so close to Ryth's Rest."

"Which is?" Jay asked before Tes could.

"Reason this place _should_ be safe," Doruth explained. "Ryth was one of the early Masters when the Jedi were first formalizing themselves. Hell of a guy by everybody's accounts. He was buried on this island by his fourth Padawan after age finally caught up with him, but legend says his presence has kept the place relatively peaceful since then."

"Well, let's hope it's true." Tes nodded curtly. "What are we looking for, anyway?"

"The crashed ship." Jay chuckled.

"To fix? To scavenge? To bury the dead?" She looked between them.

"Fix." Jay supplied.

"And bury, if there's a need for it," Doruth added. "We'll have to see." He moved to the hatch, opened it and looked around outside. "Looks quiet enough; let's go."

The trio started making their way towards the coordinates Jay had given them. The kit was as eager as he'd ever been, though Tes couldn't shake the feeling that something was watching them. Mostly because she knew something was; she'd caught the glimpse of tawny fur moving between green leaves and bushes that usually came just before a panthac attack probably a dozen times now. The weird part was that they _weren't_ attacking. Three people, no matter how well armed, were usually a tempting dinner for a pack of the tiny predators.

"You see that?" She asked Doruth under her breath while she covered the much less careful kit that was pushing them to move faster.

"Yeah," he nodded slightly. His thumb moved slightly to flip the carbine's safety off, just in case. "If they haven't attacked yet, I don't think they're going to. Just try and stay calm; we don't want to do anything that might set them off."

"Calm I can do," she nodded slightly. "He'd be a lot safer if I just carried him by the scruff."

"You know he wouldn't let you do that. Besides, we're not much farther. Once we're on the ship, he probably wouldn't notice if we welded the door shut unless it told him."

"True," she chuckled, remembering the way the kit focused on his projects. "Hopefully the ship's intact enough that we can secure it."

"He is." Jay called back, his scruffy tail waving sharply. "Come on already. He's just up ahead."

"We're coming," Doruth nodded, stepping ahead to push some hanging vines aside. His breath caught in his throat as he saw the ship waiting for them.

It wasn't a thing of beauty by most people's standards; a drab olive green and broad, blocky panels defined its long profile, over twice the size of the Kalrass. The rounded corners and broad design didn't look particularly special, though the turret protruding from the top and its twin cannons marked it as a ship that had seen battle before, as did the deep scorch marks in the armor plate.

As unremarkable as the ship looked, Doruth recognized it.

"It's a Vanya," he rumbled deeply, stepping towards the ship.

"A Jedi ship?" Tes frowned, seeing one for the first time.

"The Gurath," Jay informed them. "He's very happy to see us."

" _The_ Jedi ship for centuries," Doruth grinned even as Jay started his hands-on inspection of the hull. "Didn't think there were any more out there."

"Let's get inside," Tes suggested, catching more motion than she liked. "Before we see some action."

"Right," Doruth nodded. "Jay, is there power enough to open the hatch, or are we going to have to improvise something?"

"Got it," the kit made his way to the main hatch and focused for a moment before it opened with significant complaints from the metal.

The air inside was stale as the three of them hurried onto the ship, the signs of violence obvious.

"Whoever had this ship before had a rough time of it," Doruth murmured, looking at the shattered bones that were left.

"Probably those panthacs that are loose." Tes commented. "It would explain their presence on the island."

"It wasn't Jedi who had her last." Jay commented absently as they worked their way around the ship, the adults looking while he touched.

"Smugglers maybe," Doruth mused as he moved back into one of the cargo areas. Several durasteel cages, ripped open, were as good as a holovid to explain what had happened. "Didn't know panthacs could punch through this stuff given the time. Just glad they got 'em off the ship. Most of 'em," he amended, glancing down at a skull, too large for most creatures the panthac's size but with the telltale jaws of the tiny creatures.

This one had a blaster mark on it, but he had a feeling there were others still on the ship that had given in to starvation long before.

"Gonna be a long time cleaning this place up," he observed.

"That'll give you something to do besides play while I repair him." Jay commented absently as he worked on his exploration. "Any priorities on what to fix first?" He offered.

"Power, life support, and defenses, if necessary," Doruth said, blushing slightly at Jay's admittedly accurate guess at what the adults would probably be up to a fair amount of the time.

He was definitely going to have to work on not blushing as easily.

"But you look very cute when you do." Tes grinned at him unrepentantly. "Start with the remains, or sweep the ship from front to back?" She offered the order of the unpleasant choice of how they would work to him.

"I'll take the remains," he offered. Her abilities weren't likely to cause her any grief if she took them, but he knew his wouldn't. "At least after this long they're not as bad as fresher corpses," he chuckled slightly.

"Very true," she nodded and looked around. "Are there cleaning supplies here, Jay?"

"Brooms and such," he nodded and broke his inspection to lead her there. "Not much by way of cleaners."

"Anything will help," she nodded. "This one has years of grime to deal with."

"We can bring more off the Kalrass once we've done what we can with the supplies here," Doruth called, kneeling and began the slow process of collecting bones of both the crew, and the panthacs that had killed them. "We'll need to move everything over anyways eventually."

* * *

"Hey, Tes," Doruth groaned, stretching out as he tossed the now-filthy cloth he'd been cleaning one of the crew rooms with into a bucket. "Why don't we grab a break?"

"Whatcha got in mind?" She grinned with no attempt to hide what was on _her_ mind.

"Not that," he chuckled, shaking his head. "At least not right away. I was thinking of heading out and getting something for dinner. If you're interested, might be able to bring back something large with some help carrying it."

"Hunting?" She cocked her head. "Sure. The kit's safe enough in here and there is no way in hell anyone should be out there alone."

"I think we'll be safe for now," he chuckled slightly. "They're usually pretty quiet around noon. If we head up into the trees a bit, we'll shake 'em. They can climb, but they're not likely to chase something like that unless they're starving."

"And if they were, they'd have attacked us long ago." She nodded, not thrilled with the idea of climbing herself. "It's still safer with two."

"That I'm not going to argue with," he nodded, standing up and stretching out more. "You going to take a blaster along?"

"At least," she nodded. "A riffle would need a strap so I can climb. Unlike your kind, we don't come by it that naturally."

"True," he admitted. "Should have something with a shoulder strap though. I'll be going a little more lightly armed," he explained, heading back out to the supplies they'd moved after cleaning the cargo bay and grabbing a blaster rifle for her, strap included. "We can also try staying closer to the ground if you want. It shouldn't be too bad; panthacs are nocturnal mostly, and I think they're getting used to us."

"Which could be a good or bad thing," she grinned at him and shouldered the weapon. "I don't mind trees, I'm just no cat."

"We'll sort it out once we see how the hunting's doing," he chuckled, ducking into his quarters and closed the door behind him. A few moments later he came back out, wearing nothing but a black loincloth with his lightsaber strapped to the waist.

"Fair warning; don't get between me and prey," he said seriously and tried to ignore the spike of raw lust that hit him from Tes. "Not if I'm focused on it."

"I understand," she licked her muzzle and didn't even try to conceal the way her eyes ran over his exposed fur and how the silky black pelt rippled over powerful muscles as he moved.

"Let's get going before we end up forgetting why I'm dressed like this," he chuckled, moving to the hatch and opening it up, starting out. He was remarkably at-ease, given what he knew about the critters in the area.

"That's fine," Tes grinned. "The view is just as good from here too." She added with an approving rumble for his tight ass but kept a respectful distance from the hunter.

"You're incorrigible," the Panther chuckled, moving to one of the trees and sinking his claws into the thick bark. He started climbing easily, making his way up to the massive branches above.

"It's part of the package," she grinned at him and studied the tree before making a leap into the lower branches to make her way after him by more conventional means.

Once she'd caught up with him, he almost seemed to be a different person entirely. Moving carefully, deliberately, he stalked through the forest, occasionally pausing to sniff the air. He was acting almost like he'd slipped back into instinct.

And Tes had to admit; he managed to make that look remarkably good.

It seemed he'd been right about the panthacs too; while she knew they were around, they weren't anywhere near the two of them. Whether it was because of the height or because of the time she didn't know, but she wasn't about to complain either.

It felt like she was following him forever; minutes of waiting in near-silence followed by bursts of motion as he caught a scent or a sound and followed it. Finally, they neared a large clearing by a small pond. Doruth crept towards the edge of the large branch they were on, looking down towards the water. Near the edge, a small herd of hoofed quadrupeds were drinking, their dark pelts helping them blend in with the shadows of the forest floor. Just as Tes was recognizing them as a local breed of zarymok, she realized that Doruth had disappeared.

Moments later, a pitch-black blur dropped out of the branches further downwind, landing directly on top of one of the smaller beasts. It fell to the ground, struggling with the dark shape on its back as the rest of the herd let out a series of piercing bellows, charging back into the safety of the forest.

Doruth, or at least she assumed it was Doruth, grappled with the beast near the water's edge. Animalistic shrieks of pain and fright echoed off the trees for a few moments, then all was still, the Panther's jaws locked around the zarymok's spine. The gesture was so similar to a more familiar, intimate bite she'd become accustomed to that it almost sent shivers up her spine as the hunter started to haul his kill up the tree slowly, his dark fur glistening with blood.

"If only you were a Wolf," she whispered under her breath, entranced by the savage power and embodiment of everything her kind valued in a mate and Alpha. "You are incredible, Doruth. Utterly incredible."

She took a deep breath, doubting he'd be in a mood to play until his belly was full and moved to meet him, and made a point of making her presence obvious to him while she was at it.

He made quick work of gutting the creature, the motions practiced as much as instinctive before he speared it on a nearby branch to drain to the ground beneath them along with the rest of the offal. She was actually surprised to see the expression in his blue eyes when he turned towards her.

Apparently, he wasn't planning on sating the hunger as she'd thought quite yet.

She rumbled appreciatively and moved foreword along the branch, her head tilted to expose her throat and her tail tucked between her legs out of respect for her superior in the pack and the near-animal nature she could read in his body language. She wanted close, wanted his body, but not to face his wrath protecting his kill from an outsider.

The blood-soaked Panther leaped at her, practically knocking her flat on her back on the large branch. For a moment she was afraid she'd managed to set him off somehow. His claws slid out and shred her pants before he took the brief moment to rip his loincloth off and set it aside, his 'saber making a distinctly civilized clatter as it thumped against the tree that was completely out of place in the decidedly uncivilized events unfolding.

Neither of them noticed it though; Doruth was too busy sinking his shaft, thick with the blood-rush and adrenaline coursing through his veins, into her hot, willingly submissive body. Tes moaned as he fucked her even rougher than their first time, though more attention than she really cared for had to be diverted from the pleasure to get her riffle and shirt off before he got his teeth involved.

If it wasn't for the fall involved, she was seriously considering knocking them off the branch so she'd have a more comfortable place to be fucked completely raw. It may be a big branch, but she _wasn't_ a natural climber and not nearly as comfortable up here as he was.

On the other hand, when she briefly considered what the smell of blood and entrails on the ground was probably going to attract, the tree probably was a little safer. At least for now.

Before long, he roared his completion, filling her body up far too fast for her liking. He pressed against her body, panting heavily.

"Ground?" He asked her as he caught his breath.

"If it'll be safe," she shuddered and squeezed down around him with a deep moan. "You are incredible, Doruth." She claimed a deep kiss from him now that he was with it enough to talk.

"Should be safe enough," he panted, pulling out of her reluctantly. "Gonna have to move fast though, still have a lot to burn off."

"Good," she rumbled and made the distance in a single leap-and-roll maneuver that put her on her feet clear of the mess and water so that the ground would be solid and went to work getting the remains of her clothes off.

No sooner was she naked than he was on the ground in front of her. He grabbed her and twisted both of them to the ground easily, growling as he kissed her possessively. She didn't even think, she just rubbed up against his chest as much as she could, her nipples hard and sensitive and spread her legs to thrust her crotch against full hard shaft, begging him to fill her again.

"Simply incredible," Tes moaned into his mouth as he shifted his hips and drove into her right to his balls, his sheath partially buried inside her, adding a thick silkiness right at her opening that made her shudder and howl her pleasure as she clamped down around him, her body fluttering around his, milking him for his seed.

He gave it to her, roaring again before he bit down on her shoulder, this time sinking his teeth into her flesh, what little control he'd had the first time completely absent as he kept fucking her through their orgasms and she did nothing but encourage him with her body and voice. Even through the claw and bite marks, their pain and the blood of his pray mixing with her own Tes wanted more of him, even past the point it was a good idea.

She was absently grateful he probably wasn't paying attention when her thoughts leaked out in her voice and she moaned her wish he was a Wolf in her pleasure. She was beginning to feel a bit loopy, her body spent completely while he was still very wound up.

Finally, he poured another load of semen into her full, spent pussy, panting as he rested against her. He was still incredibly wound up, but his deep blue eyes were more clearly his own as he released her shoulder, looking up into her rather glazed over brown ones. He licked the blood from her shoulder, pressing close as he put a hand on the wounds. She could feel the Force seem to close in around them, the pain from his bite fading.

"Sorry," he murmured softly, kissing her as he started to wind down and she did her best to look at the shoulder he'd healed.

"Wow," she murmured and kissed him back as she rubbed his back with arms that still felt rather like wet noodles. "I didn't know you could heal too."

"Not well," he admitted, nuzzling her gently. "But well enough when I have to. Didn't mean to hurt you like that, but I get a little wound up when I hunt like that."

"I noticed," she grinned up at him and kissed him again. "You are _incredible_."

"Thanks," he chuckled, grinning a little loopily. He tried to shift, and winced a little bit as the blood mixed in their fur started to matt it together. "Think we might want to wash up some time soon...."

"Yeah," she grinned up at him. "Maybe actually wear you out."

"Or at least try," he smirked, kissing her quickly. "Though once we're back on the Gurath, I think I'll be in the mood to just curl up in one of the quarters and snuggle." He slowly pulled out of her with a groan, their fur pulling apart gradually.

"You're not going to get any complaints from me," she moaned as they separated. She rolled to her feet weakly and staggered for the pond. "You are seriously wild." She rumbled appreciatively.

"Just pray you never get to see me at my wildest," he said seriously, standing and stretching, groaning as some of the hits he'd taken fighting the zarymok finally started to ache. "Though the type of wild you usually bring out in me, I think I can live with."

"Good," she turned to run her hands gently down his chest. "I don't think I want to see you at your wildest either." She kissed him before stepping into the cool pond to let it pull the first layer of blood and cum from her fur and body.

He followed her into the pond, wading in until the water was up to his waist. He started washing off, looking over at her with a curious expression as she did the same. "So, you meant that bit about wishing I was a Wolf?"

Despite the abuse of her body, Tes visibly startled at his low tone and turned to look at him with rather wide eyes. She dropped her gaze apologetically after a moment and nodded. "Yeah, I do."

"Don't worry," he smiled. "I'm taking it as a hell of a compliment. Though if I were, it'd leave us having to be a hell of a lot more careful," he chuckled, moving a bit closer to rub her back gently.

"Thank you," she smiled at him and leaned into the touch lightly, careful of the gashes his claws had left in her flesh. "I meant it that way. And it is nice to not have to be careful of anything but our lives when we play."

"Do you usually like it that rough?" He asked her curiously, nuzzling her neck lightly and making sure the wounds he'd left were well cleaned.

"I like it intense," she murmured and turned her head to nuzzle him in return. "Passionate, all-consuming. Rough is the most common, but not the only think I like. Sometimes slow and gentle can be just as intense." She paused to turn inside his loose embrace and kissed him. "It's as much about the who as the what when it's really good."

"Have to try that some time," he rumbled deeply, kissing her back. "Y'know, you're pretty incredible too. In a lot of ways."

"I'm usually the one in charge too," she chuckled and licked his muzzle as she began to work her fingers through his fur to clean it out as well as enjoy the potency of his presence and the intoxicating effects it had. "You're the first male I've ever allowed to dominate me like this."

"I'm honored," he rumbled softly, running his hands along her body both for the feel of her, and to work some of the mess out of her fur. Hers wasn't nearly as bad as his, but it still needed more than the pond's lightly swirling waters provided.

"You do owe me a pair of pants, though." Tes cracked a grin at him and nuzzled his neck. "You shredded what I was wearing."

"Funny," he smirked, "I don't seem to remember you complaining at the time."

"I'm still not," she grinned and slid her hands under the water to stroke his full cock. "But if you'd warned me we'd play this hard, I wouldn't have bothered wearing them."

"And we wouldn't have made it as far as we did," he pointed out with a deep, appreciative rumble for the attention, "or get dinner. Though I'm pretty sure we'll have something you can wear until we get back to civilization. Unless, of course, you don't _mind_ not wearing anything down there," he shrugged with a wise-ass smirk. "Might save time."

"Well, _I_ don't mind, but we do have a ten year old kit to keep in mind," Tes reminded him teasingly even as she urged him to shallower water before she knelt to take him into her mouth, playing her soft, wet tongue around the rough shaft.

"Mmm ... I know that," Doruth groaned, reaching down to rub her shoulders and neck. "I'm just not entirely sure _he_ does yet."

* * *

"At least he's probably oblivious to the world right now." Tes commented as the pair entered the Gurath with Doruth's kill.

"Let's hope so," the Panther chuckled slightly. "C'mon, let's get you something new to wear so we don't have to worry about when he'll snap out of it."

"And you looking like you're actually dressed," she added with a smirk. "And dry."

"What happened to your pants?" Jay's bewildered voice from behind them stopped them short of their goal. "And _you're_ naked! What happened?" He asked with real concern.

"So much for that idea." Tes winced.

"We went hunting," Doruth explained quickly, his cheeks quickly turning a shade of red much deeper than usual as he strategically shifted the zarymok's body to cover up both their nether-regions as well as he could. "It put up a heck of a fight, and I usually go out mostly naked when I'm hunting anyways."

Jay looked at him critically, clearly not buying the explanation fully. "So we have roasted fresh meat for dinner?" He asked instead, clearly just as eager for that idea as teasing the adults.

"Yep," the Panther nodded, grateful for the chance to change the subject at least briefly. "Just going to have to finish butchering it later. You do have the power back on in the galley area, right?"

"Yap," he nodded with a grin. "I was headed there for munchies. You guys were gone a while."

"Well, hunting takes time Jay," Doruth chuckled. "We'll go drop this off to chill for a while, finish it up later."

"Right," he nodded and passed the pair in the hall. "And get her a new pair of pants," he winked at them before heading for the galley for the meal he wanted right then.

"That kit is _entirely_ too grown up for ten years." Tes observed with a shake of her head as Jay disappeared around a corner and she slowly let her tail relax from covering herself.

" _Oh_ yeah," Doruth nodded. "And the scary part? I think it happened _before_ his time on Nar Shaddaa. So, you want to find some pants while I put this guy away, meet you in one of the clean rooms for some quiet time?"

"Before Nar Shaddaa?" She looked at him oddly. "Just where'd that kit come from?"

"Colony ship," Doruth explained, leaving out the 'from another galaxy' part. "Apparently he managed to blind-jump himself when he was working on some sort of hyperdrive mod. We'll be safe as long as he just sticks to repairs though."

"I hope so," she shook her head and turned towards the cargo bay to hunt up something to wear, then paused and looked over her shoulder at him. "He _is_ sticking to repairs, right?"

"If he wasn't, don't you think he'd have said something about whatever he'd tricked out?" Doruth pointed out with a chuckle. "I'll be back in a couple minutes," he smiled, starting towards the galley to pack up the meat.

And double-check with Jay that he really _was_ just fixing things....

* * *

Jolani Panthera sat in the back of a small fighter, meditating while the droid pilot carried her to Mantessa. No other ships had been going there, and given her singular lack of skill flying ships, she had no choice but to trust the automated ship. All in all, however, it had been a good flight. No troubles with hyperspace parasites or bad piloting. Just a calm, peaceful two-week journey.

It gave her time to think about why she was going there. Doruth had left the Order five years ago, at least according to most. The darkness in him after the battle above Dantooine was almost palpable... but, according to his friend, he was fighting off the Dark as well as anybody could. Either he was faking it, or the anger and guilt he had felt were being resolved.

Either way, his friends back at the Order, herself included, wanted to know.

"Approaching Mantessa," the synthesized voice said crisply over the intercom. Jolani stretched where she was sitting, bringing herself back into the waking world. Her black stripes rippled as lean muscle shifted beneath them; the Tigress prepared herself silently for the meeting to come.

One way or another, it was likely to be interesting.

"No ships detected within two miles of landing coordinates," the droid informed her.

"Send a message to the Kalrass letting them know we're landing," she instructed it. "Then set us down."

"No reply. Setting down." 

Jolani frowned slightly. Why wouldn't there be a reply? Unless they were waiting for her arrival of course. If they'd detected the fighter dropping out of hyperspace, it was quite possible. She just hoped that was it.

The starfighter touched down gently, the cockpit opening. Jolani climbed out of her cramped space, then up and out of the cockpit, savoring the fresh air and chance to really stretch out for once. She checked her lightsaber and belt pouches to make sure she had everything, and turned to start towards Master Ryth's tomb.

"Hello Jolani." The Tigress drew up short, blinking as she looked into Doruth's deep blue eyes only a few feet away.

"Doruth! Where did you come from?"

"Over there," he shrugged, stepping back and nodding into the forest. She didn't know quite what to make of him at this point; his mind was a jumble of different emotions, not one of which she could read clearly, and his body language wasn't helping. "I came out to meet you when we found out you'd reached the planet."

"Is the rest of your crew fine?" She asked. "They didn't answer my hail."

"They're not on the Kalrass; we found an old Vanya cruiser crashed near here, we're repairing it now."

"Ah, I see," she nodded. That explained quite a bit, including why their old ship wasn't nearby. "You're looking well," she added, looking him over briefly before making the judgment. "It seems the wandering life suits you."

"It has its perks," he chuckled slightly, relaxing almost visibly. "So, why did the Council want somebody to meet me?"

"I'm not just out here because of the Council, Doruth," she said, shaking her head. "I'm here because I was worried about an old friend. I asked them to let me come out here," she admitted. She was glad to see the more noticeable release of tension for Doruth's body, his mind clearing to let through relief and pleasure at seeing her again.

"Well I know you're no good at lying, so it's safe enough to trust you," he smiled slightly. "Come on out, you two," he said, turning to look at the forest. Jolani's eyes turned to follow his, wondering what he was up to and spotted the powerfully build shewolf and a strangely marked rusty-furred kitten that radiated curiosity and a Force-gift of an unusual nature.

"I'm fairly sure that's not your mate and son." She observed evenly, for all that the three gave off a lot of the indicators.

"No," he chuckled slightly. "Tes, Jay, this is Jolani Panthera. Jolani, Tes and Jay. Picked them up on Nar Shaddaa; Jay's the one who contacted the Order."

"I remember," the Tigress said, raising an eyebrow slightly and looking at the kit. "I'll admit; I'd expected somebody a bit older."

"Everybody does," he shrugged easily as he studied her, or rather her 'saber and ship, with a critical and very curious eye.

"Interested in technology?" She smiled.

"That's like asking if Coruscant has buildings," Doruth chuckled. "How'd you get out here? Finally learn how to pilot a ship?"

"Droid pilot," she chuckled a little sheepishly, looking over at Tes and noticing the lightsaber the shewolf was wearing. "You're a Knight?" She asked, cocking her head slightly.

"Freelance shipper," Tes shook her head. "I just figured out how to use it."

"* _And did she ever mention how she got it?_ *" Jolani asked Doruth mentally.

"* _Found it in a crash. She's not the sort to have killed a Jedi for it. And she _is_ a sensitive, Jolani._ *"

"My apologies," the Tigress said, inclining her head towards the shewolf slightly. "Bad habit."

"One generally warranted," Tes accepted gracefully, her slightly protective stance not shifting a bit. "Honor is not well known in the outer rim, regretfully not even among Wolves."

"So, I suppose the question is whether or not I'll be returning to Coruscant alone," Jolani smiled. "You're all welcome at the Temple; the Council wishes to meet with Doruth already, I'm sure they'd be glad to meet you two as well. Especially you, Jay," she added, looking down at the kit who was looking up at her fighter.

"What for?" He asked absently, much more interested her ship that he was giving a hands-on inspection to than her.

"I've tried to explain it already," Doruth chuckled slightly. "Maybe you can do a better job of it."

"I'm not sure it'll help right now," the Tigress smiled, watching him inspect the ship, his talent practically buzzing around him.

"Very true," Doruth nodded. "He does get a little absorbed when he's working."

"Sounds familiar," Jolani smiled. "So, you said you found another ship? Or was that just covering for why your friends were covering you?"

"We found one," he nodded. "The Gurath, according to Jay. Might be a good idea for us to head back there soon too. It's getting close to dark, and the smugglers who owned it before managed to transplant panthacs to the island."

"That would probably be best then," the Tigress agreed, frowning slightly. "Jay? I'll have the ship come closer to the Gurath, but it's too risky being out when panthacs start to hunt."

"Nasty critters," he nodded and made a face. "The droid can get it back to Coruscant?" He asked as he jumped down, though he was fairly sure of the answer already.

"It got it out here from there, it had _better_ be able too," Jolani chuckled. "Otherwise I'll be spending a lot of time looking for somewhere the panthacs aren't."

"Assuming you do not have better accommodations for the return journey." Tes pointed out politely.

"Are you Doruth's former mate?" Jay asked Jolani as innocently as he ever managed the subject. The startled look the Tigress gave him was _almost_ as interesting as the nearly stricken look Doruth did.

"Get used to it." Tes rolled her eyes. "He's incorrigible."

"I see," Jolani murmured, shaking her head. "And no, I'm not."

"Nowhere _close_ ," Doruth said, rolling his eyes slightly in exasperation. "Just an old friend, Jay, that's all."

"Oh," he nodded, seeming to understand until his next question to the Tigress. "You going to play with them?"

"Well, I suppose -"

"No." Doruth said simply, the expression on his face as he rested his forehead in his hand suggesting he was getting a headache. "No, Jay, she won't." Jolani looked over at him, cocking her head curiously for a moment before she got it. The Tigress raised her other eyebrow, looking between the Panther and shewolf.

"What have you two been...?"

"Don't blame me," the Panther muttered, shaking his head again. "He grew up on a colony ship, then got himself dropped on Nar Shaddaa, I have nothing to do with the fact that his sex ed's about five years ahead of his body."

"Ah."

"And _he's_ body-shy," Jay added and stuck his tongue out at Doruth, a look that made Tes snicker. "Seriously, freak-out, body-shy." He rolled his eyes in exasperation that was probably close to what he put the adults through. "So I like to know _where_ he's likely to play."

"The only time I yelled was when you didn't give any warning before you opened the door," Doruth muttered, blushing. He was actually doing much better about that at least.

"Yeah, and a bunch of times to hold on a minute even though you were finished." Jay shot back with a bit of a snicker. "You hardly have a body to be shy of, you know."

"Come on," Jolani smiled, trying to keep a straight face and not giggle, "let's get back to your ship for now."

"The kit got that much right." Tes smirked and headed off with a careful eye out for trouble. At least now Jay had someone else to tease and spy on when he wasn't working.

* * *

"Jay?" Jolani walked into the engine room where the kit was tinkering with the ion drive of the Gurath. "Can we talk?"

"Sure," he nodded and smiled at her briefly before continuing with his work with the handful of tools scattered around his immediate vicinity.

"Preferably somewhere private," she chuckled slightly, kneeling behind him and watching him work. "I'd like to get a chance to see how strong your talents are, aside from your gift for machines."

That got his attention, though it was a bit confused. "Umm, okay. Where?" He did a last few things to bring his project to a point where he could leave it for a while.

"My quarters?" She offered with a smile. "Or yours, if you'd prefer. Where ever you're more comfortable and can focus. Just not Doruth's," she winked.

"I don't think they'll _ever_ get the smell out." He snickered and stood with a surprising amount of grace for a lanky kit. "My quarters, then."

"And I think they're using them," the Tigress giggled, following him with a brief stop at her room to grab the things she planned on using. "So, how much do you know about the Force?" She asked him.

"Not much," he admitted. "Doruth said it's how my family Gift works, how I work with machines." He nodded back towards the engine room. "I've seen him use it a couple times for hiding and fighting. I don't really get it though."

"I'm not surprised," she nodded slightly. "Have you ever known that something was going to happen, shortly before it happened? Not just the guesses most people have, but _knowing_ it."

Jay thought back, trying to place anything that qualified. Eventually he shook his head. "Not that I can think of."

"Hmm. Well, that's one of the more common talents sensitives develop early on, but not the only one. What about on Nar Shaddaa? Did you ever do something most people couldn't, that you didn't know how to explain?"

"I can't explain what I do with machines," he pointed out with a shrug. "I can turn a twenty credit chip into a two hundred credit one by asking it to. The buildings tell me when I can sneak in for a meal and when and where to run when someone is after me for it." He paused as the door to his small, undecorated quarters opened on their approach and slid closed behind them. "I picked up the language in a couple days, I _survived_." He dropped to his bunk to look at her and pulled his knees to his chest and rested his chin on them. It made him appear to be very much the young child he really was.

"Something Doruth didn't mention when he introduced me. That blind-jump took me galaxies away, if not further, and dropped me into that pit where no one would even try to talk to me." He looked up with a weak smile. "That's how he got me to follow him, you know. He said 'hello'. It wasn't the promise of a meal or saving my hide or even offering to get me off that world. He was willing to talk to me like I was a person."

"That sounds like him," she smiled. "It was how his Master found him; he grew up there too, in case he didn't mention. And I'm not too surprised about you being from another galaxy; you didn't feel quite the same as somebody from around here." She sat down next to him on the bunk, putting an arm around his shoulders with an almost motherly touch. "It's not a good place to grow up, especially not when you're used to being around a real family."

"Who are probably going just slightly ballistic looking for me," he said softly. "It's been a long time if this is the same reality and time as back home. That drive got the interrogation of the century over what happened, I'm sure."

"It may not be," she admitted. After all; if hyperspace existed, why not other worlds? "Though given the Force's connection to you, I doubt it. It may simply be that they're having a hard time reproducing what sent you here."

"Possible," Jay nodded. "Just about anything is possible with us." He chuckled slightly. "I'd hardly be the first Clawson sent on an extended trip elsewherewhen."

"Your family tends to end up with weird lives I'm guessing," she chuckled, wondering if he'd come up with that word or if it happened often enough that somebody else had for his kin.

"Ever since the line was founded," he nodded. "Five generations now." He paused with a frown. "Maybe six. Trips like this happen a couple dozen times a generation, maybe more now that we're not just a single member in a generation like the first three."

"That... is weird," she agreed. "For what it's worth, I don't think you're too likely to have that happen to you here. I don't think anybody's heard of that happening to anyone before."

"It tends to focus around that generation's leader," he chuckled. "Something I am decidedly not. My oldest sister is a much more likely target than I am in the long run. But I'm still a Clawson and it comes with such risks."

"Very little doesn't," she nodded, rubbing his shoulder. "For what it's worth, while I'm sorry you had to go through what you did, I'm glad you ended up finding Doruth... or that he found you, either way."

"He found me, I just agreed to follow." Jay chuckled and leaned into her touch a bit. "He got both of us the same way in the same week. Rescuing a seriously outclassed and cornered victim of fate."

"I don't know that I'd call Tes a victim of fate," Jolani chuckled. "Maybe of a few of her life choices, but not necessarily fate. Still, thanks to you, he's got a chance to come back home again, if we can convince him he deserves it."

"He didn't even think he was a Knight when he left," Jay sighed. "That's why I worded that first message the way I did. He barely believed me when I told him you said he was not only not considered fallen or a renegade, but was a Knight." He paused and looked up at her green eyes. "Being a Jedi is all he ever wanted. It's the only thing in his entire life that mattered to him, that let him be who he wanted to be."

"It's like that for a lot of people," she nodded. "Especially ones who come to us late. He was doing well too, as I remember. When his Master turned though ... well, imagine somebody you've trusted with your life and soul for the past ten years suddenly turning on you, trying to kill you and everything the two of you stood for. If he comes back, we'll do our best for him. Though it still leaves the question of what you're going to do."

"I know that possibility very well," he said softly, drawing from a heritage of great tragedies and great triumphs. "Me?" He chuckled. "I do what Clawson do. Find what needs fixing and fix it."

From anybody else, she would have thought the statement was almost dangerously arrogant. But from him... she couldn't sense anything except a matter-of-fact belief that that _was_ what his family did.

"Fortunately, there are a number of things you can do in this galaxy that fit that description," she smiled. "Including Jedi training, if you're willing."

"I can take a hint," he smirked at her rather playfully. "And I don't see why not. It's a useful set of skills and you're as close to what my family does here as I've heard of."

"Sorry," she chuckled. "I haven't exactly been recruiting for long. Usually we're dealing with the parents of a prospective student, not the student himself."

"Yeah, I heard about that," he nodded. "It sounds like I'm too old to go the usual route in training."

"At least for the usual time," she nodded. "Though it's not unheard of, just rare. It will help if there's a Knight willing to take you on as soon as you've mastered the basics, of course."

"Like how Doruth got in," he nodded.

"Yes," she nodded. "He might even be willing, though that would take the Council's approval on multiple levels. It would give you time to start learning, at least. Of course, you might find much of the training a little tedious," she chuckled slightly.

"He'll resist that idea," Jay warned her quietly. "He's said it more than once that he's not fit to train a Padawan."

"That might change, after he's had some time to adjust. He also didn't think he was fit to be a Knight, after all. And he might simply return to turn in his lightsaber and leave again," she admitted reluctantly. "Either way, he'll likely have some re-training of his own to do, have to re-take some of his Trials before the Council would even consider it."

"I think he'd approve of that," Jay smiled slightly. "It's what bothered him the most, that they'd waved his last Trial. That he'd done what a Jedi can never do and was a hero for it. That he was never held accountable for what he did, to get what had to be done, done."

"What he did _was_ a serious matter, Jay," Jolani told him gently. "Though not as serious as he thought. He's hardly the first Jedi to blur the line between light and dark in a fight... that he didn't cross the line was what the Council judged him on. Maybe I should try and explain that to him," she chuckled slightly.

"He didn't know any of that," he shook his head. "Or doesn't remember it. He feels so much like Grandma Jessie. Whatever judging was done, whoever and why they were cleared of being in the wrong, it never really registered. And they _need_ to be judged, to face some punishment for their actions. That's what frees the guilt. Being punished in some way by those they accept have the right to." He glanced up. "It's something else my family knows too well. We're the only ones who have ever kept ourselves accountable for what we do in the name of the city's protection. Sometimes fighting the Demon ... the Dark ... makes it stronger."

"You know about the Dark Side?" She asked, a concerned frown dropping the corner of her muzzle slightly.

"Between Doruth's explanation of why he's not a Jedi and not a Sith, and his trying to explain the Force in relation to my family Gift ... yeah, I figured out the basics. I don't get it much better than the general stuff and the Light Side, but I know roughly what it is. I think."

"What do you know about it?" She asked him. "Any of them; I'm curious what you understand about the Force at this point."

Jay settled down to think, trying to separate what he knew from home from what he knew from here and compile it into something that would make some kind of sense.

"It's a universal power that some people can tap into," he began slowly. "Effects of doing so are determined both unconsciously and consciously, depending on training, will and circumstances and can be nearly anything. There is a Light Side that Jedi use and a Dark Side that Sith use, which, frankly, doesn't make _any_ sense to me at all."

"Unfortunately, it's not quite so clear-cut as that," she admitted. "Anybody with the ability to tap the Force can use either the Light or the Dark." She thought about it, trying to think of how to explain it to him. She knew the difference herself, but it was difficult to explain at times.

"You know that feeling you get sometimes, when you're in a situation where you just _know_ that something's not right?" She asked him. "Those shivers up and down your spine that make your fur stand on end?"

"Yeah," he nodded.

"That's a part of it. When you're at peace, when you're aware of the living Force around you, it's almost like being in the arms of a trusted friend. The Dark side is different; cold, unliving, _wrong_. When you feel a place that is strong in the Dark side, it gives you that shivery feeling, that feeling that something _isn't right_ about the place or person you're feeling.

"The Light side of the Force is like the waters of the ocean; it flows, it has its currents, it brings life to everything. But despite all its activity, it's ultimately peaceful, tranquil. The Dark side is like a hurricane in that ocean; potent, holding a great deal of energy, but bringing destruction in its wake."

Jay thought about that for a while, working it around what he understood of how power and universal effects worked and eventually nodded. It wasn't something he agreed with yet, but he understood how the two descriptions came about. "Like two sides of the same coin?"

"In a way," she nodded. "Though it's more like the difference between life and death. They're tied together, both integral parts of the universe. But there's more to it than just two different ways at looking at the same thing. When the Dark side is strong enough, you can see its corrupting influence. Just like the hurricane blows itself out, the Dark side destroys its instruments, given time."

"Which leaves openings for life to come back," he nodded seriously. "Death and destruction are necessary. Without it, life stagnates."

"To an extent," she agreed. "It's the reason most Jedi don't fight to hold onto life when our time is up. The key is to stay balanced though. You've heard of what the Sith are capable of, yes? Of the evil they've tried to bring into the galaxy?"

"Bits and pieces," he nodded, not nearly as afraid of them when talking theory as when he though he was sitting across the table from one. "Enough to know I want to stay as far away from them as I can manage."

"They're a prime example of what happens when somebody gives themselves entirely to the Dark," she explained. "Doruth's old Master is another. Not everybody who turns to the Dark side opposes the Light actively, but they do tend to become what most people would call monsters. The power the Dark side offers is tempting. It allowed Doruth to defeat his Master when he had to. But at the same time, if he hadn't managed to turn back, it would have turned him into the very thing he defeated."

Jay shuddered and nodded, the story far too personal to his family not to strike a nerve. "That much we have in common," he said softly. "The Demon and the Dark. The difference is the Demon has to be fought to keep it from controlling you. The Dark is temping and seductive, but not so active in its hunt for converts."

"The Dark itself, no," she agreed, rubbing his shoulder gently. "It may be that the Demon you're talking about was one of its creatures at some point. They do tend to try and corrupt people, especially good ones."

"I wouldn't be surprised," he nodded. "The Demon seems to be the curse for my family's Gift. Others who have Gifts and Talents say they don't face anything like it. It's the price of our power. To access it in full, you have to fight the Demon inside as well."

"If nothing else, maybe we can help make that fight easier for you," she said softly, squeezing his arm. "You're too young to have to deal with something like that."

"It's a choice we have," he smiled slightly, warmed by the repeated offer. "It doesn't usually come till puberty, so I've got a couple years to go before it's much of an issue. Not everybody chooses to access the full Gift they could, so they don't have to face a lifetime with the Demon. Most of us do, because they want to, or because they don't see another choice. Or for Great-grandpa Jake, because he didn't realize it was a choice. He didn't have anyone to teach him how it worked or what choices he had like the rest of us did. Help keeping it under control would be nice, though. It's not an easy thing to keep control of."

"It's also close to the first lessons we teach," she smiled. "Once you learn to use the Force, we start teaching how to resist the Dark. A lot of the same methods would probably help."

"Probably," he nodded. "If the Dark is something inside you to resist, it probably is very similar, whether or not the source is."

"We'll deal with it when it comes," she nodded, nuzzling him lightly as she decided to put the tests off for a while.

"We always do," he chuckled and relaxed into the contact with a happy purr.

* * *

Jolani stretched as she came out of a deep meditation, now prepared to have a serious, and private, conversation with Doruth about what he was going to do. It could go so many ways, several of which she did not think would be for the best. She was sure it would be in his best interests to return to the Order, accept additional training and take his place as a true Jedi Knight. She knew he could do it, having seen him.

It would be so much better for Jay as well. The kit may not be heavily attached to Doruth, but he clearly liked the Panther and could be swayed in his choices by him. It was possible it even went both ways.

She stood with a graceful stretched and body and self check that was as instinctive as it was useful before stepping out of her quarters, one meant for a Padawan as the lovers had claimed the Master's quarters before she'd arrived. It was still quite sufficient for her needs while they were on this world and for the short trip to Coruscant.

Her footsteps were light and easy as she walked through the cleaned halls to the galley, privately rather amazed what the three of them had accomplished in such a short time.

"Good morning, Doruth." She smiled easily at him; pleased to see he was alone.

"Morning," the Panther smiled back at her, taking a drink from a small, steaming cup of tea. "Rest well?" He asked her, pushing a second cup towards her.

"Yes," she nodded and accepted the cup, breathing deeply of its soothing fragrance before taking a sip. "I hoped to talk to you a bit today."

"Now's probably as good a time as any," he said easily and she nodded before taking a seat at the small table in the room and motioned him to sit as well.

"Have you decided what you are going to do?" She asked evenly.

"Not entirely, yet," he admitted. "It's been a long time."

"What are your concerns in returning to the Order?" She asked gently, pleased that he was still at least partly open to it.

"Me," he said simply. He leaned back in his seat, knowing that wouldn't be enough of an answer. "Ever since that fight over Dantooine, I've had a hard time keeping the anger in check. How much did Jay tell you about when he met me?"

"Very little," she admitted. "I gathered you saved him from a serious beating at least."

"Yeah," he nodded. "Gang of wolves caught him stealing some creds. I tried to talk them down, but... it didn't work. I ended up killing three of them before they really knew what was happening."

"All right," she nodded, not the least bit surprised. "A bit extreme, but hardly Dark." She cocked her head slightly and regarded him in silence for a time. "If you return, you will be trained again, go through a new set of Trials. The Counsel will be watching you carefully. All that was decided five years ago was that you were not unredeemable. Even if it didn't sound that way."

"Killing them was a bit extreme," he agreed. "Enjoying it was going too far though. Do you really think they can redeem that? Every time I get into a fight, the bloodlust is right there, under the surface."

"Do you trust me to tell you the truth?" She looked at him seriously.

"As you see it," he nodded.

"You are not Dark, Doruth." She told him, as blunt a statement as she'd ever made. "The Dark was palatable in you five years ago. Now it is all but gone. You did that on your own, because of your own nature and will. Let the Masters help you take those last few steps to be who you want to be."

The Panther was quiet for a few long moments. Eventually, he spoke, the tone of his voice older than he was by far.

"Do you honestly believe I'll ever be able to be trusted with being a full Jedi?"

"Yes," Jolani nodded without hesitation. "You are not the first Jedi to wrestle with giving into the Dark for a desperate battle. You will not be the last. It does not mean you can never be a Jedi." She paused, soothing her own strong emotions on the subject. "You would make such a fine Jedi, Doruth. The desire to do what is right is so strong in you not even giving into the Darkness could quench it. That is such a rare trait, even among Jedi, it is to be cherished and nurtured, and the Council recognizes that."

"I hope you, and they, are right," he murmured. "Do me a favor?"

"If I can," she nodded.

He pulled a flask out of his pocket, sliding it across the table to her. "Hang on to this for me? If I'm going to try and make it as a Jedi again, I'm going to have to learn to keep things under wraps without that."

"You will make it, Doruth." She said with full confidence and took the flask, slipping it into a pocket in her robe until she could put it in her quarters and reached out to put her hand over his. "I'm sure of it."

"Thanks," he smiled, turning his hand to give hers a light squeeze.

* * *

"Are you really going to go back to them?" Jay asked quietly as Doruth stepped out of the sonic shower a few days later. Fortunately for Doruth's cheeks, he'd learned to pull on some shorts before getting out by now.

"Yeah, I think am," he nodded, grabbing a brush and smoothing his short, dense fur out. "Thanks," he smiled down at the kit.

"For what?" He looked up in confusion. "And I'm glad you're going back. You belong where your heart is."

"Yeah, but if you hadn't sent that message to the Temple I probably wouldn't be going back," Doruth pointed out with a smile. "That's what the 'thanks' was for, by the way."

"Oh," he nodded. "Okay. You're welcome." He added with a smile, his early upbringing showing again.

"You'll get it one of these days, probably," Doruth chuckled. "So, I guess you'll be meeting the Council after all."

"Yap," he nodded with an impish grin. "My father would feel sorry for them. I don't."

"Take this the right way, kiddo, but I think I agree with your father," Doruth smirked. "Just remember, they mean well."

"Oh, I remember," he grinned a little wider. "And I'll be a good little kit as long as they behave in a respectable manner."

"Just remember, I have to talk to them to," Doruth chuckled, shaking his head. "And probably after they're done talking to you, so _try_ not to put 'em in a bad mood, okay?"

"Okay," Jay settled quickly. "I'll be good."

"Just don't mess around with anybody's life support," the Panther smiled, reaching down to squeeze Jay's shoulder. "There might be a Celegian or two there yet. You're a good kit; I'm sure it'll work out fine."

* * *

Jay's face was all but plastered to the view window in the Gurath's observation deck/meditation space as they approached Coruscant. The excitement in his twitching tail added a physical note to what he was broadcasting clearly to anyone in range. It was just so much going on, both in the space around them with all the other ships and on the city-world itself that he was looking rather like a ferret on speed.

"It's a hell of a view, isn't it?" Doruth chuckled, putting a hand on Jay's shoulder, wearing his robes for the first time in longer than he cared to think. "It goes down for miles."

"I know," the kit breathed in a mixture of awe and near-disbelief. "The infrastructure it must have to maintain the population ...." He shivered in excitement at getting his hands on a place like that.

"Takes most of the rest of the planets in the system," the Panther nodded and got a surprised look for it. "Of course, Coruscant's the capital of the Republic. Ask any of the politicians, they'd point out that it has to be this impressive to live up to its responsibilities. Just don't go exploring too far down, okay? At least not alone."

"No problem," he nodded and turned back to the glittering mass of technology. "I would have thought you'd have invested in hydroponics and other tech-growing methods for most of your needs."

"For the plants and such they do," Doruth nodded, "but you're talking about billions of people, mineral requirements, and a few other things the rich folk want naturally, rather than grown in a lab. There aren't many other planets in the system, either."

"Right," Jay could only shake his head at how silly people could be. "Weird people."

"You don't know the half of it," Doruth chuckled. "But then, they run most of the planet. Throw a rock and you'll hit somebody who knows exactly how much red tape you're going to have to go through for throwing it. The Temple's a lot saner though."

"Luckily for them," he murmured, quite serious about it. "Bureaucrats _hate_ Clawsons." He grinned a bit impishly. "Mostly 'cause they need us too much to control us."

"You think they hate Clawsons, you should hear what a few of them think about Jedi," Jolani said softly, walking into the observation area. "We'll be landing soon though, and you two won't have to deal with them for some time."

"A good thing, usually." Jay smiled and watched the approach eagerly. His gaze soon found its way to a particular set of spires. "That's the Temple."

"Yep," Doruth nodded. "It's the same as it's always been," he observed with a quiet murmur.

"It doesn't change often," Jolani agreed.

"How long as it looked like that?" Jay asked curiously at the feeling of incredible age he was starting to comprehend from the entire world's infrastructure. A length that was likely longer than civilization had existed for his own kind.

"At least fifteen hundred years," Jolani said easily. "We've occasionally added rooms, but it hasn't changed much since the last Sith Wars. There are some places that are fifteen, twenty-thousand years old, though they've been moved from their original location since."

"How friggin' old _is_ this society?" Jay turned to stare at her with eyes wide in shock at trying to comprehend the numbers and even more that the world itself was backing them up.

"The hyperdrive was developed and spread about...." Jolani thought, pulling the numbers together mentally, "...about twenty-four, twenty-five thousand years ago. The Republic formed shortly after that, with the increase in star travel. The Jedi Order came not too much later, as different Force traditions gathered to basically compare notes.

"We've had our shake-ups since then, but the Republic, and the Jedi, have survived. I take it you don't have any societies on your world that have lasted that long?" She asked, looking down at his saucer-like amber eyes and shock so deep it was palatable.

"Lady, my _kind_ hasn't lasted that long," he told her bluntly, a little too much in shock to put it any softer.

"Ah. I'm sorry," she apologized, "I didn't know. If it helps, not every race in the Republic has that length to their history, and we've lost most of our history beyond the last five to ten thousand years."

Jay nodded slowly, more an acceptance of things as he processed the numbers than her actual words.

"It's okay." He finally managed as he calmed down. "I'm just used to thinking in decades, with centuries a big marker. We only build our first real starship forty-three years ago, and two thirds of its inter-stellar capabilities were copied off an invader's colony-cruiser we captured seventy years ago." He shook his head a bit. "With how close the tech is to what I'm used to, I was thinking this wouldn't be more than a few centuries old, maybe a thousand on the outside."

"After developing the hyperdrive, our basic technology hasn't improved too drastically," she admitted. "The basic design of a lightsaber hasn't changed in ten thousand years or more."

"Except for personal modifications," Doruth chuckled slightly, patting his own unusually designed blade where it hung on his belt. "And somehow, I have a feeling that might be changing if you have anything to say about that," he added, looking down at Jay.

"Fuck yes," the kit exclaimed, not quite calm enough to catch his language yet. "I mean really, it's _ridiculous_ that technology is that stagnant. It's _so_ unhealthy." He cut himself off before he got into a full-blown rant on the subject, but it was impossible for either Jedi present to miss his passion about technology.

"Relax, Jay," Doruth said firmly, though gently, squeezing the kit's shoulder. "You don't need to get yourself wound up right now."

"Right," he took a deep breath and turned to focus on his natural element, a way of thinking and existing that came as natural as breathing did. It didn't take long before the fundamentally similar chatter of ships and buildings settled him considerably. No matter how strange the people, this stayed the same, and it was soothing on a level Jay barely understood.

The Gurath approached the landing pad for the Temple quickly, the three watching in near silence as they approached, a figure in pale robes waiting for them.

"Thank you, Mistress," Jolani said just before they touched down. "They're waiting for us," she explained to Doruth and Jay, just before Tes called back on the intercom.

"We've touched down; hatch'll be open by the time you guys are there."

Jay nodded and settled into a somewhat familiar roll of following the adults and trying not to talk too much. They met up with Tes near the hatch, then started off onto the landing pad where a tall, slender Ferret fem was waiting there to greet them with a polite bow that Jolani and Doruth returned reflexively.

"Mistress Kylyanni," Jolani said respectfully.

"Jolani," the Ferret said with a smile, standing up. "I already know Doruth, but you seem to have picked up some additional friends since you left."

"Jay Clawson and Tes Ramaris, Master Kylyanni," Doruth explained as he introduced them. "I believe Jolani mentioned them in her report."

"That she did. Welcome to the Temple, Jay," Kylyanni said easily, kneeling to be a bit closer to Jay's eye-level and instantly became the focus of his bright amber eyes and sharp intellect as well as a light touch of his Gift.

"Thank you," he paused with a bit of a frown. "Is it Master or Mistress Kylyanni?" He asked as politely as he could and spoke her name very carefully to get the odd arrangement of sounds to come out right.

"Master," she answered easily. "Jolani calls me Mistress because she was my Padawan, but Master is my rank to others. Rather like the reason you probably didn't call your father 'mister' or 'sir.'"

Jay nodded in understanding. "Thank you, Master Kylyanni."

"You're welcome, Jay," she smiled, and then cocked her head slightly, her beady black eyes shining with a strange expressiveness. "You really aren't from anywhere around here, are you? I wasn't sure if that part of the report was accurate."

"No, I am not, Master Kylyanni." He nodded, his voice quiet. "I am just not sure how far out home is."

"You'll find it some day," she told him, putting a small hand on his shoulder. "Trust the Force; it brought you here for a reason, and it will see you home as well."

"I know, Master." he smiled slightly at her with much the same kind of calm certainty that she exuded, but his was untrained; an honest belief in whatever he did believe in that said he'd go home one day.

"Unfortunately, you have a meeting with the Council soon, so we can't talk too much. I hope to see you around the Temple," she said, not giving any impression of the 'patronizing adult' he was used to meeting when he was being told he was supposed to be on his best behavior and got a slightly warmer smile for it.

"I expect you will, Master." He said as she stood and motioned the others to follow her to the Council Chambers.

* * *

Jay closed his eyes and focused on keep himself in check so Doruth wouldn't catch hell from an irritated Council. It was _so_ much easier when he didn't need to behave. Playing nice with bureaucrats of any kind rankled and these were no different from what he knew, which he told himself was very little to judge them on.

He still hated behaving.

When the large double doors slid open to admit him his eyes were drawn to the city beyond them and the 360-degree panorama it presented, calling to him. It took a moment, and a strong mental reminder, to focus on the array of races seated in a half circle around him and not the equipment and city.

"Welcome, kit," one of them, a tall Dobie wearing the traditional robes said in a deep voice. "So you are aware, some of us only speak telepathically. I am Master Shan."

"I understand, Master Shan," he inclined his head slightly; uncertain he'd be able to hear it but willing to roll with however that ended up working.

"* _I am the one Master Shan is referring to, mostly,_ *" a mental voice said. It gave the impression of a matronly figure, but his attention was drawn to a small, white-furred creature with long fluffy ears barely larger than a regular cat. "* _Master Essani. You are Jay Clawson, yes?_ *"

"Yes, Master Essani." He faced who was talking by force of training and inclined his head in respect.

"* _We know you've already been told this, but thank you for contacting us about Doruth. We've been looking for him, but he managed to hide himself rather well._ *"

"He hides well when he wishes too," he nodded to her. "I do not think he was ready to be found until recently, Master."

"* _That may well be the case,_ *" the small creature said with a nod of her head, her fur color shifting slightly to a pale cream. "* _The Force often brings things together when it is time._ *"

"You do believe that he wishes to join the Order again?" Master Shan asked him. "To become a Knight, despite his disappearance and return to his homeworld, and the life that went with it?"

"It is what he has said more than once," the kit nodded seriously. "That this, being a Jedi, was the only thing that allowed him to be what he wanted to be." He paused and glanced around the small assembly, trying to determine how to say what needed to be said. Eventually he just went with the truth as he knew it. "He has also said that the reason he did not return before was because he judged himself unfit to be a Jedi when you made him a Knight. He holds the title and responsibilities in too high a regard to accept it when he went against everything it means, even if it was to do what had to be done."

"Do you believe he was correct to do so?"

"Which part?" Jay asked him with a slight cock of his head.

"Either." Master Shan's eyes focused on him, almost seeming to look through him as the Dobie waited for his answer.

"I believe he thought so," Jay almost rolled his eyes in annoyance at the evasiveness. "What little I know of the events indicates he was probably right in his choices."

"Understood. We've been told that you are interested in beginning training to become a Jedi?"

"Yes, Master Shan," he inclined his head to the Dobie as he struggled a bit to put his manners back in place.

"* _We can tell that you're a sensitive,_ *" Essani told him. "* _However, we can't be sure of how strong your gifts are. We would like to run some tests to help determine that._ *"

"Sure," he nodded. This part he was expecting. "Master Essani." He added as a polite afterthought.

"* _Relax yourself, Jay,_ *" she said easily, her fluffy tail swaying behind her. "* _For this, it's best of you are calm._ *"

"When you're ready," Master Shan explained, pulling what looked for all the world like a small laptop out from behind the cushions he was sitting on, "I'll begin displaying images on the screen. You'll need to try and reach out, sense what they are, and tell us what you see."

The kit nodded and relaxed, slipping almost fully into the welcoming embrace of machine chatter and focused lightly on the device Master Shan was holding.

"A Shieldship."

The Dobie nodded almost imperceptibly, tapping something on the panel, his expression devoid of indication of whether or not Jay was right.

"A zarymok," the kit said, recognizing the picture the computer gave him from Doruth's hunting trips. The pattern continued for several minutes, the computer telling him what each image was so he could tell them.

"* _What is the image on the locket in the pocket of Master Shan's robe?_ *" Essani asked him abruptly, just as the Dobie was closing the computer.

Jay reached out, searching for the small object to ask what was inside it. It was harder than normal; the locket was a simple one, no technology involved in it, only simple handicraft. Eventually he managed to get through and the quiet 'voice' of the locket answered him.

"Master Shan's mate," he answered, nodding towards the pink-skinned twi'lek male that had been silent so far. "Master Surool."

"* _Interesting,_ *" the kushiban murmured mentally. "* _I'd thought you were a cyber-telepath, but it seems to go deeper than that. Both very rare gifts._ *"

"It is my family Gift," Jay told her easily. "It goes well beyond just communication, that is simply what you have asked me for so far."

"* _I see,_ *" she nodded.

"You will have to work on controlling that in the future," Master Shan smiled, putting the computer away. "For a moment I'd thought you'd had training with your sensory abilities before. It's exceedingly rare for a new student to get all of them correct. What is the extent of your ability so far?"

"If it has been crafted, I can get it to tell me things," Jay began, trying to put an order of some kind on what he could do. "The more advanced the technology or more intensely crafted the item, the easier it is. Your handhelds all but couldn't wait to tell me what was going on. Your locket took some coaxing.

"I can 'help' crafted things get back to their correct state. The ship we came in, Gurath, had crashed and seen fifteen years in the elements and battle damage when we found him. Almost nothing was functional. What you see now is a little over twenty days work.

"Some things, like credit chips, I can convince to change their information. A twenty to a two hundred for example. Or for a security camera and recorder to 'forget' it saw me.

"I'm fairly good at tweaking with technology too, though nothing like I'll be able to do when my Gift comes into it's full in a couple years. According to family history, there really are no limits to how far I will be able to break the laws of physics with a device then. It's a matter of imagination and need. A lot more comes with the full Gift too, good and bad."

"I see," the Dobie murmured, nodding. Jay couldn't help but notice as a pale green tint seemed to pass through Essani's coat. "You can stop doing this too, if you wish to, correct?"

"Yes," he nodded with a bit of a shrug. "Just like I can stop listening to people when I want to. It's just part of the natural environment for us."

Jay paused and focused on Master Essani. "Does your color signify something, Master Essani?"

"* _Emotional state,_ *" the kushiban explained easily. "* _That was just the curiosity of finding such a new gift that's so strong in an entire family._ *"

Jay nodded slightly. "We are six generations with the Gift now. I have had some training in using and controlling it, just none in the last two years since I ended up here."

"* _Are you willing to refrain from using it in the remainder of the tests?_ *"

"All right." He nodded, uncertain if he could when under pressure like this, but willing to do his best. "I will do my best."

"If it helps, realize that you're not being tested to join right now; it's more like seeing how far along you already are," Master Shan offered.

"I understand, Master Shan." He responded quietly.

* * *

Doruth opened his eyes as he came out of a meditative rest in preparation for facing the Council. Jay was coming out, and the kit was very worn out, not terribly happy and very relieved to be out of there. None of which were of particular surprise.

"How'd it go?" The Panther asked him as he stood.

"Tiring," he grumbled with a stretch. "I don't think they like that I don't see being a Jedi as the only thing worth doing in life."

"They'll probably come around eventually if that's the issue," Doruth said reassuringly. "They usually accept it when somebody has another calling. Did they mention if I should come in, or if they wanted to talk for a while first?"

"It's your turn," he yawned. "I'm going back to Gurath for a nap unless you'd like me to stay."

"Get some rest," the Panther smiled, starting towards lift to the Council's chamber. "Sleep well, Jay."

"Good luck," he smiled at him and patted Doruth's leg on his way to the lift down.

"Thanks," the Panther murmured as he rode the lift up, focusing on staying calm before the meeting. He almost wished that he'd hit the sparring rooms instead of waiting in one of the meditation chambers.

"Welcome back, Jedi Parn." Master Shan greeted him solemnly as he stopped in the center of the ring of twelve chairs, most of them occupied.

"Thank you, Master Shan," Doruth said, bowing respectfully. There were a couple new faces there, but literally only a couple. The majority of them were the same Masters whom he'd reported to after his last battle as a Jedi, even the same ones who had agreed to let his Master take him on as a Padawan.

It felt very much like he was coming home.

"Perhaps you would care to bring us up to date." The Dobie asked, though no one doubted it was not a question so much as an order.

"There's not too much to say," Doruth admitted. "After I left I spent the first months in meditation and contemplation at Pelgrin. I finally reached the point where I couldn't make any more headway against the darkness inside me.

"That's when I started wandering around the Outer Rim, and fell back on my old habits from before Master... before I joined the Order. I was mostly trying to stay out of trouble, keep the Dark Side from getting any more of a hold on me. Since the battle, I've had a very difficult time keeping my anger in check during combat.

"Eventually I made my way back to Nar Shaddaa. After about a year there, I met Jay and Tes, leading to the events that bring me back here."

"How long have you known them?" Master Shan asked.

"Tes, about a month," Doruth answered easily. "Jay, a week longer than that."

"Why did you press the kit to join us?" A brilliantly shimmering silver-feathered Peacock asked him.

"Even I could sense his talent, Master T'qu'l," Doruth answered respectfully. "His skills are strong; even without training he was manifesting abilities that many Padawans find difficult. At the very least, leaving him to learn to control his skills alone on Nar Shaddaa would be inviting him to be taken advantage of, even fall to the Dark Side."

"Is it your wish to rejoin us?" Master Shan got back to the subject standing before them before Master T'qu'l could press about the suitability of the kit any more.

"...Yes, Master Shan," Doruth said after a moment's thought to make sure that, now that it was coming down to it, it was still true. "I've realized that leaving didn't help anything."

"You do understand that though you are a Knight, you will not be assigned a mission, or allowed to take a Padawan, until you have completed retraining and passed a series of tests much like your Trails?" The Dobie's dark brown eyes bore into him.

"I understand," Doruth nodded, his blue eyes meeting Shan's with complete understanding in them. "Given all that has happened, I would be concerned if that was not to be the case."

"* _Knight Parn,_ *" Master Essani addressed him. "* _Open your mind to me._ *"

"Yes, Master." He relaxed in internal shields to allow the powerful telepath to browse and understand what words did a poor job of conveying. If felt like an eternity before she withdrew and he put his shields back in place, though he knew it would not have taken her more than a few minutes.

"Now," the Dobie nodded with a small smile of approval, "tell us of this kit."

"I hope he didn't leave too bad a first impression," the Panther chuckled slightly, starting to explain all he knew, and what he'd observed, about Jay.

* * *

"We can not afford not to train the kit." Master Yamari, a Mouse fem with an unnatural shade of rich blue fur, opened the Council discussion on what they had learned. "The Darkness has too strong a hold on his family to allow such a potent talent to go unguided."

"Least we face him in a decade or two with his full gifts and Darksider training." A Lioness rumbled in warning. "He has too little sense of right and wrong already."

"* _Agreed, Master Bas'rath,_ *" Master Essani nodded. "* _Though I believe much of his ambivalence can be traced to his lack of understanding, as with most students._ *"

"We will have to take care, however," Master Surool said, his head-tail emphasizing his words. "He is an explorer by nature; we will have to make sure he does not delve too deeply into things best left alone."

"Assuming we can make him understand that such things exist," a brightly-colored Frilled Lizard in the corner said, raising a slender, clawed finger, his voice heavily accented. "I agree that the kit must be trained to resist the call of the Dark Side, especially given his own explanation of his family's gift. I do _not_ believe he should be trained as a Jedi. His gift is too dangerous as it stands; it would be irresponsible to make him a greater threat."

Master Essani regarded him for a time. "* _I believe you over-estimate anyone's ability to prevent him from learning what he takes a mind to._ *"

"As much as I dislike the idea, I must agree," Master Bas'rath rumbled, her multitude of long, tightly bound braids quivering with the vibration. "Refusing to teach him, if he chooses to want it, is tantamount to giving the first Darksider with any training a free key into his mind."

"I must agree, Master Noloth," Master Shan nodded. "We must be cautious, yes, but if he feels that we are holding him back, he will seek out whatever means are necessary to remedy the situation. If we deny him training, we must have what _he_ feels are good reasons for it."

"He is only a kit," the Lizard pointed out.

"And a brilliant one," Master Surool countered. "We must keep in mind our own lessons, Master Noloth. In all the millennia the Order has existed, we have only banned the teaching of a handful of techniques. The Council has recognized that it is not the final arbiter of what a scholar may learn, kit or otherwise."

"I concede your point," Master Noloth said, inclining his head towards the pink-skinned twi'lek across from him.

"I believe, then, that we all agree that Clawson must be trained, though watched closely throughout his training?" The question came from the youngest member of the Council, a Grey Fox whose blue eyes shone brightly as she looked at her colleagues.

"I believe so, Master Kareth." Master Shan nodded. "Are there any additional objections, before we come to a consensus?" He asked, looking at the rest of the Council and received the variety of signals that indicated there were none.

"* _With that agreed, may I suggest a Jedi to watch over him during his training with us, wherever that leads?_ *" Master Essani said, her long ears flopping to one side as she looked at each of her constituents.

"Of course," Master Shan nodded. "Who would you recommend?"

"* _I would take him on,_ *" she said simply, knowing they knew her qualifications and most of her reasons in full.

"Unusual for a member of the Council to take on another student, but I must agree that you would be an excellent choice," Master Shan inclined his head towards the kushiban. "As you are clearly willing, I believe we all approve?" He glanced around, receiving no objections. "Then I believe we can enter the kit into the roster, Master Kareth."

"Already being done," the grey and rust-furred vixen chuckled, finishing the entry into her console. "Jedi Parn, or the smuggler as our next order of business?"

"Jedi Parn," Master Shan said firmly. "What did you learn in your examination, Master Essani?"

"* _He is still conflicted, though not about his desire to rejoin the Order,_ *" the kushiban explained. "* _He was not exaggerating when he said that the Dark Side still has a grip on him, though it is not nearly as strong as it once was. I fear that much of it is inescapable. Violence is in his nature, and given his history it tends to manifest when he is angered._ *"

"Hardly unusual for a strong predator race," a midnight black Panther reminded her and the half of the Council that were not. "Violence and bloodshed is what makes us the potent warriors and hunters that we are, not an offence to the Light."

"* _True,_ *" she agreed softly, "* _He can control it now. Not as well as he could before the battle, but better than he could when he reported what happened to us. His doubts are about that control, and about whether or not the entirety of his training was flawed._ *"

"A valid concern," Master Noloth pointed out, "given his Master's fate."

"* _Granted,_ *" Master Essani nodded. "* _However, Master Zykell actually trained him quite well. It was not until he went to Dxun during Jedi Parn's final trial that he was turned to the Dark Side. He simply also did an excellent job of trying to corrupt his Padawan, though he ultimately failed. At heart, Doruth Parn is still Jedi. He is still a skillful warrior, albeit one who is prone to draw on his anger. He is skilled in the use of the Force, and the Force is his ally, as much as it is ours._ *"

"Then you don't recommend retraining?" Master Kareth asked. 

"* _I do not recommend restarting his training,_ *" Master Essani clarified. "* _Before he is sent on missions, especially before he begins training a Padawan, he will need to spend time overcoming his doubts, and his conflicted feelings about Master Zykell._ *"

"It sounds as if he has come a long way in redeeming himself to the Light on his own," Master Bas'rath commented with a grudging respect she rarely gave anyone.

"* _I believe he has,_ *" Master Essani said, her coat rippling with a golden color they recognized as a pleased one. "* _I feel he needs help to finish the journey though._ *"

"The kit has great insight into people to know what Doruth needed and wanted before Jedi Parn himself did," Master Yamari commented respectfully. "Most interesting given he shows little understanding or talents towards the living."

"Assistance I believe we can arrange," Master Noloth said, folding his slender scaled fingers as he thought. "Clearly, he should spend some time studying in the Temple Spire. But I believe he should also spend some time at the meditative canyon on Ambria. Pelgrin is an excellent place to seek tranquility, but the Jedi there have other duties. On Ambria, it will be easier for one of the caretakers to focus on his healing."

"Agreed," Master Shan said as he leaned back into his padded half-sphere of a chair. "Which brings up the shewolf. I believe they are more attached to each other than either realize just yet."

"It is very possible," Kareth agreed. "I had that feeling as well, though I doubt they are likely to become mates at any point."

"No, but she is likely to make a fine Custos for him with a little training, if they agree." A grizzled black Wolf commented. "She _has_ begun to see him as a packmate."

"She's an Alpha without a pack," his shewolf mate shot back with a rumbling chuckle. "And she was courting you too."

"* _You didn't have to be a sensitive to see that,_ *" Master Essani chuckled mentally. 

"Which leaves us needing a recommendation for the Reassignment Council," Master Noloth pointed out. "I doubt it would be a particularly good thing for them to remain together during Jedi Parn's meditation."

"* _Agreed,_ *" Master Essani chuckled slightly. "* _However, she is a sensitive, and she does have some very useful talents. She may not have the skill or dedication to become a Jedi, but I believe she would be quite useful as a Custos or supply-runner. She seems to be more willing to work along with us than many smugglers as well,_ *" the kushiban pointed out. "* _She did return the lightsaber she found, after all._ *"

"And only asked for the name of the Jedi it had belonged to in exchange." Master Charn nodded, his thick black tail twitching slightly.

"It is part of our culture." Master Ryul answered the Panther's curiosity. "To honor a fallen warrior whose death has helped us survive. His 'saber protected her life many times. She will offer him thanks by name now and no longer be in his debt for the use of his weapon."

"She would also be good to have available when we have to put Jedi in dangerous situations." Master T'qu'l added. "And what she asks is reasonable, you must admit."

"Most unusual for a smuggler," Master Shan chuckled lightly.

"Not for a Wolf." Master Karyk shook her head, her thick dark grey mane of hair flowing down her back.

"Quite true," Master Ryul nodded to his mate.

"* _Master Ryul, do you believe we should try training her as a Custos?_ *" Master Essani focused on the one with the deepest instinctive understanding of Tes. "* _Or would we be better off training her as a supply-runner, given the difficulty we have in finding smugglers willing to work with us when it is necessary?_ *"

"She is likely to be most content as a supply-runner," the old Wolf inclined his head. "But she is one that will take any and all training we are willing to offer. Custos training will be most welcome."

"What he's trying to say," his mate piped up with a smirk, "is that offer her the position of supply-runner with training in other disciplines when she is not occupied with that."

"I think that would be a workable solution," Master Noloth agreed. "It would also give us the opportunity to remain in contact, in case she ever decided to look for a more formal involvement with the Order or the JediCorps."

"It would also give us access to her pups when she finds a worthy mate." Master Ryul pointed out. "She is young yet. It is quite likely she will breed and even more likely that the pups will be sensitives as their mother."

"And sire, I expect, given reactions so far." Master Karyk chuckled at her mate.

"Given reactions so far, their sire is likely to be Jedi himself," Master Shan chuckled. "But yes, that is a benefit. As well as having the parents as allies if it happens, rather than continuing the impression of Jedi as pup-snatchers. I believe we have determined a course of action here then, yes?"

"* _Yes,_ *" Master Essani nodded slightly to general agreement around the circle.

* * *

Jay relaxed easily by a fishpond in one of the Temple gardens, his gaze on the brightly colored fish that swam lazily around the clear water and his mind contemplating everything that hadn't been said when he was told that Master Essani would oversee his training. He didn't need to be able to read minds to know that it was most unusual, and that the implications of it did not sit well with several of the Council members, the Lizard and Lioness in particular.

"So, how did it go?" Doruth asked, sitting down on the grass next to Jay.

"Master Essani is overseeing my training," he recounted the events of the short meeting. "And a couple of them are very unhappy about it. You?" He looked up.

"It's not the usual practice for a member of the Council to take on a new Padawan," Doruth explained. "They're probably just worried about her keeping up her duties and training you when the time comes. Masters Noloth and Bas'rath, right?"

"The Lizard and the Lioness?" He chuckled. "Yeah. But I'm not a Padawan. She's just to make sure I don't find something I shouldn't while I'm digging around in my free time."

"Yep, those two," Doruth chuckled. "And she's probably going to be more than a kit-sitter, Jay. She's a damned good teacher," he said respectfully. "Though they probably are a little worried you'll manage to make something work that shouldn't anymore. And don't worry about the Lizard, he didn't want me joining at first either. I think his favorite saying is 'too old to start training.'"

"Which probably gets said to anyone who can talk back," Jay snickered and played his fingers in the water for the fish to nibble at. "Much less is willing to."

"That's about right," Doruth chuckled. "I think you'll like Master Essani though. She's pretty cool about things."

"So it went that badly?" Jay asked quietly.

"Should've known you wouldn't forget about it," Doruth chuckled. "At least not without an engine to take apart instead. It went pretty well, actually. They've taken me back, and even said that the retraining will be mostly making sure I understand the assorted parts of the Jedi Code again, rather than making me prove I know how to do what I can do. But they've told me to go to one of the off-world centers of the Jedi, to help come to terms with what's happened."

"Good," Jay's smiled widened. "It's what you need."

"Funny how everybody seems to know what it is that I need except me," the Panther chuckled, reaching over to ruffle Jay's hair lightly. "You're a good kit, Jay."

"So how about a little celebration?" Tes's deep rumbled went strait to Doruth's cock as her hand ran up his back. "Seeing as we all got good news."

"Mmm ... and not all of us have gotten all of it yet," Doruth chuckled, looking up at the shewolf.

"I'll just stay with the fish here," Jay giggled.

"Like I said," the Panther smirked, putting an arm around Tes's waist as he got to his feet. "You're a good kit."

"Don't you _dare_ ," Tes warned Jay over her shoulder at the smirk Doruth didn't see behind his back.

"Right, right," Jay rolled his eyes. "I'll be a good kit and leave the adults to their adult games without watching."

"You'll understand why eventually, Jay," Doruth chuckled, shaking his head. "I'll be sure to stop be and say good bye before I leave for Ambria, okay?"

"I'll hunt you down if you don't." Jay promised. "Go have fun. I'll just let the fish entertain me."

"See you around, Jay," Doruth smiled, starting back for the Gurath with Tes.

"I think he's trying to make us feel guilty," she chuckled as they walked away and Jay turned his attention back to the water and lazily swimming creatures in it and felt the empty calmness that his great-grandfather had recorded of about such things.

He wasn't honestly sure how long it was before he felt a presence settle down beside him, two small white paws just inside his peripheral vision.

"* _It is calming, isn't it?_ *" Master Essani asked him as she became aware of his shifted attention.

"Yeah," he smiled lazily up at her and was instantly struck by how incredibly snuggle-able she looked up close; so much like the giant stuffed animal he'd slept with back home.

"* _A number of the students, and Masters, find this a good place to meditate,_ *" she observed with what he thought was a smile, her fur shifting to a light golden color. "* _That's about the way it should feel, by the way. That calm that overrides everything else around you._ *"

"Places like this were my great-grandfather's, and grandmother's, guilty pleasure." He relaxed that much more at her approval. "It feels really good, but nothing gets done."

"* _You'd be surprised how much can get done," the kushiban observed and caught the peak in his curiosity as he focused a little more on her. "It might not be concrete, but the relaxation, the calming effects, have a very strong influence. It's a good thing,_ *" she said with a mental smile. "* _And yes,_ *" she chuckled with a soft, amused squeak, "* _I can be snuggly._ *"

"Not something that we usually have time for." Jay admitted. "Though snuggling we usually manage," he added with a grin.

"* _You'll have time for it here,_ *" she promised him. "* _Actually, it will be a part of your studies once you learn how to focus your meditation a bit better. And snuggling's fine, at least the way you're thinking about it now,_ *" she offered and got a real, warm grin from him as he rolled half to his back to face her instead of the water.

"That is _seriously_ different." He looked at her with a mixture of difficulty in comprehending that much time, and curiosity about such a teaching method that clearly produced such impressive results.

"* _You have to remember, much of what we're teaching is a way of influencing the Force with the will,_ *" she explained, looking over at him. "* _That sort of calm is good for that work. With practice, you can still do things with that type of focus... I imagine you've already experienced it, from what you've told us._ *"

Jay frowned, trying to place what she was referring too. "I have?"

"* _When you're working on machines, like the engines of the Gurath,_ *" she nodded. "* _Do you actually think about what you're doing all the time?_ *"

"Well, no." He admitted fairly easily. "It's not how it works when you're just putting it back together. You have to let the parts tell you what they are, what they should be like, where they belong. What you're talking about it is the same kind of 'doing'?"

"* _Yes,_ *" she nodded. "* _One of my students described it as 'doing without doing,'_ *" she explained. "* _Letting the action guide you to its completion, rather than forcing your will on it._ *"

Jay let his mind mull over that for a while. "Kind of like the difference between how I get a security camera not to see me, and putting a ship back in working order?"

"* _For now, yes,_ *" she agreed. "* _With more practice, you may be able to do both without the effort. Being able to calm yourself is a part of the training, to be able to function that way even under stress._ *"

"So when do I get to start learning?" He asked curiously, polite despite his eagerness.

"* _I think we can get you started soon,_ *" Essani said, the gold color of her fur deepening as she stood. "* _Unless you'd rather stay here for a while first? I wasn't planning on starting you for a day or two yet._ *"

"Gold is pleased?" He smiled and curled up to his feet. "And I'd like to start now."

"* _Yes Jay, it is,_ *" the kushiban nodded with a slight chirp. "* _Follow me, I'll show you to the training center,_ *" she said, waiting for him to stand before she started off at an easy-to-follow trot.


	2. A Padawan To Be

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Interlude. Two years at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant has taught Jay and Tes many things; he wants to be a Jedi, she's picked up enough skills to actually go out on missions with her mate now that Knight Parn is back on the active roster.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written with Karl Wolfemann

"* _Master Essani?_ *" Jay's mind-voice was soft and low as he carefully brushed against hers when he was fairly sure she wasn't busy. That he used her rank was a warning to his favorite Jedi and frequent companion that the almost-teen had something very serious on his mind. Even with the great improvement he'd managed in his shielding in two years under the guidance of the Temple, how core the subject to him echoed clearly to her. "* _When you have a moment to talk?_ *" He asked, adding an image of his favorite koi pond in the gardens.

"* _I'll be there, Jay,_ *" the kushiban replied, wondering what the issue would be. She waited for the report being given by Jolani and her ithorian Padawan to end before she reached out to Master Shan's mind.

"* _I'll have to leave you and the others alone for the next appointments,_ *" she explained to him. "* _I have to go check on Jay._ *"

"Understood," the Dobie nodded. "It all looks like routine business; I'll make sure you get a summary of anything important."

"* _Thank you, Master Shan,_ *" the kushiban nodded respectfully, stood and trotted out to the pond before the next meeting could start. It didn't take her long to find the kit staring into the calm water and its moving splotches of color.

"* _Is there something wrong, Jay?_ *" She asked him, settling down next to him, her fur tinged a light grey with concern.

"Wrong, not really," he looked up at her and smiled weakly. "I just need ... I guess I want to know if I'm making a good choice."

"* _About what?_ *" She asked, moving a bit closer to nuzzle his shoulder reassuringly and felt him lean into the contact.

"Being a Jedi, and when to accept my Gift and face the Demon." He took a deep breath. "How long are Jedi expected to be field agents before they can settle down?"

"* _There's no real rule about that,_ *" Essani admitted. "* _Many Jedi are called on by the Council so long as they are able. But others spend almost their entire careers in the Temple, unless they are called on for a specific duty. Much of it depends on circumstances, and the duties the Jedi takes on. You're reaching the age where you have to choose, aren't you?_ *"

"Yeah," he nodded. "What I was thinking was to hold off on taking on my family Gift until I was almost ready for my Trials, but hold off on taking them so I can have my Master there while I learn how to control the Demon and my Gift, and only take the Trials when that's worked out well enough that I'm safe to go out alone."

"* _I think that's a very wise decision, Jay,_ *" she said with a mental smile and felt as much as saw him relax.

"Do you have any idea who my Master will be?" He asked softly, a half look at her not even beginning to conceal who he wanted.

"* _I had rather been hoping to take you on myself,_ *" Essani confirmed for him. "* _It's been a long time since I've had a Padawan. Though I've received word that Jedi Parn is returning soon, and may be interested in the position himself._ *"

Jay nodded and thought about that, his affection for the Panther mixed with an understanding of what they both were really like.

"It wouldn't be the smartest thing," he admitted quietly. "He brings out the worst parts of me."

"* _In what way?_ *" Essani asked curiously.

"The aggression, the making choices for others ... we're alike in a lot of ways, ways I don't want to encourage in myself." He glanced over at her. "I know it doesn't come across a lot, but my family is mostly warriors. It's in my blood, but the bloodlust and rage and killing rush isn't something I like. I don't like to fight. And fighting is _meditation_ to Doruth."

"* _I understand, Jay,_ *" Essani reassured him. "* _And you know you don't have to be a warrior. I think you'd be a fine scholar, in the field or otherwise._ *"

"I'd prefer it," he smiled and nuzzled her, grateful that he really could be a Jedi without being the combat specialist. "I like creating things, fixing things. Just 'cause I'm good at breaking things, doesn't mean I like doing it."

"* _That's fine Jay,_ *" the kushiban chuckled, returning the nuzzle. "* _It's rare for somebody to realize that as young as you are. You will still have to learn to be competent with a lightsaber, and to defend yourself and those around you, but many Knights dedicate their training to other pursuits once they have reached that level._ *"

"Oh, I have no intention of being anything less than extremely competent at getting out of the trouble I get into," Jay chuckled slightly. "I'm not so arrogant as to believe it _won't_ come for me just because I'm in a different galaxy. Seeking it out just isn't the path I want for my life." He shifted to nuzzle her. "But I'd like to be a Jedi, and help with what I'm good at."

"* _And you don't mind a Master who's small, fluffy, and looks like dinner on most worlds in the known galaxy?_ *" Essani said, chirping as her fur passed through an unusual shade of pink before returning to it's normal white.

"Not at all," Jay smiled warmly at her. "I haven't seen that shade before."

"* _You'll probably see it more often as my Padawan,_ *" Essani explained. "* _I've got an unusual sense of humor. Just don't ask questions if I'm that shade and running,_ *" she winked.

"Right," he grinned, the glint in his eyes a reminder that he was already well known for getting away with pranks and jokes that would have most skinned, largely because no one could prove he'd done it.

"* _Just remember that the people you'll be pranking now can figure out it was you,_ *" Essani said with a mental grin, the pink color returning to her coat as she snuggled up against Jay's side.

"Not that well," he snickered. "Or they aren't bringing it up."

"* _That's the funny thing,_ *" she chirped. "* _Somehow, the further you get, the less likely they are to do more than roll their eyes. By the way, I'll have to teach you to understand kushiban one of these days._ *"

"Cool," Jay grinned, delighted to pick up a rare language.

"* _So, you're feeling better about your choice now?_ *"

"Yeah," he nodded a bit shyly. "I was pretty sure it was a good one, just ... wanted a second opinion."

"* _I'm glad you trust me that much,_ *" Essani said, nuzzling him lightly. "* _You've taken to the training very well,_ *" she added and got a real smile for it, his cheeks lightly flushed under his dark fur.

"So is there a ceremony or something, or does everybody just know I'm yours now?" Jay asked, taking them back to the core that had begun the discussion.

"* _I tell Master Shan later, make sure there are no objections from the Council. Which is more a formality than anything else; they haven't refused a Master choosing their Padawan from among the students in centuries. From there it's entered into the records by Master Kareth and news will get out quickly enough._ *"

"Do I get to actually move in with you now?" He asked with a hopeful look for no longer spending most of his nights in her quarters but technically living with three others in the student dorms.

"* _Yes, you do,_ *" Essani chirped softly with a mental chuckle. "* _Which will make it a little easier on you, I'm sure._ *"

"Less walking at least," he chuckled and ducked his head. "Probably a lot less teasing too."

"* _Are they still giving you trouble about that?_ *" Essani asked, looking at him. She'd done her best to put down the rumors of what they might be doing; regardless of how mature Jay's mind was, she saw no reason to let anybody think there was anything going on that wasn't.

"Not that we're fooling around," he shook his head with a chuckle. "But about being the rabbit's pet, and needing my fluffy security blanket to sleep, some." He shrugged, putting it as just part of life though it did sting and did little to help his self-control or desire not to become the fighter most of his kin were. "I do sleep a lot better with you." He repeated what they both knew too well. "I think I still cloak myself when I'm in my room."

"* _Unfortunately we can't stop all of it,_ *" she said, rubbing his back telekinetically until he purred in pleasure. "* _And yes, you do, according to your roommates. You are going to want to work on that in the future. After all, I won't always be able to share a bed with you._ *"

"I know," he smiled at her. "For all sorts of reasons. It's just one of those reflexes I have when I don't feel very safe. I've got a lot of those to work on, along with my studies." His grin widened a bit. "I am looking forward to really starting on this phase of life."

"* _And I'm looking forward to helping you with it,_ *" the kushiban said approvingly, nuzzling him lightly. "* _It's good that you're sticking with your training._ *"

* * *

* * *

* * *

Jay hummed softly, a simple tune from a childhood that seemed several lifetimes removed and fading from his memory. Still, this took him back to vivid and warm memories of his mother singing him to sleep before he could walk. He wasn't even aware when two of his roommates came in to see him packing his things.

"So, we're losing another Cat?" A familiar voice said in heavily accented basic. "What's the matter, your owner decide to trade you in for another kitten?"

A slight shiver ripped down Jay's spine as he kept the growl to himself at Navik's taunts.

"No one owns me." He replied instead.

"Wouldn't know it to watch you," the Rodian teased. "'S a shame, really."

"Nah, then I couldn't be Master Essani's Padawan."

"Like that would ever happen," Navik laughed, the sound grating through his two-toned voice.

"I hope you didn't have any creds on it, 'cause it just did." He smirked at the leathery green-skinned biped.

Jay's smirk almost changed to a grin as he heard a half-squawk of surprise in rodese. It didn't take long for Navik to catch himself though, and decide on a new angle of attack.

"Shouldn't be surprised," he sneered, or at least came as close to a sneer as he could with his snout. "After all, fitting that you'd end up with a Master that'd be dinner in half the galaxy. Not like you're going to end up being more."

"No, I'm going to be a Jedi, and you're going to the Reassignment Council." Jay pointed out with a bit of a sneer. "Or didn't they tell you you've only got a few weeks left to find a Master."

"If a _katchutak_ like you can find one but I can't, better to go back to Rodia where the strong are welcome!"

"You aren't strong, Navik." Jay pointed out calmly. "You're undisciplined, Force-weak and can't even beat a katchutak; at anything."

Even Jay's barely-trained senses felt the spike of rage that flushed through the young Rodian. It gave him just enough warning to duck to the side before the shorter but stockier alien took a swing at him.

"You know better than that," he dropped into a loose defensive posture, sure that a Knight wouldn't be far behind such a blatant disturbance. "Show you've got some potential and calm down before the Knight arrives."

As much as Jay had hoped to calm Navik down, his words only seemed to further provoke him. Navik lunged for him again, a clumsy body-rush that Jay easily deflected, sending the Rodian tumbling to the ground. Navik rolled to his back and tried to get up, but the weight of two other students rushing into the room to pin him down held him in place.

One of them, a lean Caracal fem from the next room, looked up at Jay as she leaned down, putting her weight on Navik's arms to hold him down.

"What'd you say to him this time?" She asked him, grunting as Navik tried to force her off, a string of muttered rodese curses escaping from his snout before the Wolf straddling his waist wrapped his large paw around it.

"A good deal less than he said to me," he settled from his defensive posture, though he never lost track of exactly what Navik was trying to do.

"Well apparently it was enough," Miya muttered. "You've never managed to get him going _this_ well before."

"Well, I am a Padawan now," he shifted and rubbed the back of his neck with a sheepish grin. "To Master Essani. Kinda pissed him off."

"I'm sure she'll be _thrilled_ to hear about this," the Caracal said dryly as one of the Knights finally arrived. The two of them got off of Navik, who rolled to his knees, breathing hard as he looked up at the Lion who had just arrived.

"The four of you, come with me," the Knight said firmly.

"Yes, sir." Jay nodded and followed where he could keep an eye on Navik as they were led to explain just how this had happened to one of the Masters.

Master Alarin looked at Jay with his usual stern expression as the kit walked into his office. The older Ram had been in charge of discipline in the student's quarters for some time, and Navik was no stranger to the room.

Jay was a somewhat rarer visitor, and was always to be been found in conjunction with a fight with a much better known troublemaker.

"I want you to explain what happened," he said. He'd already gotten what he could from the others who were nearby, though Navik was waiting to speak to him yet. He wanted to hear Jay's version of things first; he was pretty sure he knew what the Rodian's would sound like.

"I was packing to move to my Master's quarters when Navik came in and asked if my owner had decided to trade me in," he recounted, his anger at the words easily sensed by the Ram, though the kit showed no signs of it. "I told him that no one owned me, he said that you wouldn't know by watching me, and that it was a shame. I replied that if I was I couldn't be Master Essani's Padawan. He said that it would never happen. I told him I hoped he didn't have a bet on that, because it had just happened. He came back that it wasn't a surprise that I'd end up with a Master that was dinner in half the galaxy and I'd end up being the same." His anger flared again at the insult to his Master, and someone he cared about.

"I said that I'd be a Jedi, and he'd go to the Reassignment Council." Jay paused, uncomfortable repeating the next words. "He said that if a katchutak like me could find a Master but he couldn't, it was better to go back to Rodia where the strong are welcome. I told him he wasn't strong, that he's undisciplined, Force-weak and can't even beat a katchutak at anything. Then he took a swing at me and I avoided getting hit until Miya and Rurik pinned him down and Knight Emrys showed up."

"I see," Master Alarin said quietly, checking on Jay's reassignment and nodding when it was confirmed that it was in progress. The Ram looked Jay in the eyes. "Do you feel you handled the situation appropriately?"

"I could have handled it better," he admitted quietly. "I know Navik enjoys bating me and just about everyone else and that was all he was doing."

"Good," Master Alarin nodded. "You are right, on both counts. How could you have handled it better?"

"I could have simply not replied. He doesn't do more than talk." He ran over the events in his mind and cringed a bit internally at how many times he had basically lost control of the situation. "I lost control of myself when I mentioned not betting on it. I started to bait him back then. Something I know I can beat him at."

"Your decision to defend yourself is not being questioned, and the way you handled it _was_ understandable," the Ram explained, his voice and expression softening. "But you're right; you shouldn't have returned the baiting, whether or not you can beat him at it. You handled yourself admirably once the fight started, but in the future you should think twice about how you respond. Better to keep a fight from starting than to be the victor."

"Yes, Master," Jay inclined his head, knowing the truth of that very well and agreeing with it, even when he didn't manage to follow it.

"I do have one more question for you, Jay," Master Alarin said. "When Miya was explaining what had happened, she said that when she commented that Navik didn't usually get as upset as he clearly was, you said that you were Master Essani's Padawan, as though that justified it somehow. What did you actually mean by that? She agreed that it would have been very unusual if that was how you meant it."

"I think that was what made him so mad; that I not only had been accepted by a Master, but by a prestigious one, when it is unlikely that he'd be accepted by any of them."

"Which may well be the case," Master Alarin nodded. "Thank you, Padawan. If you would like, you can return to finish packing; I'll speak with Navik and determine what to do with him."

"Thank you, Master." He smiled slightly and let the spike of pleasure at having the title applied to him wash through him and bowed before he turned and left, passing a still irate Navik who glared at him and was pointedly ignored.

* * *

* * *

* * *

"* _Master?_ *" Jay's mental voice called to her politely from outside her quarters with a backpack on his shoulder full of his Jedi things and the sleek black carrying case for his personal computer, one of his few real possessions, hooked to his belt.

"* _Come in, Jay. Or Padawan, if you prefer,_ *" Essani said, moving a number of crystals up onto a shelf before hopping out of her 'bed' and approaching the door to greet him as he stepped in and took in the changes she'd wrought in a scant few hours.

"* _Jay, honestly,_ *" he smiled warmly at her and set his pack down as the door slid shut behind him. "I'm proud of the title, and who made it so, but I'm still me. You've been busy." He added as he took in the shift of things to accommodate a second long term resident in her comfortably full quarters.

"* _It was overdue for a cleaning,_ *" Essani chirped with a chuckle, backing up to let him walk around. "* _Your quarters will be where they usually are, by the way. Haven't changed that much._ *"

"Thank you," he looked at her with a warm fondness that very few ever saw. "For everything in the last two years," he added and reached down to gently scritch her ears.

"* _You're welcome,_ *" she rurred, enjoying the scritching as her fur turned golden. "* _Mmm ... I understand you had one more little run-in with Navik before you managed to move out._ *"

"Yes," he sighed and picked up his pack to get his clothes put away before they needed to be un-wrinkled. "I kind of lost my temper this time too. He's very good at knowing what to say to get under your skin."

"* _Yes, he is,_ *" Essani agreed. "* _It's a pity too; we were hoping that he'd be able to take to the training better. I know Master Alarin already spoke to you about how it worked out, so I won't give you the same lecture,_ *" she said with what felt like an almost maternal mental smile. "* _Once you have your things put away come back out here, I have something for you._ *"

"Oh?" He blinked in surprise, but took no less care in hanging up his clothes and putting all the various folded items away.

"* _There is some tradition to becoming a Padawan, Jay,_ *" Essani chuckled as he came out of the second room. "* _Just not necessarily formal tradition._ *"

"There are a lot of those," he grinned a bit.

"* _Yes, there are,_ *" she agreed. "* _I understand you've been a little frustrated working with the training 'sabers so far?_ *"

"Yeah," he made a sound was nearly a snort. "It doesn't feel right working with toys."

"* _I understand Jay, but given how dangerous a real one can be, it's preferable to having most of our students maim themselves in training,_ *" she said seriously, making the same argument she had when he first 'fixed' his first training 'saber. 

"I remember," he said softly, still remembering the reprimand that had kept his training 'saber largely unmodified since.

"* _However, as a Padawan, it's tradition for your Master to give you a real one to train with until you build your own. Which I hope you'll wait at least a month before doing,_ *" she added with a chuckle as one of the drawers of a nearby desk opened and the familiar handle floated up and over to Jay's hands.

He took it from her telekinesis with an almost reverential seriousness and respect.

"You built it." He murmured as his fingers ghosted over the 'saber's hilt. "For me."

"* _Yes Jay,_ *" she nodded. "* _You had very good timing, actually. I only finished it a few days ago._ *"

He let focused his mind and Gift and let it go to stand without being touched between his hands and the deep sea-blue blade snapped to life with his mind taking it all in as much as his eyes. 

Essani could feel him do the odd way the Force flowed around and through him as he claimed the 'saber as his own and understood it on a level that few others could manage. She watched him and his reactions, fascinated as always by the unusual talent for making the Force work in ways that few other Jedi thought were possible.

He was completely calm and focused when the blade disappeared and he took the hilt in one hand and hooked it on his belt.

"Thank you, Master." He smiled slightly and bowed, his respect in the actions sincere.

"* _You're welcome, Jay,_ *" she said, inclining her head towards him. "* _If you're ready, we can begin some of your more advanced training now._ *"

* * *

"So, think you're ready for this?" Doruth asked, settling down in the Kalrass' cockpit next to Tes. "After all, you don't exactly have the world's best relationship with the Hutt."

"And you do, Jedi?" She chuckled and grinned up at him. "Seriously," her expression went to steel, "I don't let pack mates go into a bad situation without backup. It's hardly the most dangerous thing I've done."

"Understood," he nodded with a smile. "So, want to go over what we've got on this operation once more before we head down?"

"Always," she smiled and leaned over to kiss him firmly.

"Mmm ... don't distract me," he smirked after returning the kiss. He reached out and brought up the mission profile on the Kalrass' computer.

"Okay, we've got a Hutt running slaver operations on the third world in the Xagobah system. Seems the Senators in the area aren't too crazy about it, but they're not willing to put their own security forces on the task. Probably can't afford to out-bribe the Hutts."

"So they hand it to the Jedi, who don't use bribes." She chuckled softly. "Still no word on who's in charge?"

"We use 'em, but not exclusively," Doruth chuckled. "And no. All we have is that they're based on Nar Shaddaa, heading out here to try and make enough to make a bid for power. Which narrows it down to about three-quarters of the Hutt in the galaxy. The Council would like us to shut down the slavers, and if possible round up the people in charge to face charges."

"So are we actually going to talk first, or just make things go boom?" She cocked her head with a grin.

"Talk first, boom later if necessary," Doruth chuckled. "Which it probably will be. But we're not just going to hack our way through this, or the Hutt, either. The planet's pretty damn swampy; if necessary we blow the supports for their landing point. Let's face it, they'd make a _lot_ more money running spice out of Kessel than they would rebuilding their port after it gets swallowed up."

"Particularly knowing it would just go boom again." She nodded seriously. "Want me to hide my 'saber during the talks?"

"Well, since we're officially here as negotiators from the Council, it's up to whether or not you mind being mistaken for a Jedi yourself. Shouldn't work against us too badly, might even keep some of the Hutt's men a little less confident if they think they've got two Jedi to deal with."

"I don't mind," she grinned and kissed him again. "It's why I wore the 'saber I had in the open before I met you for meetings. And now I'm actually dressed like one and walking next to one."

"Which always helps," he chuckled. "Hey, Tes... you have any ideas for who you'll be working with, as a Custos?"

It earned him a rather stricken look mixed with shock.

"Who _else_ would I be working with?" She demanded, her teeth bared and hackles raised.

"Woah, sorry!" He said, raising his hands slightly and felt her start to calm down, though it took a few moments for her to settle. "I wasn't sure if you wouldn't want to find somebody else, maybe another Wolf."

"Doruth ..." she reached out to scritch his jaw and settle her fur. "Wolves don't throw pack mates out. We mate for life. We pass our skills and territory down to our pups. I may find a Wolf or two to run with us if you accept them, but not another mate."

"All right," he smiled, reaching over to help settle her fur, rubbing her shoulders once that was done. "I wasn't about to throw you out, Tes, or leave, or whatever you thought I had in mind. I just remembered you said once that your mate would have to be another Wolf... I'm a little short in that department," he chuckled slightly. "Though a Custos/Jedi team and mates aren't quite the same thing, at least not officially."

"We'll sort that out later," she kissed him gently, and then licked his nose a bit playfully. "A lot's happened in the last two years we both still need to catch up with."

"We'll sort that out _after_ kicking this Hutt back to Nar Shaddaa," Doruth grinned, kissing her again. "Mmm ... just hope it can still get off-world without its spaceport, if necessary. Hate to think some poor swamp fish would end up eating one of those things."

"Anything with that little sense of the edible deserves an upset stomach." Tes snickered and shook her fur out. "Ready?"

"Ready," he nodded, bracing in the seat as the Kalrass set down. "Let's go see if they're willing to be reasonable."

* * *

* * *

* * *

"* _Doruth, we're in trouble._ *" Tes' mind touched his for the first time as she slid the hood of her robes a little further forward to cover her face. She didn't have a trace of any reaction on the outside as they walked into the Hutt's den and got a good look at the giant slug, but he could feel her distress. "* _That's Jenaba._ *"

"* _The Hutt whose partner you took apart? Maybe we'll get lucky and it won't mind any more._ *" Doruth managed to keep his own reactions from showing, waiting while the twi'lek 'major domo' explained their cover story; Jedi who needed to employ the Hutt's smugglers for the Order's purposes.

The scent of money, especially paid by the Order, had been more than enough to get them an audience.

"You may approach Jenaba the Hutt with your request," the grey-skinned twi'lek explained, smiling the toothy, condescending smile so common to its criminally inclined kin that always managed to put Doruth on edge.

The Panther stepped forward, his face emotionless even as he judged their odds of getting out of this alive. They were vastly outnumbered, if it came to a fight, and the forces here weren't random mercenaries; they were the Hutt's personal bodyguard, with a couple seasoned bounty hunters who were earning a paycheck by kidnapping the local sentients.

Their odds weren't good.

Doruth looked at the protocol droid next to the massive Hutt, and decided not to tip too much of his hand. He could understand what it said easily, but better to fake it for now.

"Tell your master that we have been sent by the Council to discuss a matter of business with his eminence. It is regarding his current operations on this planet."

The droid did its job, repeating his words in the garbled sounds of its master and waited for Jenaba to reply before turning to the Jedi.

"You did not mention this when requesting an audience." The droid informed them, managing to even convey the annoyance and distrust the Hutt had for them.

"True. However, it was mentioned that the Order wished to discuss business. It would, of course, be impossible for the Jedi to be associated with the force behind an illegal slaving operation."

The droid barely got a chance to do its work.

"Jenaba the Hutt is involved in no such thing." It protested loudly.

"Not knowingly, we're sure," Doruth agreed, a statement both sides knew was just as much a lie as the Hutt's denial. "However, while slavery is legal within Hutt Space, taking slaves from this system, this planet in particular, is not legal within the Republic. We are sure that it is merely a misunderstanding, and are willing to offer the great Jenaba an alternative business arrangement in exchange for ceasing these operations."

"Speak, Jedi." The Hutt considered him calculatingly.

Doruth was rather surprised that they were still talking, honestly. He'd half expected to be thrown out by now, or involved in a rather large fight. Still, he wasn't going to turn down the opportunity to get out of this without violence being necessary.

"If Jenaba will stop taking slaves from Republic space, particularly this sector, the Order is ready to offer his eminence first refusal when they need to employ independent smugglers or... services... that he is prepared to offer. A not insignificant amount of business, and far less costly than continuing operations here."

He could all but see the calculations running through its head. What that offer was really worth, how long it was likely to last, the profit margin here, the cost of abandoning operations and the cost of continuing.

"Agreed, _if_ you leave the female." It focused on Tes' robed form and the sharp tension that suddenly ran across it. "We have unfinished business."

"That is not an option," Doruth said simply, keeping the emotion out of his voice, and forcing back the surge of anger that threatened to reignite the darkness inside him. He very intentionally kept his hand _away_ from the hilt of his lightsaber. He was not going to be the one to attack first.

"* _And I won't let them take you,_ *" he reassured Tes, feeling as much as knowing she was very close to making the first strike and only his wishes were holding her back.

"* _Run?_ *" She asked, willing and ready to fight but accepting it was his choice until one of them was attacked.

Doruth could feel the tension in the guards. Jenaba's mind was closed; like most successful Hutts its will was strong enough to resist his own, but its employees were another issue.

"* _Run,_ *" he agreed, knowing as well as she did that they were about to have a very large problem. For a brief second he was incredibly proud of her for doing as he said without hesitation, knowing it went against just about everything she believed in and wanted.

He barely heard the Hutt's gurgling order to kill them, but Tes' snarl of pain was as clear as the distinctive sound of her lightsaber flaring to life and the blaster fire that rained down around them.

His own 'saber was blazing within a split-second, blaster bolts flying through the room at random as he and Tes deflected as many of them as they could. He moved in behind her, his blazing blue lightsaber flashing through the air as he tried to protect them both.

A part of him was practically screaming to kill the Hutt; cut off the head and let the rest of its organization die. But he forced the reaction back, knowing that it wouldn't be enough to keep them alive.

Centering himself mentally, he summoned the Force, pushing it out in a wave that threw most of the Hutt's guards off-balance. The two of them bolted through the opening it created, a defensive retreat that carried them back towards the sealed entrance.

"When we get there, cut through, I'll cover you," he told her.

"Right," she nodded, her focus on moving and staying alive until they reached the door. She didn't check to see if she was covered, she just began to cut threw the heavy metal door. A process that went faster than it would have for Doruth thanks to the higher-powered blade Jay provided her to replace the one she had surrendered to the Council.

It was an edge that Doruth was grateful for as his own blade flashed through the dimness of the corridor, blocking blaster bolts and cutting down mercenaries who got too close to them. The similarity between their first battle together and this one was striking, though he didn't have much time to reflect on it.

Only to hope he didn't run across another mercenary with armor that would shut down his lightsaber. If that happened now, it would probably get the two of them killed.

He snarled as a lucky shot grazed his side, the pain straining his control and bringing the darkness surging to the surface. He threw his hand up; calling on the power of the Force ... but at the last second, caught himself, and used the destructive telekinetic 'push' to destroy the Rat's blaster, instead of its chest.

"We're through!" Tes shouted, hurrying out of the building, followed closely by Doruth. The Panther turned and grabbed her, dragging her off into the swamps away from the Kalrass.

"Trust me?" He asked her, panting, trying to ignore the pain lacing through his side with every word, breath, and step.

"Always," she nodded, covering her own pain with a level of experience he simply didn't have, for all he had better self-control.

"Good," he said, gripping her tightly and taking a deep breath she mimicked. He threw them both into the swampy muck of Xagobah, sealing his muzzle against hers as they sank, grateful beyond words that she calmed and relaxed against him after a moment of terrified shock. He carefully shared his air with her as he willed the Force to open a small 'bubble' around their heads, filled with real bubbles from the surface that brought them unpleasantly fragrant, but breathable, oxygen.

He could only pray that their pursuers would think they'd drowned after falling.

"* _Now what?_ *" She asked silently to preserve their air supply.

"* _We wait,_ *" he answered, rubbing her back reassuringly and keep his senses open to the disturbances in the force created by each of the mercenaries. After what felt like an eternity, he sensed them going back to the base, satisfied that their quarry had fallen prey to the swamp - and, better yet, that if they were ever found it would look like an accident.

Just in time too, they were running out of air for real. Doruth drew an arrow pointing 'up' on her back with his finger, before he started to swim for the surface, staying close enough that he could feel if she was having trouble with it herself. He could tell she was using more Force that she should have needed, but she still broke the surface only a moment after him.

It was her Force signature that got his attention the most of everything about her in that moment. It was wavering, off ... and she was sick with fear that dieing in battle hadn't even come close too.

None of which she gave any outward indication of as they worked to the shore.

Once they were there, he pulled her out, looking at her worriedly. He hadn't noticed before, but he could tell now that she was hurt a hell of a lot worse than he was, and not all of her wounds had been cauterized by what had caused them.

"Think you can get back to the ship?" He asked her, unable to hide his concern, knowing already that the stay in the muck had probably left her wounds infected with whatever diseases might be living in it.

"Yes," she gritted her teeth, leaving it unsaid that there simply wasn't another choice.

"Give me a moment," he said, swallowing hard and focusing. He'd called on the Force a lot by now, and it had exhausted him. But he was damned if he was going to have her move like this for all she was willing. He closed his eyes, driving out the mental fatigue, the anger he felt at himself for letting things go this badly ... and, hardest of all, the fear that getting them away from their pursuers might have killed Tes in the long run by exposing her wounds to all manner of infections.

"If I've ever needed the help, I need it now," he murmured softly, using what talent he had at healing to try and fix the worst of the damage.

"* _It'll be okay,_ *" she murmured against his mind as the Force eased the worst of her pain. Her instincts took over to calm her mind as she rose to the challenge of being the Alpha again without a thought. "* _We need to go before they take our ship._ *"

"Right," he nodded, standing up. "We have to move fast, but we landed far enough out they probably don't know where to look off-hand."

Tes nodded and didn't voice her doubts about that as they headed out, senses sharp for both native and non-native threats.

The two of them made it back to the ship as quickly as they could, with only a few tense moments waiting for searchers to go by. They found the Kalrass with a couple guards outside of it. A rock thrown into the swamp-waters behind them provided the distraction necessary to capture them and tie them up. Once they were on the ship, Doruth hurried into the supply bay for a medkit while Tes worked the grime and swamp goo from her fur and robes in the sonic shower.

"There," he said, smiling weakly at the naked shewolf trying to get her fur clean with more difficulty than usual. "That wasn't too bad, was it?"

"No, but we have a spaceport to trash and a planet to get the hell off of." She took a deep breath of almost clean-smelling air. "Let's get this goop out of our fur, tend to wounds and get the job done."

"Right," he nodded, "and you to a bacta tank," he added softly, moving to help her clean up and start working on her wounds. "Before any of these wounds go septic."

"I know," she admitted quietly and didn't fight the assistance, for once not feeling aroused at his touch. "I felt it while we were still under the swamp. Nasty stuff lives here. I still should have a couple weeks before I'll need much more than a good antibiotic and some basic medical care."

"Could be worse," he said, thankful that he'd read up on first aid during the past couple years. "Dagobah has things living on it that don't stop at the physical. Just a few systems away and we wouldn't be taking the time to finish the job." He finished up, closing the medkit.

"I don't think I want to know," she admitted as she shook her fur out one more time to find it acceptably clean.

"Well, that's the best I can do for now," he told her.

"Your turn," Tes said firmly and worked his filthy robes off. "I know you were hit at least once."

"Only felt the one," he admitted, helping her undress him. The blaster bolt had singed his fur, and would probably leave a scar when it healed, but it was the only semi-serious injury he had.

It didn't keep Tes from going over the much more numerous minor ones until she was satisfied he wasn't just trying to tough it out. It wasn't as if he didn't need the time to get his fur and robes fit to walk around in anyway.

"I don't suppose you can just tell me how to place those charges, can you?" He asked, wincing as she cleaned out a cut he'd gotten on the way back.

"I can, but you are not about to go out there alone." She said firmly, giving him one of the few real looks at what her full authority felt like to have focused on him. It was the first time he really comprehended that Alpha-ship among Wolves wasn't just about strength. There was a definite force of will and personality that made things happen too and for all she was submissive to him, she had lost none of it to her choice. "I am _not_ that badly injured."

"No, you're not," he admitted. "Doesn't mean I like it. You can be sure they'll step up security once they realize we're not dead."

"Which isn't going to help them, because we're going to blow that spaceport first." She growled lightly in pure determination. "And we brought plenty of detonite to blow it sky high."

"I _hope_ that's enough," he said, standing and moving to pull out a clean set of robes. He considered them for a bit, and then shook his head. "Might as well stick with the other ones, they'll blend in better. Hell, they've got half the swamp in them yet. So, demolitions is your gig," he said, looking back at her. "How are we going to go about doing this?"

"The gist is to set a directional charge on each support, angled up to cause extra damage and set to cut all the supports in the same direction so the spaceport will slid off them even faster." She explained as they got dressed in their somewhat clean robes. "If we have the time, a few charges underneath to cause more damage would be a good addition. Set off remotely."

"Any ideas on how we get in there? I don't think we want to fly the ship right up to them, but I'll be damned if I can figure out how we're going to move the charges fast enough otherwise. Unless I keep it in the air while you place them, so we can get moving before they come after us."

"I don't suppose you're any good at speed-running?" She asked, leaning against a bulkhead.

"I usually use it for jumps, but yeah," he nodded. "Though I won't be able to do too much of it for a while yet. And it'd still leave you without any way in, unless you've picked up a few tricks I don't know about yet."

"I trained hard while you were meditating, Jedi." She chuckled a bit. "It's not my best skill, but I'm good for a few bursts. Still, it sounds as if sneaking in with the Kalrass after dark, unless you'll have recovered by then."

"Might be, but it's not certain. Maybe not the best time to mention it, but I've never tried anything like that stunt in the swamp before; it took a hell of a lot to keep us breathing."

"Option two," she looked at him steadily. "Pretend to leave. Get them to relax. Then take out the port."

"That would be the least likely to involve another fight," he nodded, thinking it over. "Though it involves more time. Option three," he suggested. "How sturdy are those supports likely to be against ship-grade blasters?"

That raised an eyebrow, but got a nod. "They'd probably shred after a shot or two in the right places unless he sunk a _lot_ into anti-sabotage methods. It didn't look to be the sturdiest construction to me. And since Jay got free reign to upgrade while I was at the Temple, they're probably a lot better than most."

"Then I'd say that's our best bet. The Kalrass' guns were pretty good before he tinkered with them, they should do the trick now. Not the torpedoes you were drooling over on the Gurath," he chuckled, "but they'll blow the supports. I take the guns, you take piloting?"

"Works for me," she nodded, not really hiding her relief that they weren't going back into the swamp or wait for a week or two.

"We had to try and negotiate first, Tes," Doruth said easily. "If it hadn't been Jenaba, it might have actually worked. Think you're up to piloting it now, before they realize that we might try something like this and get their own speeders running?"

"I can fly," she nodded and settled her robes before heading up to the bridge. "You did a good job on the healing," she smiled at him sideways slightly and began the pre-flight check even before she sat down.

"Only fair," he chuckled a little grimly, taking his own seat and starting up the targeting programs. "After all, I'm the one who dragged you into this."

"I seem to remember it starting by you getting me _out_ of getting killed," she cracked a grin a him with a warning he wasn't going to be allowed to take blame for things he wasn't to blame for. "From there it's been my choice."

"You also wanted to just carve the Hutt up before we tried talking," he chuckled. "Oh well. You get us in there, we'll find out if Hutts float."

"Agreed," she nodded as the main engines powered up. "We do have a problem for later." She said quietly as they darted forward at just above, and occasionally below, tree level. "The environmental shield generator is malfunctioning. Sabotaged more likely. We're good for atmosphere, but we aren't going home."

"Just dandy," he muttered. "And we can't even go to a more civilized planet for repairs with that out. Maybe we'll be able to take something from the wreckage for repairs." He checked the hyperspace transceiver while they approached the spaceport, praying they'd at least be able to send a distress call once this was over with. He breathed a sigh of relief and thanked the Force when it seemed to be good.

"We're going to have to." She said simply.

"Most likely," he nodded. "That or get a distress call to the Xagoban government; our transceivers are working, they just seem to have wanted us on-planet until they were sure we were dead. At least they won't have to go through hyperspace, should be able to get help in a couple days at worst...."

"Assuming we aren't shot down," she added with a grim chuckle as the spaceport's metallic form rose out of the swamp in a glaring spot of civilization on an otherwise uncivilized world.

"That happens and we don't have to worry about getting off the planet," Doruth pointed out grimly. "You have the stress points uploaded to the computer, right?"

"Yes," she nodded as they dropped even lower, intent on slipping under the platform and blasting it out of existence before they were spotted.

"Loading to targeting overlay," he murmured, gripping the controls for the guns. Each set of shots came just a split-second after Tes heard the controls click to manual, the computer doing most of the targeting work, but Doruth's own intuition working to find the weakest of the weak points. By the time they pulled away, the spaceport's alarms were already screaming, even as the port itself started to fall apart.

"Get us clear, I'll cover any pursuers," Doruth said simply, keying the computer to send a coded distress call to the capitol of the system.

She didn't even reply, simply swung them up above the treetops and pushed the engines to full power, sending them darting away almost faster than the eye could follow to find a secluded spot to set down until a rescue ship came in a few days.


	3. A Triad Formed? pt 1/2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's an eventful year at the Jedi temple as the first true triad in a thousand years forms around death, birth and biology not quite ready for it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you have issues with reading about early teen sexuality in fiction, please check out now. It is in abundance and graphically depicted here.

Jay took a breath and tried to catch himself as his telekinetic grip on himself began to slip. He twisted his body as he recognized his landing zone would be the small lake he had been flying over so he'd dive instead of crash. No guarantee he'd survive, but at least it increased his odds of getting out of this with only a few broken bones and not become a blood-slick on the calm water.

The fall was just long enough to give him time to wish he'd told somebody what he was going to be doing, or at least where. His body wrenching painfully as he hit the lake. He could almost name each bone that he felt break, fracture, or dislocate, his body burned with pain; he'd made better dives before. Of course, it wasn't like he usually dove from over two stories into one of Coruscant's decorative lakes without setting up for it to be a dive first. He managed to get to the surface, gasping for breath and trying not to black out as he struggled for the shore and didn't even think as his mind howled for his Master in desperate self-preservation.

The blood in his mouth, breathed into his lungs, leant a metallic tang to his awareness he hoped he'd never know again. He felt something hard and technological press against him, helping him get to shore before his body submitted to its damage and the knowledge that his speeder wouldn't let him drown. 

He offered a small prayer to Bastet and the Gods of his youth to let him live past his first year as a Padawan before he blacked out.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Jay's mind whimpered as memories of his last few conscious moments replayed themselves to his gradually increasing awareness. Obviously someone, or maybe his speeder, had gotten him back to the Temple. No hospital smelled, or felt, like it.

"* _Jay? How are you feeling?_ *" Master Essani's mental voice, the concerned tone of it and her familiar scent, were a comforting presence. Her question also raised an odd point; he was feeling a _lot_ better than he was supposed to given how badly he knew he'd hurt himself.

"* _Better than I should be._ *" He managed to focus enough to reply, his eyes unwilling to open just yet but his mind starting to come around.

"* _You have Padawan Shivasta to thank for that,_ *" the kushiban said softly. "* _What were you doing? I've seen people attacked by kath hounds who were in better shape than you were!_ *"

"* _Flying,_ *" he murmured silently, the slight jumble of mental images with it telling her exactly what he'd been doing, and that it wasn't the first time, just the first time it had gone wrong. "* _Hit the lake, bad angle._ *"

"* _We'll have to talk about this later,_ *" Essani sighed mentally and reached out to brush his shoulder with her paw. "* _You need to rest; we've fixed the worst of the damage, but your body still needs to recover._ *"

"Most _Masters_ can't do that!" A light feminine voice gasped in shock in the physical world, drawing Jay more fully into it.

He grudgingly opened his eyes, and focused on the indistinct form above him before blinking a couple times. Sky blue skin, perfectly smooth and soft, framed deep blue eyes that he could easily get lost in.

"* _Rest, Jay,_ *" Essani insisted gently.

"* _Yes, Master._ *" He murmured and let his eyes close to drift off again.

"* _Padawan Shivasta,_ *" Essani said to the young woman mentally, "* _please keep an eye on him? I'll speak to your Master about it._ *"

"Yes, Master Essani," she nodded, gently brushing her hand across the tangle of deep red hair of Jay's forehead that cover fur of nearly the same shade. "Do you want me to call you when he wakes up again?"

"* _Only if I need to make him stay here,_ *" the kushiban said, shaking her head as her fur started to return to its normal white from the deep grey it had been since she'd heard Jay's mental scream and brought him back. "* _Thank you, Padawan._ *"

"I understand, Master Essani," Shivasta bowed deeply to the small Jedi. "I will see to his care."

* * *

* * *

* * *

Jay murmured, a soft, indistinct sound as he drifted awake, sharply aware of the absence of his Master.

"Feeling better now?" A vaguely familiar voice said to him.

"A hell of a lot better than I should," he answered as he struggled to piece together what had happened since the moment of stark terror when he realized he was going to hit something hard.

"You just about said that before," the blue-skinned young woman smiled. "Do you remember waking up last time?"

"Vaguely," he cracked on eye open before getting them both to focus on the blue face that had been over him before. "Mostly Master telling me to rest after she was sure I was alive."

"She wasn't the only one who wasn't sure you were going to stay that way. I'm glad I was able to help you as much as I was, though Master Essani wasn't going to let you go before your time without a fight. If I hadn't been able to heal you, she would have."

"Sounds like I'm in for a couple lectures, not just the one on doing stuff too early," he chuckled weakly, his eyes taking in her sleek, smooth skin, the eyes he definitely remembered now, the way she had her long, thick hair in several large, loose braids the color of her eyes... and the white ice-storm tattoo on the left half of her face. That marking type that was unique to the handful of races that didn't have fur. All in all, she made a striking statement in cool, calming, blue. "Thank you."

"Probably, though they're well-meaning ones," the young woman smiled. "Padawan Shivasta, in case you can't remember," she added, reaching out to take his hand in her slender one and give it a gentle, friendly squeeze that he returned reflexively. "You can call me Shi, if you'd like."

"Thank you, Shi," he smiled at her, a bit of concern in his eyes. "Was she mad, or just upset I got hurt?"

"Concerned," she answered easily. "I don't think anybody's seen her fur that deep a grey in a long time; she was worried about you, that's all."

"I never meant to worry her," he sighed softly, then cracked something of a self-effacing grin. "Never meant to hit the water like that either."

"I should _hope_ not!" Shi chuckled. "You're the same Jay who hotwired his training 'saber a few years back, aren't you?"

"Yeah, that was me," he chuckled a bit, increasingly grateful that he was only a little muscle and bone sore now. "The first of too many lectures about not trying things before it's time."

"Well this one'll earn you another," she chuckled. "Though that you managed it well enough to get into any trouble is actually kinda surprising; a lot of Masters can't really fly."

"Probably because they don't bother to," he gingerly stretched his lean body without moving much. "I've got flying in my blood. It's just too interesting a possibility not to pick up."

"Well, the lecture this time will probably include a 'have somebody watch you' attached to it," Shi smiled. "Though I'll bet it was _very_ impressive until you lost it."

"Not really," he smiled a little sheepishly. "I've barely got to the 'moving as fast as I can walk' stage. Nothing like what my goal is."

"Considering what happened as fast as you were going, that's probably a good thing," Shi pointed out. "So, what is it you're up to when you're not trying to prove that gravity isn't something to be worried about?"

"Proving physics doesn't exist and reminding people that technology works better when you're nice to it." He smirked playfully. "And watching corp. recruiters turn bright red when I tell them I'm not available at any price, because I'm a Jedi."

"Or working on it at least," she smiled. "Good to see somebody that dedicated. Though from what I've heard of the things you tinker with, I can see why they're after you."

"Well, they'll just have to coax things from the Council," Jay winked at her. "I'm spoken for."

"Not too loudly, I hope," she chuckled. "Enough room in your schedule for a friend yet?"

"Sure," he smiled and brushed her hand with a finger. "Just not an employer."

"I'm not nearly that demanding," she chuckled, smiling as she reached up to rub his shoulder lightly and felt the low vibration of a purr building up.

"Good," Jay smiled, the pleasure of such a simple touch relaxing him. "You don't seem all that shy."

"You come up with a better nickname and I'll think about it," Shi smirked. "Besides, you didn't know me when I was first starting out here."

"True, I was a few galaxies away at least at the time." Jay chuckled playfully and shifted to press against her hand. "And most of what I'd say in compliment wouldn't be taken that way my most." He admitted.

"I have a feeling I haven't heard all the interesting stories about you," she observed, raising an eyebrow as she scratched the base of his neck, then up to his head, just behind his pointed ears and smiled as the platonic, but intense, physical pleasure from him washed over her and his purr deepened as his eyes slid shut.

"No doubt," he groaned softly and pressed against her fingers.

"You like that, huh?" She asked him with a fond smile, shifting to 'chase' the point that she thought felt best for him and got both a very relaxed patient and a _very_ heavy presence of pleasure that all but saturated the room.

"Yes," he groaned, his head shifting to help her unconsciously as the pleasure worked through his body to make him tingle all over.

"Mmm ... you're just a big crevasse-cat at heart, aren't you?" She chuckled, enjoying the empathic spillover.

"Mmmm, not gonna say no if they like this," he purred throatily and arched a bit. "You're good."

"Thank you," she smiled. "And they do," she added with a chuckle, moving her hand down to scratch his jaw lightly as he shivered and rolled over. His head tilted as he propped himself up on his forearms and they both began to loose track of everything but the intense pleasure her fingers created.

"* _Healer Shivasta,_ *" a slightly hesitant young voice caught the edge of her awareness. "* _He's getting really loud._ *"

"* _I'm sorry,_ *" the young woman replied mentally, reluctantly stopping, just rubbing Jay's shoulder lightly. "I think your shields go down when you get that wound up," she murmured with a gentle smile as she tried to coax him back into the real world.

"It's not my strong suit if I'm not trying to hide." He murmured softly and relaxed down till he was resting his head on the pillow of his crossed arms.

"No need to hide," Shivasta murmured, rubbing his back until he was asleep, then returning to her studies with a fond smile for the slightly younger feline.

* * *

Tes grinned down at her bound lover. As intoxicating as he was in charge, this was just as good, and did wonders for soothing the injured Alpha pride of her status among the Jedi. It was oh so much sweeter at times like this, when she was in full on into her fertile cycle and truly insatiable. It was her first cycle since their mission had been declared successful; it passed through her mind that that also meant it was the first one when they were both officially a pair in the Order's eyes.

"It's going to be long and slow tonight, Jedi." She rumbled before kissing ever so gently, her body just close enough to his so he could feel her body heat.

"Mmm ... I don't mind long and slow," he grinned up at her. He knew he could get out easily if he wanted to, but for now he was more than content to let her be in charge. "Especially not with a beautiful woman like you in charge."

"Flattery will get you everywhere," she laughed and kissed him again. Very slowly she nibbled her way along his jaw and down to his neck, which saw liberal nips with sharp teeth, but none that drew blood.

"Mmm ... it's only flattery if it isn't true," he groaned, pressing against her as she gave him a bit of the pain that could turn him on and sucked the blood from the small punctures. A low sound came from his throat when the first drops of her juices splashed against his cock from her raised hips.

"Mmm, true," Tes grinned and gave the wound a small lick before nuzzling her way down to his nipples to suckle them to hard pebbles. It didn't take her long. As much as he was turned on by and enjoyed dominating her, he enjoyed being put on the bottom just as much.

"Ooh, damn you are good at this," he rumbled, breathing deeply.

"I _am_ an Alpha." She grinned up at him; her throat against his chest so he felt every tiny vibration and emphasized her raised hips that he couldn't sink into. "And I love driving you crazy." She added before nuzzling her way down his chest to his abs.

As potent as his scent was right next to his cock, even with the way it made her mons ache to have him deep in her body, she resisted the urge as she nuzzled and licked everything but his cock, sheath and balls while she worked the velvety soft fur of his inner thighs.

"You're evil too," he groaned, his cock rock-hard and aching for attention, from what she was giving the rest of his body and her heat-scent. "Anybody... nnngh... ever tell you that?"

"You, every time I tie you down." Tes laughed throatily, her own arousal heavy in the air around them. "Now," she rumbled and ghosted a finger along that straining flesh to lightly catch several of the slender barbs that caused him such pleasure. She grinned at the way his cock jerked and pulsed and he gasped each time. "What should I ask for in exchange for taking this beast deep into my body and ride you till your throat is raw?"

"Oh," he groaned, trying to arch up against her fingers. "What is it you want?"

"I want," she paused, her mood shifted abruptly as she leaned forward and took his mouth even as she closed her fist around his cock and stroked him until his body was quivering under hers. She let his mouth go just as she felt the roar building and squeezed a little tighter around his pulsing cock until it shot his seed between them, soaking both their fur in the pearly liquid while his voice rattled the room. "Pups." She finished with a much lighter kiss.

It took him a moment to put what she'd said together with his question. The process wasn't made any easier by his body trying to wind down from the orgasm she'd just given him, well and truly unexpected at that point.

"Wolf pups?" He asked once he started to put it together and felt his wrists being released.

"Yes," she kissed him gently again and lay against his chest to nuzzle him. "Wolf pups. Our pups ... I can't carry them anyway, so timing's not as much of an issue."

He wrapped his arms around her, nuzzling her back and kissed her lightly.

"You have a sire in mind? Or are you looking for a father for them instead?"

"I'm not looking to replace you," she nuzzled him reassuringly. "And realistically ... I'm going for a Jedi. Unless you _really_ get along with a Wolf of good breeding that might be interested, he almost has to be just a sire."

"Especially since I know you want an Alpha already," he nodded, rubbing her back tenderly. "What would you do, while you were about to have them and just after they were born? Not exactly the best time to be gallivanting across the galaxy," he chuckled slightly.

"I'd probably stay at the Temple; pick up a few more skills." She smiled softly. "I'd have plenty of unattached Wolves to play uncle and aunt. And I'm sure the Force-sensitive ones would be snapped up in short order, as long as the Order understands that any that don't make Jedi come back to _me_ , not some JediCorps job."

"You'd have an attached Panther to play father too, if you wanted it," he murmured softly. "At least as much as I could, with my duties. Be a good time to start training a Padawan too; spend the first few years at the Temple while the kits were starting to grow up."

"Any that stay with us," Tes nuzzled him. "Are you thinking of young for yourself too?" She smiled warmly and traced a finger down his chest. "You would make a fine sire."

"Not Panther kits," he rumbled, shaking his head slightly. "With you, some time, maybe. But like you said, that's not quite as time-sensitive."

"Some day you'll have to tell me what happened." She kissed him gently and nuzzled his jaw, right along the pleasure points. "But for now, thank you for giving me pups by another." She murmured and hugged him for another lingering kiss. 

"I will," he promised, "some day. And you're welcome... thank you, for being willing to let me help raise them."

"Slow and gentle?" She murmured and rubbed her body against his.

"I think I can manage that," he rumbled softly, kissing her tenderly as the two of them surrendered to their gentler passions.

* * *

"What did you mean, being a couple of galaxies away?" Shivasta asked Jay curiously, scratching between his shoulder blades idly as the two of them rested by one of his koi ponds. She was dressed in a lighter outfit than she had been in the infirmary, a light skirt and halter-top that seemed out of place given the slightly cooler weather that had most of the Temple's inhabitants tying their robes a little tighter. A datapad with some of the Jedi lore they'd been studying was on the grass nearby, discarded as they'd turned their attention to koi-watching and back-scratching.

"When I was eight, I blind-jumped myself to this galaxy from where I'm from." He explained with a low purr for her attention, the fingers of one hand dangling in the water to tease the fish. "All we're sure of about where I'm from is that it's far enough away that there is no clue as to where it might be and the transmissions from here haven't reached there yet."

"That's probably at least galaxy or two away," Shivasta agreed with a murmur. "What was your home like, if you can remember?"

"Home was an exploration colony warship," he smiled softly and let those memories drift to the surface. "We were planet bound, in a colonization cycle, three times that I remember, including the time when I sent myself here. She was new as far as the ships went, younger than me, but her computer and parts of her remembered a lot longer because they were scavenged. But mostly I remember my folks, and a big stuffed animal with white fur I always slept with."

"So _that_ explains those rumors Master Essani kept putting down," Shi smiled. "It had seemed a little odd that one of the students would always be disappearing to the room of a Councilor. Did your parents have your gifts as well?"

"Yeah, it's a lot easier to sleep when there's someone warm and snuggly there, and she enjoys it too." He smiled slightly. "And yes, my father had the Gift, as does my grandmother, great-grandfather and great-great-grandfather, and most their descendants."

"The Force is strong in your family," she said respectfully. "Was that recognized in your galaxy, or hadn't they discovered it yet?"

"It's not recognized the way you do, or as 'The Force', but it is well known that Clawsons are a gifted line and that we have our quirks for it. It's not nearly as common, or as varied in effect, as here."

"Or if it is, it's hidden by the people who can use it," she nodded. "My people were the same way until recently."

"Possible," he nodded, relaxed and feeling good. "Just about anything is possible. Did they hide because they were feared?"

"More because it was an edge we weren't expected to have," she admitted. "Warfare was common on my homeworld until the last few generations. When people believed we had allies beyond their understanding, they were less likely to try and take our hunting territory. Knowing that it was my family's sensitivity to the Force would have reduced it to a skill they could learn themselves, given the time and talent."

He nodded. "A good reason to keep it secret. A secret advantage is so much more useful than a known one. Not letting it be known as a talent of your family would keep the mate-raids from getting debilitating too."

"It's a bit more widely known now," she admitted. "Though some tribes still think we have 'storm demons' helping us. The peace has lasted about 50 years now though; I understand that they've even started training sensitives from other tribes. I'd left before that started happening though," she admitted, though she didn't sound like she regretted it very much.

"Now how we handled it, or how I would have, but maybe it'll work out or the best."

"Time will tell," she nodded, scratching his back a bit higher. "Your family just kept quiet about it?"

"Not really. We sought it out in others and brought them in as our mates. At least the ones that weren't our enemies already. It was a very different political scene from what your world sounded like. We had a largely peaceful world a century ago. No world government yet, but the wars had been over with for a couple generations. 

"Then the first Omega showed up. What you'd call a Dark sensitive. It was the first recorded appearance of anything like my Gift. In defense of his city, great-grandfather Jake, the first Clawson, used the Gift against them. We've been public knowledge since, though not many realize _what_ it is, or what we are.

"It would have been better if we could have remained secret, we're as feared as those we fight, but it is how it is."

"It's how sensitives on many worlds were treated," Shi nodded a little sadly. "Until they became organized enough to present a face to the galaxy that people could learn to trust, if not understand."

"I'm not surprised," he nodded. "I can hardly blame those that know, the leadership, for being afraid of us, for all we're their best defense. We're their worst nightmare when we turn after all."

"Now that's a universal truth, it seems," Shivasta murmured. "The heroes always make the worst villains."

"Because to be a hero, you all but have to be well beyond the norm, and nearly unstoppable." He nodded. "A favored saying of those who need us and hate it is that it takes a Clawson and their partner to stop a Clawson. It's not wrong either."

"Your family usually works in teams, don't they?" She asked, looking over at him.

"Always," he nodded. "We aren't very safe to leave alone for long. Usually a mated pair or team of four, but somebody needs to be there. The one that went bad ... he was alone. It's the price for what we can do. We're kinda dependant on another to keep us sane."

"Another of your kind, or just another who's close to you?"

"Just somebody's who close," Jay explained easily. "Someone worth dieing for. It has to be an attachment that is strong enough to keep the Darkness at bay. Which usually means someone with stronger morals than we have." He added with a soft chuckle.

"I hope you find somebody," she said softly. "Though it sounds like Master Essani is doing for now," she added with a smile.

"Yes," he smiled warmly and purred a little deeper as he thought of his Master. "I'm sure they've been assessing your suitability for a couple months, ever since our first study session." He chuckled. "Several of them are very unsettled by the idea that I might be a solo Knight for any length of time."

"I can't really blame them," she admitted, smiling softly at him. "It sounds like you'd be happier with a partner anyways... and I can't say that I'd mind that, Jay."

"Me either, and I'm not the solo kind," he murmured. "I'm going to be a scholar, not a warrior, but it doesn't make much difference. Clawsons aren't meant to be alone." He blinked, and then glanced up at her. "You have a lot going for you, that way." He smiled a bit shyly. "Healers tend to stay at the Temple too, don't they?"

"Unless we're needed to help somewhere," she nodded with a smile.

"That's good too," he said quietly as he watched the colorful fish swim. "Enough excitement would find me without a partner who wants to go hunt it down, like great-grandfather got to deal with."

"Excitement's all well and good, but it's better to find sorts that _don't_ try to kill you," she chuckled, leaning over to kiss his cheek lightly.

"That shows up often enough anyway," he grinned at her playfully and went with his urge to grab her and rolled them both into the koi pond.

"Ack!" Shivasta let out a started squawk as she was soaked, then laughed, the two of them struggling with each other for a bit before they finally came to a rest against the edge of the pond. Jay half on top of her, looking into her deep blue eyes as they both panted a bit. She hesitated for a moment, and then leaned up to brush her lips against his in a tentative, feather-light kiss.

She felt him kiss back a bit, his body's mildly aroused, but his mind wasn't clicking into what she meant. They were both still for a moment, then a flash of bright colored motion in the corner of his eye caught Jay's attention and he kicked off the side of the pond and was after it.

She took a deep breath, calming herself slightly as she climbed out of the pond and sat, watching Jay swim as she hugged her legs and curled up slightly. For once she was glad he was as easily distractible as he could be. A slight shiver ran down her spine as she thought about what had happened, though it had nothing to do with being wet, or the cool weather.

It had much more to do with how close the situation had come to getting completely out of hand. It was lucky that Jay hadn't seemed to put everything together quite yet, the reputation his comments had given him aside.

So while Jay chased after fish, she thought long and hard about what had almost happened.

* * *

* * *

* * *

"* _Jay?_ *" Essani walked into her Padawan's room after several hours of hearing the confusion and mixed feelings that were troubling him. She'd meant to let him sort it out himself ... but by this point, it didn't look like he was going to manage that. "* _Did something happen with Shivasta today?_ *"

"She kissed me," he responded, answering her even before he'd completely processed the question consciously. That came a moment later with a deep blush.

"* _I see,_ *" the kushiban said, hopping up onto the bed next to him. "* _Is that all that happened?_ She asked, hoping to get a feel for how far it had gone.

"Uh-huh," he nodded, flushing a bit more. "I kinda kissed her back, then bolted. Haven't been that freaked out in a long time."

"* _You're not the only one,_ *" Essani murmured after a quick check with Shivasta's Master. "* _What about it upset you?_ *"

That question forced Jay to really settle down more than he'd managed on his own. He took a deep breath and tried to make sense of the chaotic jumble of reactions in his mind and body that masked the core fear that they swirled around.

He glanced sideways at his Master uncertainly before he finally answered her.

"It's a huge step towards growing up," Jay said quietly, the quiver that his voice didn't convey was clear to her in his mind. "Towards having to face the Demon and trusting someone that much. I wasn't expecting it. I hadn't even thought about it. I was just abruptly there and I wasn't ready for it and I panicked."

"* _I think you're right, and that she feels the same way." She told him and felt the kit relax significantly. "Jay... do you think you want to be more than friends with her eventually?_ *"

He reached out to gently stroke Essani's soft ears as he tried to follow that idea to somewhere that made sense.

"I like her. She's nice, and she has a presence I like being around. Her touch feels good. She's the kind of person that would be a good mate." Jay sighed softly and let his eyes close.

"I'm also very lonely." He admitted quietly. "I don't want to make a poor choice because it's the only obvious one. I think part of me was still kind of expecting to be back with my family for this; to learn how to handle sex and playmates and mates and partners and how not to get messed up by it."

"* _All important points,_ *" Essani agreed, snuggling close to him. "* _Especially that last one... love evokes very powerful emotions, and I'm sorry to say you're only feeling the start of them._ *"

"They'll make or break my fight with the Demon," he shivered, though he accepted its reality. "Who I choose for a mate and partner will make more of a difference in resisting the Dark than anything I learn here, more than anyone else can do. It's usually something everybody gets involved in. Not just making sure a prospective mate is a good match for us, but making sure they understand what they're getting into and helping with the rough parts."

"* _For what it's worth, Jay, we _will_ help you as well as we can. Including helping to find you a mate who can cope with what's involved._ *"

"I know," he shifted to nuzzle her in appreciation that came without reservation or doubt. "It's just not quite as comforting as having family that not only knows personally what you're going through, but have generations of experience in making it work. I'm starting to have an idea what great-grandpa Jake went through. No one knew about the Gift or the Demon or any of it to help him. I'm grateful I'm not that alone."

"* _And we won't let you be,_ *" Essani promised. "* _Though you have to keep something in mind, Jay. Whoever your mate is, if they are Jedi, there are other issues to be considered. Especially the type of love it sounds like your family needs to stay strong. It's not something that tends to come easily._ *"

"It's why we tend to have lovers and mates from among our own, those families that formed SWAT back in great-grandfather's time. We share a culture, an understanding." He nuzzled her between gentle scritches. "What added issues do Jedi bring to the field?"

"What you've already heard about trying to control your emotions," Essani explained gently. "You know how difficult it can be to remain calm and in control as it is normally; love brings a whole new set of feelings into the field. Jealousy, new types of fear, passions that can take control of you in a heartbeat.

"The Code doesn't say that love is to be avoided, but several Masters feel that it's a great risk for a Jedi to give in to. Master Noloth being one of the more vocal ones," she admitted, "though Masters Shan and Surool do an excellent job of keeping him from being _too_ vocal about it. It's very much a personal issue, but it's something that might add complications to getting involved with a Jedi."

"It sounds like it's something that will just weed many potential mates out," he considered it, and mostly just felt pity for those who avoided love for the hurt it could bring. "There are always a lot of people who don't want to get that involved. Here they just have an excuse other than 'I don't do that' or 'I've been hurt before' for it."

"* _Just don't want you getting too frustrated if you end up looking around and having a relatively difficult time of it,_ *" she explained. "* _Is there anything else you want to talk through?_ *"

"I understand, Master." He managed a smile and scritched between her ears. "Is Shi okay?"

"* _She will be, with time,_ *" Essani nodded, enjoying the attention. "* _She's more disturbed by letting things get out of control, though Master Temrin says she's very glad that fish distracted you._ *"

"It didn't," he murmured. "I kinda figured it'd be less insulting to be distracted by a moving target than to freak out in front of her about something she did."

"* _I doubt she'd have been insulted Jay, but that was a good choice,_ *" she nodded.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Jay smiled with a bit of relief when he spotted Shi in one of the smaller libraries for their usual study season. Master Essani's words had done remarkably little to reassure him she wasn't going to disappear on him.

"Hi, Shi." He said softly in greeting as he sat in the chair across from her, giving her a little extra space.

"Hi," she said, smiling at him softly, her blue-skinned cheeks flushing a light purple. "Jay... about what happened...."

"Forget it happened?" He offered hopefully.

"That'd probably be best," she nodded, sounding slightly relieved. "I'm sorry though, for upsetting you."

"It's okay," he reached across the table to squeeze her hand gently. "I think I was more startled than anything. It comes with some serious emotional baggage for me. You didn't have any way to know."

"Still should've watched myself better," she smiled, returning the squeeze gently. "So... still friends?"

"Definitely," he smiled in honest relief. "If we can't forgive little things, we're in a world of trouble." He added with a half-grin.

"Very true," she smiled back, rubbing the back of his hand with her thumb. "Though we might want to cut down on the scratching sessions a little," she giggled.

"If you want an incentive to get me to bed, you found it," he snickered, though he was serious as well. "It feels good."

"I know it does," she chuckled. "Believe me, I can feel it too. That's just the reason really," she admitted. "It's a little too easy to lose track of a few things when you're feeling that good."

Jay cocked his head a bit and considered her before he nodded in acceptance, if not comprehension. "Not stop it completely, I hope."

"Hardly," she smiled. "I'm just trying to keep from screwing up again, not punish us."

"Shi, you didn't screw up." He told her remarkably firmly and squeezed her hand. "You just startled the hell out of me. I don't think I'd mind if it went a little slower," he lowered his voice and blushed a bit. "You do feel good. I'm just not quite there yet."

"I'm not honestly sure I am either," she admitted. "So how 'bout we just agree to take it a little slower... see if it happens again some time when we're ready for it."

"Sounds good to me," he smiled shyly. "I do like you."

"It's mutual," she smiled fondly, blushing a light violet. Her blush became much deeper as they both heard a deep voice from the stacks of books nearby.

"Am I interrupting anything?" Doruth asked with a chuckle as he walked up to the table.

"No," Jay managed, his voice nearly a squeak and his cheeks burning, though he grinned too when he recognized the big Panther and Doruth quickly had an armful of Kat hugging him tightly.

"You've been gone _forever_." Jay grinned with the complaint.

"I've been a little busy," Doruth chuckled, hugging Jay back. "After I was done on Ambria the Council decided to make up for five years of not being able to send me every which way in the galaxy. And you've grown up some in the past few years," he added, stepping back a bit and looking the lanky adolescent over approvingly. "So, who's your friend?"

"Shivasta," he shifted to face her with a smile. "Doruth Parn, who got me out of two years in hell and to here."

"A pleasure to meet you, Jedi Parn," Shivasta bowed respectfully as she stood.

"The pleasure's mine, Padawan Shivasta," Doruth answered easily, returning the bow. "And Doruth, please. I might be a Knight again, but I'm still not too worried about formalities."

"Very well, Doruth," she nodded. "Should I go let you two catch up?" She asked Jay.

"Catch you at dinner?" He nodded a touch reluctantly.

"Yeah," she nodded with a warm smile, picking up her datapad and heading out after giving him a quick squeeze on the shoulder.

"So, is she just a friend, or are you as far ahead of the curve as you were the last time I saw you?" Doruth asked Jay with a half-smirk.

"Just a friend," he rolled his eyes, though it did nothing to hide the bright red under his fur. "Maybe more later."

"Good," Doruth chuckled, "on both counts. So, how's it going? Heard that Master Essani decided to take you on as her Padawan last year."

"Yes," he smiled, the warm affection he held for the kushiban unmistakable. "Though apparently I have a talent for turning her fur grey." He admitted with a bit of embarrassment. "Something about trying things before anyone expects me to."

"There are very few languages with words for how little that surprises me," Doruth smiled. "Go ahead and sit down, by the way, we'll probably be talking for a while. Just don't go too far with pushing the envelope, okay? I heard about that little flying mishap; you've only got so many lives, kit."

"And I've already used a few of them," Jay nodded and settled easily in a chair. "I think that one's going into the books for future generations for 'what can happen when you don't use common sense.'" He chuckled weakly and shook his head. "I did manage to scare the hell out of myself with that landing. Though it is how I met Shi too."

"You manage to make everything work out for you one way or another, don't you?" Doruth smirked, sitting down across from Jay. "So, what have you been up to, besides turning Master Essani's fur grey and meeting new friends?"

"And basic training that I can probably teach in my sleep now?" Jay snickered. "Mostly making corp recruiters turn red in frustration. Drives them nuts that I'm not interested in money much."

"It's good that you're not," the Panther chuckled. "Would've thought they knew enough to try not hiring a Jedi away, but maybe they figure you're new enough you might not be too attached to it yet."

"Or they don't realize I am one till I point it out," he shrugged with a bit of a chuckle. "It's unusually at a tech convention, and I tend to go in civvies."

"And, of course, you take your designs with you to show off," Doruth guessed, shaking his head. "Should've known you'd find some way to keep tech at the heart of your life."

"Sometimes," he chuckled. "Sometimes they just gather when an engineer gets that glazed over look when I start talking over his head by mistake. Or when I casually mention how to make something work better. But how long are you going to be here? I can get some upgrades done on the Gurath. I'm sure he needs some TLC by now after three years of your maintenance efforts." He teased lightly.

"If I didn't know any better I'd say you were happier about the ship being back than Tes and I," Doruth smirked. 

"Ah, you know I like you." Jay pouted, though there was a grin just under it.

"Depends on if we get sent off on a mission." He chuckled. "Barring that, we might be doing a bit more wandering over the next few months, but we'll be back for a couple years after that while I start training a Padawan and we _both_ get used to having pups around."

"Pups?" Jay blinked. "Did I miss something in reproductive biology? She's still a Wolf, right?"

"Yes, she's still a Wolf," Doruth chuckled. "And so was the sire, one of the Knights on Ambria. She was getting to the point where she wanted to be sure she had pups while it was still safe and she had somewhere to raise them that wasn't as dangerous as wandering through the galaxy."

Jay chuckled at his own mistaken ideas and shook his head. "Sometimes I forget that that's even an option. Couples seem to be just about all there are here, except for courtesans."

"You're also spending most of your life around the Jedi Temple," Doruth pointed out. "Around here it's unusual enough to be a couple for most races. When you start traveling more you'll find differences. Cereans, for example."

Jay paused a moment as he retrieved the information on them from the Temple computer and nodded. "I'd prefer a male and female over two fems," he chuckled at the unusual monarchy where it was the males that had more than one female and not the other way around.

"Just pointing out that you weren't stuck in a completely monogamous galaxy," Doruth chuckled. "For now you probably want to stick to getting around to one though."

"Yes, but which side?" He snickered with a wink. "There are a lot of attractive guys here too, you know."

"Very true," the Panther smirked. "Though it looked to me like you were leaning more towards fems a few minutes ago."

"Well, there was an attractive fem here a few minutes ago," he pointed out easily. "Now there's a handsome tom. Both work nicely."

Doruth paused and regarded him seriously. "Are you hitting on me?" He raised an eyebrow slightly as he thought about how best to handle this.

It got Jay to pause, not having expected to get that far, or at least not expecting quite that response.

The color rose under rusty fur before he nodded, much more subdued and nervous. "Yes." He said softly.

"Jay...." Doruth thought it over, trying to figure out what to say. "You're a good kit, Jay. But I'm not really the sort of guy who's the best choice for a first partner."

He could all but read what was going through Jay's mind just from his expressions. The surprise he'd expected, that it didn't lead to disappointment or anything else negative, was a bit of one. He nearly groaned internally when he caught a flash of that analytical, plotting look cross Jay's eyes that he knew too well.

"I understand," Jay inclined his head in acceptance of Doruth's reasons. "So how is Tes doing?"

"Well, though she's still getting used to being pregnant," the Panther chuckled; hiding his uneasiness about what Jay might be planning behind his training. "You'll find somebody, Jay," he added. "I'm sure of that much."

"I know," he nodded much more easily, though he was still a bit flushed. "You're just as close to family that I have here. Master Essani ... it just doesn't work."

"Uhm, no," Doruth said, making a bit of a face. "She's cute, but _not_ in that way...."

"And soft, and fluffy, and really nice, and important to me ... but ...." Jay let the sentence trail off into what they both understood. "So did the sire join Tes' pack?"

"No," Doruth answered easily. "We figured that three Alpha personalities on the ship, even if only two were Wolves, was a good way to have one of us kicked off of it."

"Probably," Jay snickered. "Or some _seriously_ wild parties."

"Followed by one of us getting kicked off the ship," Doruth smirked. "So we passed up on that. Besides, he's kinda married to his work on Ambria already."

"And you two are hooked to the Wandering Jedi life." He grinned. "You really think you can handle two whole years sticking in one place?"

"I'll probably be finding a Padawan to start training, so we're kind of forcing the issue," Doruth chuckled. "First year or so is usually spent around the Temple except for emergencies anyways, so it works to put the two together."

"Hopefully you manage to pick another wonderer. Or you'll have one miserable Padawan."

"It's something I'm looking for," Doruth nodded. "And why I wasn't too worried when I heard Essani had chosen you," he smiled. "It would've been nice, but now... I think you'd be happier here."

"Thanks," Jay smiled a bit shyly at him, more relieved than he'd ever admit that Doruth was okay with his choice. "She is very good to me."

"I'm sure she is," Doruth smiled. "Think you'll be able to make time to see Tes, the ship and I some time in the next few days? I'd ask about now, but we have an appointment with the Council that I have to get to fairly soon."

"Sure," he grinned eagerly. "As long as I get my studies done, Master Essani's not very strict about when in the day."

"We'll sort something out," Doruth smiled, standing up. "Have a good night, okay Jay? And enjoy your dinner date," he winked.

"I plan to," he grinned back with an utterly devilish look.

* * *

* * *

* * *

"* _Welcome home, Jedi Parn, Custos Ramaris._ *" Master Essani greeted the Panther/Wolf pair warmly when they entered the Council chambers to about half the full assembly. "* _What request do you have for this Council?_ *" She asked a little more formally, though the golden tones of her fur left little doubt she both knew and approved of it.

Doruth wondered idly if Jay might have something to do with that. Not that he was particularly worried one way or the other; more likely just a coincidence.

"We request permission to marry from the Council, Master Essani," he said, inclining his head respectfully. Master Shan wasn't present at the moment, leaving the kushiban as the senior Councilor. Not that he was too worried that they'd refuse permission, but having somebody who clearly approved in charge did help to soothe his nerves a little.

"Because your bitch is carrying?" Master Ryul's words sounded like an insult, but Tes' reaction have Doruth the heads up he needed to realize that they weren't, or at least not enough to call him on. His tone was decided disapproving though; there was no mistaking that.

"No, Master Ryul," Doruth said firmly. "Because my Custos and pack-mate deserves recognition as my mate after being such in all but name. The decision to approach the Council with this request was made before Tes was carrying. It simply takes time to arrange such a meeting, and biology doesn't yield to bureaucracy."

"Who is the sire?" The grizzled black Wolf asked in a slightly more civil tone.

"Knight Tallerin Ryzish," Tes spoke up with some pride and received a fractional nod of approval from the older Wolf.

"Do you intend to continue at Knight Parn's side while they suckle?" He asked rather pointedly, though his manner held more concern than disapproval.

"No, Master Ryul." She inclined her head slightly. "I plan to stay at the Temple until they are weaned."

He nodded with slightly more approval for her choice.

"We both realize that pups that age have no business being anywhere near field duty, Master Ryul," Doruth said respectfully. "If necessary, I can take on missions for the Council alone, though I had been planning to take on a Padawan during at least part of that time, begin the training that would be best conducted here."

"Rather early to take on a Padawan," Master Noloth pointed out from his seat near the edge of the room. "Particularly given your history, and your current request. Many Masters have difficulty splitting their time between family, their duties, and training a student."

"I am aware of this, Master Noloth," Doruth admitted, inclining his head towards the Frilled Lizard. "However, given that the Council recognizes my talents for missions conducted far from the core worlds, it seems more sensible to take on a student during a period when I would already likely be spending more time at the Temple than normal.

"It is a logical plan," Master Kareth admitted from her own seat. "Particularly given that your duties, after taking on a Padawan, would likely be less far-flung for a time." The rust and grey-furred Vixen seemed to look through him, almost as though she was gauging Doruth's responses. And, in all likelihood, she was.

"* _Are there any further questions?_ *" Master Essani asked the rest of the Council mentally. Each of them gave a small signal in return that said there were none. "* _Does anyone here object to granting their request?_ *" With only half the Council present, any objection would need to be addressed before they came to a decision either way, but again the replies came back that there were none.

"* _Jedi Knight Doruth Parn, Custos Tes Ramiris, the decision of the Council is to honor your request for permission to marry. You may make the arrangements as per your customs. And congratulations,_ *" the kushiban added, the golden tint of her fur deepening as she inclined her head towards them respectfully.

"Thank you Master Essani, Councilors," Doruth smiled, bowing his own head.

"Yes, thank you." Tes bowed more to Master Ryul, her head tilted slightly to show her throat in acknowledgement of his rank over hers before they were dismissed to make way for the next petitioners.

* * *

* * *

* * *

"So, how did things go with Doruth?" Shivasta asked as she sat down at Jay's table in the cafeteria that evening.

"Pretty good," he grinned. "He's still with Tes, though she's gone all maternal on him and is going to have pups in a few months. I think he's pretty happy about it, even with the crimp it'll put in his travel. He's looking for a Padawan too."

"That's good," she smiled. "Though wouldn't it be kits?"

"Nah, they're all Wolf. One of the Knights on Ambria sired them. Doruth's just their father."

"Ah," she nodded. "Didn't know he was mated to a shewolf. Do you know if they'll be staying around the Temple more once they're born?"

"That's the idea," he nodded. "At least she will be. He'll be around a lot more for a while once he chooses a Padawan."

"That will probably keep him around," she agreed. "At least with that ship you told me about they'll have plenty of space for everybody once they start traveling again," she smiled. "You like him, don't you?"

"Yeah," he nodded, his voice a lot more subdued between bites. "He's a good kat, and he got me out of hell. Nar Shaddaa's not a fun place to spend a couple years."

"Not from what I've heard," she agreed, working on her own dinner. "Did something happen?" She asked, looking at the younger kat's eyes before he dropped them to pay attention to his meal.

"No," he sighed and shook his head. "Nothing's likely to either."

"That's the problem, hmm?" She shifted to sit next to him, squeezing his shoulder lightly as she guessed what had caused the sudden shift in her friend's attitude.

"I was kinda hoping," he leaned into the contact even as he shuffled the reaction behind stronger shields to keep those noticing it to a minimum.

"I'm sorry," she said softly. "Might have something to do with being mated," she pointed out. It also occurred to her that Jay's age might have something to do with it, but she wasn't sure if that was a good thing to bring up.

"And he's got issues with being first," Jay managed a shrug. "I was pretty much expecting his reaction, I just wanted to be wrong."

"It's all right," Shivasta smiled slightly. "Besides, between his family that's on the way and training a Padawan, it'll probably be easier to try again later on."

"I know," he smiled at her and buried the way his brain was screaming that the whole point was to have Doruth be first with a desire not to have to explain why again. That practical part of him that had known since he was eight that he wouldn't have the luxury of having older kin show him how things worked and how not to get hurt shunted that much more of his heritage away to where it wouldn't get involved. "I've got plenty of time."

"Right," she nodded. "He might even change his mind eventually. Other things you can do until then," she smiled softly, leaning over to nuzzle him lightly and felt as much as heard his breath catch at the surprisingly intimate touch.

"Thought we were going slow?" He murmured with stern control of his heart to keep it out of his throat and not even sure how to control what was happening lower down.

"Sorry," she blushed, pulling back as her cheeks turned to a light violet. "I didn't mean it like that...."

"It's okay," he managed a shaky smile. "It's a kat thing."

"Probably closer to a 'Walker thing," she admitted. "It's not quite that intimate a gesture with my people, I forget that sometimes."

"Walker?" He glanced at her, grateful for the distraction and change of subject before he did something truly stupid.

"Ice Walker," she explained. "It's what my people's name translates to, roughly."

Jay nodded and reached over to squeeze her hand gently with a half grin of both amusement and concern. "At this rate, 'going slow' isn't going to be a week."

"Well, my Master wants us to take as much of that week as possible, after last night," she chuckled slightly. "I think she was as surprised as either of us were."

"I don't think Master Essani was, but I'm beginning to doubt there is anything that can surprise her." Jay chuckled with a shake of his head. "She was pretty worried though. I don't think this was high on the list of things she was looking forward to."

"Surprise, no, though you manage to give her grey fur often enough to count," Shi teased.

"This time wasn't one," he chuckled. "Except maybe a little surprised about the extent of what happened, given how we both reacted."

"Honestly, I'm glad nothing more did," she smiled. "As much as taking it slow might not be that slow, I think it'd be better if we didn't do that quite yet."

"Me too," he smiled shyly at her. "You might want to finish eating before we draw any more attention."

"Yeah, they're probably wondering why you're so quiet," she teased, moving over to work on her meal again.

"And why you keep turning purple," he grinned teasingly.

"That most of them have figured out by now," she giggled, wondering what they might be doing afterwards ... and how they'd keep it from going farther than they wanted.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Later that evening, dinner done, the sun setting over Coruscant, Shi and Jay were studying on one of the many balconies along the Temple Spire, somewhat secluded and offering privacy for meditation or reading.

Among other things, Shivasta was thinking. She put her datapad off to the side, stretching out after an hour of reading over thousands of years of theory and interpretations of the Jedi Code. She moved a bit closer to Jay, looking out at the sunset.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" She asked him softly.

"Yes," he smiled, first at her, then at the uniqueness that was Coruscant's sunset and shifted a little closer to her. As much as he wanted the contact, the touching they had had before, he was nervous about it now too.

"I don't think I'll ever get tired of this view," she murmured, reaching up to rub his shoulders lightly with one hand, slowly starting to scratch the back of his neck again and felt as he nearly moaned as all kinds of tensions fled his mind and body.

"No, or any nice view really," he began to purr and happily submitted to whatever she had in mind. It just felt too good to be touched to care right now.

"Mmm... Jay?" She moved to face him slightly; hesitation and uncertainty clear in her dark blue eyes that caught his attention more than her words.

"Yeah?" He searched her face for a clue where this was going.

"How slow?" She asked, not quite sure how else to word the questions in the back of her mind.

He stared at her, taking a significant moment to figure out what she was saying.

"How slow..." he repeated, trying to find an answer in himself and not having much luck.

"Stay dressed?" He suggested hesitantly, not sure how else to put limits as it started to really sink in how little he knew about even the physical end of things that happened before actual sex was happening and it was all instincts.

"Works for me. Don't be afraid to let me know if it's too much," she murmured, leaning close and kissing him softly, her hands around the back of his neck, rubbing and scratching lightly, but loose enough that he could pull back if it was too much. As much uncertainty as she could feel, backing away wasn't on his agenda.

"Mmmm," he murmured and shifted closer to run his hand along her sides, giving into the desire to feel her body with his hands and against his chest.

She murmured something; she wasn't entirely sure what, as shivers passed through her skin. She kissed him again, her cool lips pressed against his warm fur as one of her hands shifted to explore his back and sides, rather than simply scratch them. She felt him arch against her and groan softly in pleasure and kiss back harder, not knowing what else to do but try to get closer to her.

His groan was matched by one of her own, her tongue slipping out to caress his lips lightly as she closed her eyes and started to let instinct take over, tempering it with the mental reminder that it couldn't be followed _all_ the way. Then an even stronger one as she felt Jay start to let go and truly feel the arousal of the situation and her presence.

Jay shuddered and opened his mouth; his rough tongue ghosting over her cool lips in an invitation he didn't completely understand was wasn't fighting.

She gasped slightly as their tongues touched; she'd known his body was warmer than hers, but not quite how _much_ warmer until just now. Or how rough it was. The descriptions did nothing to prepare one for actually feeling a tool meant to remove flesh from bone against the sensitive flesh of her mouth.

Still, she didn't let it stop them as she deepened their kiss experimentally, her hands stilling as they just focused on holding him close and trying to keep the moment without feeding the fire she could feel inside her any more than necessary. The fire rising more slowly in his body did nothing to help her. Neither did the feel of her breasts rubbing against his tightly muscled chest through both their robes.

She was glad she'd chosen to wear robes today, instead of her usual outfit. It probably would have been half-off by now.

"Gods," she moaned softly between kisses, making up in enthusiasm what they lacked in skill. "Mmm ... Jay...."

"Yeah?" He rumbled as his mouth found its way down her jaw to her neck where his teeth and rough tongue made even more of an impression. "You taste good."

Her breath caught, the intimate touch stealing any thoughts she'd had as a soft, pleasant groan escaped from her throat.

"You like?" He breathed hotly against her soft blue skin, wondering if he'd found a hot spot for her.

"I like," she agreed, nodding slightly, his breath at that point between unusual and uncomfortable that was almost impossible to describe. Her hand roamed his back, trying to return some of the pleasure he was giving her with touches to the points along his body she knew he particularly liked.

"Good," he murmured and went back to exploring every inch of exposed skin with his lips and tongue. His hands got a little bolder too as one slid between them to caress her breasts, his body heat easily felt through the creamy cloth covering them.

"Oh Jay," she moaned softly, her breath quickening between the moments when it caught in her throat. She hadn't meant for things to go this far honestly, but she had no real clue how to stop it just yet, even if she wanted to.

Which she wasn't entirely sure if she did.

She couldn't stop the whimpering cry that escaped as his head moved down to nuzzle her breasts, almost mouthing them. She pulled back slightly, trying desperately to catch herself while she still could.

"Jay," she gasped, "s-stop!"

Even before her next breath his hands were gone and there was a good half arms length between them as he tried to settle his breathing and ignore the tingling tightness in his sheath that was demanding his attention like never before. "Sorry."

"Don't be," she murmured, putting a hand to her chest, still able to feel his body against hers, though the sensation was fading.

Even if the memory was doing anything but that.

"You did stop when I asked," she pointed out, smiling at him slightly.

"Yes," he acknowledged, still a bit reluctant. "I wonder if it's always like this." He murmured as adult behavior started to make a lot more sense.

"What parts of it?" She asked, chuckling weakly as she started to calm herself down.

"The intensity, how it feels to touch, be touched." He swallowed and regarded her softly. "You do know about felines, right?"

"What about them?" She asked, reaching out to stroke his cheek gently. "I know about the roughness, with your tongue and ... other things," she admitted. "I'm not worried about that right now... once you get used to it, it's kinda nice," she blushed.

"Good," he breathed a small sound of relief and leaned forward to kiss her lightly. "Tes usually ended up pretty bloody."

"I trust you to keep that from happening as much as you can," she said softly, returning the kiss and running her hand down his chest. "And I _am_ a healer in training," she pointed out with a soft smile, "for what you can't." She pressed back slightly, her hand lingering on his arm. "We should probably be getting back soon," she said, just a little reluctantly.

"Yeah," he murmured, at least as reluctantly. "Before one of them comes looking."

"See you tomorrow, same time as usual, right?" She asked, looking up into his eyes hopefully.

"I'm looking forward too it," he smiled and leaned forward to kiss her lightly before he stood, a little too aware that he was close to not letting it stop there.

Shi stood up as well, lowering her eyes slightly as she blushed.

"Jay? Thanks... that was good," she smiled, hugging him briefly before walking out and back to her quarters.

"Yes, it was." He murmured before following her and doing his best to get his body under control before he got back to his quarters.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Master Essani hopped down the halls to Master Jienhui Ursal's quarters, running over in her mind what they needed to work out before their Padawans decided to work it out for them. There was little doubt in her mind that Shivasta was good for Jay, the kit had truly blossomed in the last few months now that he had a companion near his own age. It was not without risks, however, particularly when Jay was a bit older and starting to face his inner demons.

That would prove risky for both of them... though, at the same time, it was hard to deny that Shivasta could prove the difference between Jay being able to face it or not.

"Greetings, Master Essani," the massive, black-furred Bear said softly as she opened the door to her quarters to let the kushiban in, the fur of her ears tinged silver with age.

"Greetings Master Ursal," she chirped in her spoken language that so few here understood. It was usually a pleasant distraction to come talk with the healer; today, it was a little more serious.

"Come in," Master Ursal said easily, turning out of the way. "Thank you for making time to speak with me," she added, honestly grateful.

"It is always good to talk to you," her fur rippled a light silver-gold in many remembered evenings of entertaining discussions. "But when it involves a Padawan, I would never turn you away."

"Especially not when it involves both of ours," Ursal nodded, moving to take a seat on a large couch built to handle her large, muscular frame. She gave a welcoming gesture towards a smaller set of cushions laid out for Essani, mulling over where to start.

"How is Jay coping with this?" She decided to start.

"With much more forward thought than one his age should even begin to have." Essani sighed with a click of her long front teeth. "Which considering he's having difficulty separating adolescent exploration from pre-mate behavior, it is a good thing."

"It's good that one of them is," the Black Bear chuckled slightly. "Shivasta does care for him, but she's not really prone to thinking very far ahead, more so than most young adults. Do you think it's healthy to let them keep exploring like this?"

"She is very much the kind of personality that would be of great help as he grows up," she nodded slightly. "But it is a dangerous path for her as well. How much have you heard about Jay's particular issues?"

"Enough to know that he will have to grapple with the Dark Side more than most will," Ursal said. "I'm afraid that I don't know too much more than Shivasta does on that count, and he hasn't explained all the issues to her yet."

"From his descriptions, his family has a Dark Side creature of significant power attached to it. Something that takes a very personal interest in corrupting them throughout their lives. An influence that he believes cannot be defeated alone. She will not face it directly, at least she is not likely to, but his emotional bonds to those close to him are what will allow him to remain Light. The one of his family that turned Dark was notable only in that he was alone with only the Demon, as they call it, for company."

"That is an issue," she nodded grimly. "Though one she will be well-prepared to cope with by the time I'm done with her. You believe that Jay is willing to consider her as such a mate then, once they are older?"

"Yes," she nodded thoughtfully. "He is concerned that he is responding primarily from adolescent hormones and being the only one of his kind here, but he also describes her quite accurately as having all the qualities that will make a good mate for him. He hasn't mentioned the difficulties having young will be for them, but he is also from a strongly polygamistic society for both genders so it may not be something he thinks about as a real issue.

"She is from a similar society," Ursal nodded. "She will also want children by him eventually, if they continue as I believe they will. Her people tend to take their first mates relatively young. The age has been increasing lately, but it's very possible that by the time she is a Knight she would be married and ready have children on her homeworld."

"Jay's family seems to have less structure in that, but then the first four generations happened ... less than willingly." Essani clicked her teeth in displeasure. "His father's generation was the first to actually choose to have children, and those came much later in life. It has left its mark on him. I really do not know if he would welcome, accept or reject the idea of children. He doesn't know yet."

"I _certainly_ hope that wasn't the norm on his homeworld," Ursal frowned. "I can see why that would be an issue, especially as proud of his heritage as he's known to be ... there's no sign that he thinks that's normal, is there?"

"Thankfully it is not." She shook her head a bit. "It is something he is proud of them for having survived, but there are no indications that it was even acceptable for his kind, much less normal."

"Good," the Bear nodded with a deep rumble. "It's bad enough on worlds where it's acceptable when they keep it to themselves. I suppose we have to decide if there's anything that should be done about their relationship."

"I am concerned that Shivasta may not want the deep emotional bond he will need with her. It is not a common way for us."

"Nor for her people," Ursal agreed. "But I believe she is capable of it, given time. If he wants one soon, there may be difficulty. But if he is willing to wait, to build the bond... I'll talk with her; see if they're already heading towards trouble in the future."

"He will need it before he faces his Demon, which will not be for a decade if things go as planned. Not until he is ready for his Trials."

"I understand, and I'll make sure she understands this. She does care for him Essani, that much is clear. I'd been worried about that, honestly, though it sounds like it's a good sign."

"It is for him, yes." She nodded. "It is possible he will find another before then as well, but it would be good if it is not necessary. Matchmaking is not my strongest skill."

"Which only proves you're Jedi, not perfect," Ursal chuckled. "If you would like, if it doesn't work out with Shivasta, I'm sure we'll be able to help try finding somebody for him."

"It would be good to have help before it has to go any further than us," she nodded. "He _does_ need a mate, and I would prefer one that will stay close to the Temple overall. He doesn't need another warrior in his life."

"He plans to take a more peaceful path himself then?" Ursal asked approvingly.

"A scholar and designer," she chirped happily. "Though he is under no illusions that it may not be the path that chooses him."

"Fitting paths for him," Ursal smiled. "Though it does raise one concern... he isn't opposed to the idea of leaving the Temple for field work, is he?"

"No," Essani chuckled. "He just does not wish to go hunting for trouble when it will happily come find him, to use his words. It can not be easily denied he will do well at anything he sets his mind to."

"I don't doubt it," Ursal nodded. "Something that can be said of most promising young Jedi. I simply wanted to make sure there wouldn't be problems between he and Shivasta on that count. Healers may be able to stay at the Temple much of the time, but we _do_ have to go into the field sometimes yet."

"As will he, from time to time. His Gift, even at this level, is far too valuable to some field missions to avoid them even now. That will only increase when he is a Knight and in full possession of his Gift's abilities."

"Very true. That may prove a curse, eventually," Ursal cautioned. "I'm sure you recognize it already, but he could easily find himself spread far too thin, given that most Jedi can't communicate with machines the way he can."

"We know. Fortunately my position on the Council will allow me to keep an eye on his mission load even after he is a Knight. I am quite sure he will not do it on his own. That is also something that that he has a long heritage of if his stories are even partially accurate. They are quite dedicated to helping, even when it is not in their best interest. Something _far_ too many Jedi are like."

"And that healers are especially prone to," Ursal chuckled a little ruefully. "Something very difficult to train somebody with the ability and desire to do good not to do."

"Something I know _you_ are still guilty of." Essani snickered. "Not that anyone here is likely to complain about, but I remember what you look like after a mission."

"The worst lesson to have to teach any student is the one the Master hasn't yet learned," she smiled slightly. "And I am going to have to teach Shivasta one of these days. I just hope it's not for some time... not before she has to learn the real meaning of it, at least."

"Yes," she agreed. "Some lessons can only be learned the hard way. Some of us never learn them."

"Let's just hope that learning them doesn't break the learner, especially in Shivasta's case," Ursal nodded softly. "More healers are lost that way. A more pleasant subject, perhaps?" She suggested.

"Well, I believe our Padawans are on their way home, and will probably appreciate some privacy for a while." Essani clicked her teeth in amusement and flushed reddish-pink. "Perhaps take this to one of the gardens?"

"Am I going to have to have another talk with Shivasta about not going too fast?" Ursal asked, rising from her seat.

"Not if Jay's state is any indication." She chuckled. "I doubt they did more than kiss."

"Which, for a teenager, can be more than enough to make things awkward," Ursal chuckled slightly. "Let's move to the gardens before she comes back. Last time something like this happened, I swear she looked more like a twi'lek when she saw me."

"I have no doubt," Essani giggled and flashed a deep pink of amusement. "Jay has fur to cover his reaction. It's not even always enough."

"No, it's not," Ursal agreed, moving to lead the way out of her room, holding the door open for Essani. "Shivasta, on the other hand, turns this lovely shade of purple."

* * *

* * *

* * *

Fenrik rumbled softly at the scent of a heavily aroused and frustrated male feline. This was exactly what he needed, and no doubt exactly what the other tom needed too. He licked his whiskers back and sniffed the air, following the pheromone trail as much as the Force ripple his target's potent physical state were creating.

He rumbled deep in his chest when he caught sight of his target. The Force was being kind to him tonight. It had handed him the very tom he'd been watching for three weeks in a state he wasn't likely to refuse a quickie, and quiet possibly could be convinced to stay for more.

There were times he truly loved having his Master's quarters all to himself while he was on a mission without him.

He'd just have to figure out how to approach this properly. Rumor mill had it that Jay was probably seeing Shivasta seriously after all.

"Hey," he said, his voice friendly as he walked up behind Jay and saw the younger tom wince fractionally at being caught. "What's up?"

"Hi," Jay managed a smile for him at he glanced back and felt his breath catch at what could easily be a fifteen year old Doruth. "I think I've seen you around."

"Probably have," Fenrik admitted. "I know I've seen you around. Master Essani's Padawan? Jay Clawson, isn't it?"

"Yeah," he nodded, shifting uncomfortably to make his arousal a little less obvious. "What's your name?"

"Fenrik Aren," the Panther said easily, offering Jay his hand. "So, what's got you all wound up?" He asked, deciding a direct approach was probably best right about now. He thought he'd misjudged when Jay looked ready to bolt, but he did stay.

"Nothing, really." He stammered, thrown badly off balance be being on the receiving end of his own teasing, only he wasn't so sure the Panther was teasing him.

"Relax, Jay," Fenrik smiled. "You just seemed a little tense, thought I'd offer to help you work it out a little."

"It's okay," he managed not to mumble and shifted to start back to his quarters despite what the lower half of his body wanted and suggested he do with this attractive Panther his own age.

"It's not a problem Jay," Fenrik offered, reaching out to put a hand on the younger tom's shoulder lightly enough that he could still pull away, but enough that he was keenly aware of the power in the older Panther's body. The conflict in Jay's body was obvious, even without bothering to try and sense it through the Force.

"I can tell you'd like a little help," he added with a soft rumble that went most of the way to breaking what was left of Jay's resistance.

"I ..." he started a denial, then let his eyes close for a moment and felt the warm power that called so strongly to that part of him that wanted the strong warrior. His next breath drew in a deep lung full of the Panther's scent that did as much to arouse him as the time on the balcony with Shi had.

"My quarters are private, for now," Fenrik offered and went with a gut instinct to risk it and leaned down to kiss Jay, drawing him close against his body as the lean tom wrapped his arms around his neck and kiss back until they were both almost breathless. 

"My Master's on a mission; won't be back for some time...."

"All right," Jay rumbled agreeably even as the back of his mind was trying to figure out when he'd lost control so completely.

"C'mon," Fenrik rumbled back, starting to lead the younger tom back towards his quarters. "It's not far."

"Good," Jay rumbled and pressed closer as he gave in and stopped fighting the desires completely.

Fenrik was just glad they didn't run into anybody on the way; he was fairly sure that this probably wouldn't be approved of. Soon enough, they were in his Master's quarters. He turned as the door closed, drawing Jay close and kissing him, licking the younger tom's lips tentatively and felt them open willingly.

The first touch of a rough tongue against his sent such a spike of desire through Jay's body he felt ready to explode right then. He closed his eyes and let go, feeling how incredibly _right_ this was on a level even more primal than his instincts.

Meanwhile, Fenrik's hands were busily working their way under Jay's robes, the intoxicating scent and feel of the incredibly aroused tom against him encouraging his explorative touches as his powerful fingers finally worked through dark red fur and felt inexperienced hands working his robes off to explore the hard-muscled body and sleek black fur under them.

Neither were completely sure when they had finally shed all their clothes, but then Jay was on his knees, nuzzling and licking Fenrik's heavy balls, full sheath and arched cock with it's barb-hairs just beginning to break the surface around the head and still contained in the sensitive bumps along the rest of the length that had only begun to show below the head of Jay's.

"Oh _yes_!" The Panther hissed, leaning forward against the wall and panting heavily as his cock was explored with tongue and fingers and the side of Jay's face before he took the tip of Fenrik's cock into his mouth to suckle and lick it, teasing the handful of exposed barbs with his tongue.

Fenrik rawred and reached down, rubbing Jay's ears and the back of his head almost instinctively, thrusting lightly into the wet, welcoming mouth as his shaft seemed to get even harder, if it was possible. Even as good as he felt, he could feel that Jay had never done this before and he'd have to be careful not to hurt him when his brain began to bliss out.

"Oh fuck," he groaned as the smaller tom began to purr, adding vibration to the rest of the sensations assaulting Fenrik's cock. "Jay... not long...."

In response, he sucked a little harder and ran his tongue around the cylinder of spongy, bare skin at the head of Fenrik's cock. It earned him a roar of pleasure that was cut off in the middle as Fenrik clamped his jaw shut, his cock spasming as his seed spurted out into Jay's mouth.

Even expecting it, Jay couldn't even begin to swallow all the gooey mass that shot into his mouth, leaving most of it to flow out, coating Fenrik's cock and soaking the fur of his groin before dripping to the floor while the rest oozed down Jay's chin and throat.

The Panther panted as his spent shaft slipped from Jay's lips, then got down on his knees to lick some of the sticky fluid from Jay's throat. He could feel the tension such an intimate and vulnerable touch caused, and that it disappeared before he could stop.

"You ever done that before?" He asked with a rumble.

"No," Jay breathed, trembling in his own arousal.

"You're _very_ good at it for your first time," Fenrik grinned. "Mmm ... want me to return the favor?"

"Yeah," he trembled slightly in anticipation.

"Stand up then," the Panther rumbled. "Unless you want to get to my room first?"

"Either works," Jay breathed and claimed a kiss, his tongue probing deep into Fenrik's mouth. Fenrik returned the kiss with every ounce of the passion behind it, tasting his own scent on Jay's breath.

"Room," he said simply as their lips parted. He stood up along with Jay, starting towards the smaller quarters just off from the main room. When they were there, he turned to kiss Jay deeply, running his hands down the younger tom's body hungrily as he guided him towards his bed.

Once he was sitting on the edge of it, Fenrik started kissing his way down Jay's body, rumbling deeply as Jay spread his legs and leaned back with a groan.

"Oh, yeah," Jay rumbled and arched into the contact wantonly. He was rewarded with powerful fingers fondling his downy-furred balls as the smooth underside of Fenrik's tongue caressed his rigid cock. Jay moaned, his body shaking and right at the brink from this first touch by another person.

He took a shuddering breath as his claws dug into the bedding with a sharp cry. His balls tightened and cock quivered before the first shot of come burst out.

His older lover closed his eyes, taking Jay's seed on his muzzle and throat almost by necessity before he wrapped his lips around the still-hard cock hungrily, starting to bob his head up and down its mostly-smooth length as the come continued to shoot out. 

Jay tensed as he was gently pushed down on the bed before a slender finger slid around the furless pucker of his ass. Still, he knew this came next and he quickly relaxed, willing to embrace the full extent of a male lover as long as it kept feeling this good.

"Let me know if it's too much," Fenrik rumbled up at him, moving his finger to the side and running the bottom of his tongue lightly around the tight ring of muscle, slicking it and trying to relax Jay at the same time.

The sound he got in reply was a gurgling mix of intense pleasure and surprise, then a longer moan and shiver of pleasure.

"Oh, yeah." Jay closed his eyes and grabbed the blankets, trying to ground himself enough to not miss a moment.

"How far do you want this to go?" Fenrik asked, pausing in his attentions long enough to for Jay to catch his breath.

"Got lube?" He asked, unwilling to go much further without it.

"'S'why I was asking," Fenrik nodded with a chuckle, ghosting a warm breath over Jay's shaft, making it quiver and harden a bit more. "I've got some."

"Wanna feel you in me," Jay moaned softly.

"I was hoping you would," the Panther rumbled with a broad grin, moving to fetch the lube. He squeezed some out, starting to coat and stretch Jay's pucker carefully. He'd only done this twice before, but he'd learned to take a little time already no matter how hard it was to wait when his partner was hard as a rock and whimpering for more.

Their size difference made it even more important. He really could hurt Jay if he wasn't careful. It was enough to keep him focused past the sounds and smells of his lover until he felt the last trace of discomfort fade with three fingers sliding slowly in and out of Jay's ass. Fenrik was willing to bet he could get him to come again before he sank into the hot virgin ass waiting for him.

The temptation was strong enough to make him hold of a bit, taking Jay's shaft into his mouth and suckling hard as he stretched and probed his ass with his fingers.

"Gods!" Jay cried out at the unexpected assault. His body arched into Fenrik's mouth as he came hard, his body squeezing tightly around the intruding fingers as a second load exploded into the Panther's mouth.

Fenrik swallowed as much of it as he could, some dripping out of his muzzle to join the rest that stained his dark fur as he pulled his fingers out of Jay's body and slid up along it, rubbing his rigid shaft against the younger tom's spent balls.

"Oh, wow." Jay groaned, his body trembling in the aftershocks. "You feel so good," he murmured and pulled Fenrik's head down for a searing and somewhat sloppy kiss.

"Not half as good as you do," Fenrik rumbled as their lips parted, their seed mixing in their fur. "Mmm ... wanna roll over? Probably be a bit easier that way."

"Okay," he nodded and reluctantly moved far enough away to roll to his hands and knees, his tail to one side as he looked back at the Panther, his entire presence radiating his desire.

"That's better," the Panther rumbled, pressing up against Jay's back and groaning as he slid his shaft into the younger tom's hot, well-stretched ass.

"Ohhh," Jay moaned softly at the new sensations that felt so incredibly _right_. The small part of his brain that wasn't absorbed by pleasure tried to work out why he went so willingly with Fenrik when doing even half of this with Shi still made him uneasy, for all the pleasure of touch was the same.

"Fuck," Fenrik groaned, long and low. "So tight!"

Jay was beyond words, his body and mind overwhelmed by the incredible pleasure and _rightness_ he was feeling with this tom over him, filling him, rubbing against his back and ass and balls and thighs.

Fenrik started to thrust into him, slowly at first, each motion sending pleasure tingling through both of their bodies. He pulled out almost all the way, sinking back in, gradually speeding up as he nuzzled, kissed, and licked at Jay's neck as Jay got hard again and began to thrust back into each stroke.

Their bodies shuddered, each motion drawing them closer to another release their bodies wanted so badly. It wasn't long before they reached it. This time, Fenrik didn't even _try_ to muffle his roar, pumping his hot, thick seed deep into Jay's body, the tip of his shaft rubbing against a spot inside the younger tom's ass that sent bolts of pleasure shooting through him.

"Yessss!" Jay roared a moment later, his balls tightening up against his body as his seed spilled into the blankets below him and his body tightened around the shaft deep inside his guts. 

Fenrik actually whimpered softly at the tightening, milking sensations around his spurting cock, panting hard as he tried to sink himself as deeply into Jay's body as he could before it was over.

"Ohhh, gods," Jay gasped, trembling and spent and still intensely aroused by the presence of his lover.

"So good," Fenrik murmured softly, gradually shifting the two of them onto their sides, his shaft still deep in Jay's ass as they willingly surrendered to sleep and contentment. Jay didn't even consciously recognize when his Master asked him where he was and didn't ask him to come back to their quarters.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Jay woke up the next morning to the _very_ welcome feeling of a warm mouth and rough, eager tongue working his shaft and moaned, reaching down to rub Fenrik's ears sleepily.

"Mornin'" the Panther mumbled around the cock in his mouth, rumbling deep in his throat.

"Morning," Jay gasped as his brain clicked completely into the physical world. "Ohhh, good morning."

"S'posed to be," Fenrik grinned, turning his focus back towards Jay's morning wood, and giving it a good reason to go back down.

"Ohhhh!" He groaned and thrust up into that hot mouth, his body trembling as he got close to the edge now that his mind was well and truly with events and relishing it. It was the fingers against his ass that pushed him over, reminding him oh-so-pleasantly of how last night's final games had gotten started as he exploded into the Panther's mouth without reservation.

"Mmmm," Jay murmured as he started to come down a bit and stroked Fenrik's ears. "How about you?" He purred softly.

"Mmm ... care to return the favor, or want to take me under that pretty little tail of yours again?" The Panther asked, looking up with a grin as he licked a little thick, off-white seed from his lips.

"Come here, you." Jay grinned and pulled Fenrik up for a lingering, hungry kiss while he reached between them to stroke the bumpy cock that was so much more sensitive than his own.

"Oooh... mmm...." The Panther's noises quickly became less coherent, but more heated, as Jay stroked his shaft and they made out. His breath came more quickly when Jay's fingers found his free barbs and began to play with them, tweaking each with a carefully unsheathed claw while his thumb ran around the spongy, cylindrical head just above them.

"Not long, Jay," Fenrik warned him, pre leaking from his shaft.

"Good," Jay grinned at him and pumped faster while his mouth demanded everything Fenrik had to give. And he gave, loudly and in copious amounts over Jay's belly, chest and hand as Jay continued to stroke and kiss him until he came down. Then he moved on to rub Fenrik's chest and kiss down his neck.

"Can I be on top this time?" He crooned, his hands roaming over the powerful body.

"Just make sure you use the lube too," Fenrik nodded, kissing him deeply. "Mmm ... in here, or want to play in the shower?"

"In here," he giggled and squirmed out from under him to get the lube and froze, his eyes going wide in a mixture of surprise and embarrassment at what he saw at the bedroom door. "Shi?"

"Th-the door opened," she half-stammered in explanation, her own eyes wide, her cheeks flushed a deep purple. "I... I...." With that, she turned and bolted from the room, but not before even Jay sensed the near-wave her emotions sent through the Force.

"Knew I should've double-checked the locks," Fenrik murmured. "Jay, you and her... are you two serious?" The rumor mill said they were, but he honestly hadn't thought Jay would've gone along with his invitation the night before if it was likely to cause any trouble between them.

"Maybe," he snapped himself out of the surprised stillness and squirmed the rest of the way out from under the bigger tom. "I better clean up and find out what that was all about." He said apologetically with a fairly heated kiss.

"You'd better," Fenrik nodded, returning the kiss. "Want some help in the shower? Just cleaning up."

"Mmm, sure." He purred softly. "Maybe we can pick this up later."

"We'll see," the Panther smiled, standing up and licking Jay's cheek lightly. "Now, let's go get you cleaned up so you can sort out what's going on with Shivasta."

* * *

* * *

* * *

"Cub, what happened?" Master Ursal captured her heavily distressed Padawan in her arms as the door to their quarters closed.

"Jay he... with Fenrik...." Whatever she was trying to say was broken up as the young woman buried her face in her Master's thick fur, crying.

"Oh, Shi," she murmured gently, letting her cry the strongest of the reaction out as she stroked her long blue hair comfortingly. It took several minutes, her Padawan shuddering and shaking, though the tremors through her body, and that her stormy, conflicting emotions were creating around her, gradually subsided.

"I don't even know what's _wrong_ ," Shivasta whimpered after a few minutes.

"It will be all right, Shi," Ursal rumbled gently and continued to stroke her hair. "It can be a very bad shock if you aren't expecting it."

"I wasn't," she murmured. "Gods I wasn't... even with last night, we were _both_ so nervous about it...."

"And this morning you see him very much at ease with someone else," she murmured understandingly and wrapped Shi in a blanket of loving warmth that was both physical and in the Force. "Have you discussed relationships with others with him?" She asked as gently as she could. "What his cultural norms are? Or his personal inclinations?"

"Not yet," Shi admitted. "Not directly."

"If you think you can forgive him being with a male, it might be good to try. Before either of you go further." Ursal said gently and licked the worst of her Padawan's tears away. "You could have seen many things, cub, beyond the obvious. I do not believe he meant anything hurtful by what he did."

"What if this has... what if this isn't the first time?"

Ursal looked down at her and nuzzled her gently. "What if it is?" She asked back gently. "Does it change what is between you, the truth of anything he has told you?"

"He said he didn't have anybody else," Shi nodded slightly, pressing close to her Master's comforting presence. "At least I thought he did."

"Then be sure that is what he meant, and that he was with Fenrik before then before you think ill of him." Ursal advised gently. "There is a great deal unknown about this."

"I know, Master," Shivasta nodded slightly. "I... I should try to calm myself down, before I go look for him."

"Go meditate in the frozen garden," the graying Black Bear advised her. "He will come to you when it is time."

"Yes Master," Shivasta nodded, stepping back and trying to straighten herself out a little. "Thank you," she added gratefully before she left.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Jay shivered slightly and fluffed his fur against the biting cold of the frozen garden. He appreciated the still white beauty of the place, but it was not his idea of a nice spot to hang out. It was _cold_ for a warm-weather kat like him, but very much home to the cold-worlders like Shi. Not even his nose wanted to work well as he tracked her to her meditation spot near a waterfall held still in ice.

He found a spot where she could sense him and settled in for her to acknowledge his presence. It took a few moments, though he noticed the shift in her posture that said she'd realized he was there before she spoke. 

"Hi," she said softly, lowering her head slightly.

"Hi," he said uncertainly and didn't move. Even with what Master Ursal had told him, he was still very much at a loss as to what had happened. "I didn't mean to upset you." He tried for a general apology, and it was true. He _hadn't_ meant to upset her.

"I know," she nodded slightly. "Jay... you and Fenrik... how long has it been?"

"After we headed home last night." He said quietly. "It just felt so right, he's male, a Panther. I didn't ... it didn't occur to me that I shouldn't, because of us."

"And we never talked about it," she pointed out with a soft sigh. "I over-reacted Jay, I'm sorry. I just ... when I saw you two, and you seemed so comfortable with him ... I guess I got jealous," she admitted.

"He's a guy, Shi," he pointed out with a confused sound. "And a Panther, and a warrior. It makes a difference, at least for me. It ... that's ... Shi, I care for you. You're attractive and you're _very_ good for me. But girls, and healers ... it doesn't come very easily for me. Any of us, really. Father said it's just how our brains were wired. There's what's best for us to stay out of trouble ... and there's what attracts us and makes us comfortable and feel safe and at home. You're the first, he's the second. I'm not really old enough for girls either."

"All right," she smiled slightly. "I hope you're more comfortable with me eventually... maybe soon. You want to go somewhere a little warmer to talk?"

"In time, yes," he smiled back in relief. "You really do make me want you," he dropped his eyes a bit, "and yeah, it'd be nice to be somewhere above freezing."

"You would _never_ last back home," she smiled, blushing a bit at his compliment. "And thank you." She reached out, taking his hand and squeezing it gently. "Come on; let's head out to your koi pond."

"Maybe somewhere more private?" He suggested softly and drew her close. "Maybe I can make up for the shock a little?"

"What did you have in mind?" She asked, wrapping her arms around him reflexively.

"Whatever will let you believe I do want you," he kissed her lightly. "What's between me and Fenrik has nothing to do with what's between us."

"I believe you," she murmured, kissing him back softly. "Come on, let's find somewhere more private... my quarters, maybe?"

"All right," he agreed with an involuntary shiver for the cold. "And good."

"Come on," she said, stepping back to take his hand and start out of the frigid, icy room that reminded her of home so well. Before long, they were back at the rooms she shared with Master Ursal, whom she noticed was long gone.

"Thank you," she whispered softly, leading Jay into her room and sitting down on the edge of her bed after they made quite sure the door was closed and wouldn't open without warning.

"I'm sorry about interrupting you two," she murmured softly, taking Jay's hands as he sat down next to her.

"It's all right," he murmured and nuzzled her. "We should have locked the door. He's okay, we'll be okay."

"And I should've known better than to walk in when it opened," she admitted, blushing slightly. "Jay ... before we do anything, before anything else happens ... we need to talk, sort a few things out."

"I kind of figured as much." He nodded seriously.

"How much do you know about how your people, how your family thinks about relationships?" She asked him.

"Most of the basics," he nodded. "Not a lot of the specifics and legal stuff and how it actually works."

"Is having more than one mate normal?"

"Yeah," he chuckled sheepishly, finally remembering that wasn't always the norm. "Most of the time we're mates to the rest of our team, and usually someone on the outside too for kittens. Guys usually have a mate of each gender at least. Femmes do if they like both. At least when it's not Lifemate level, a guy isn't the same as a girl. I'd have asked you first if it was another female. It didn't occur to me to since he's a guy."

"We don't usually think of it as different," she admitted. "I... well, relationships are complicated for my people, at least when you're not raised with it. And I wasn't," she chuckled weakly, "at least not for more than a few years. Would it be okay if I asked you to check with me, if you can? Fenrik's okay, now that I know, and Doruth is fine if anything happens between you two, but I'd like to know if there's going to be anybody else."

"That's cool," he agreed easily. "No problem."

"Thanks," she smiled slightly. "Do you think you'll be seeing Fenrik again?"

"Probably," he blushed slightly. "I want to."

"You like him?" She asked with a slightly better smile, shifting on the bed to draw him closer.

"I like how he makes me feel," Jay purred softly and nuzzled her as he snuggled against her cool body. "The strength and safety when he holds me."

"Different from how I make you feel?" She asked him, rubbing his side gently while he snuggled against her and they both relaxed from the stress and conflict she'd felt before.

"Yes," he murmured. "You're very different. Calm, soothing, but you aren't a warrior, a protector. It feels different. Maybe 'cause he's feline too."

"Do you love him? Or think you could, at least?" She asked, moving an arm around his back.

"Don't know," he shrugged. "I barely got his name."

"I wasn't sure if anything else might've developed faster," she chuckled slightly, rubbing his back.

"That's later," he nuzzled her with a chuckle. "It's going the reverse of with us."

She blushed slightly, tipping his chin up to kiss him tenderly and felt the soft rumble of arousal it brought in him.

"Do you want us to go the rest of the way?" She asked him softly.

"Only if you're sure," he breathed in sharply. There was no doubting he wanted to, though. "It's not why I went with him."

"Do you mind going slow?" She asked him softly, kissing his jaw line lightly as he groaned. "I've never done this before."

"No," Jay gasped with a shiver. "Nether have I."

"Let me know if I do something wrong," she murmured, turning to press him down to the bed beneath her slender, cool body. The surprise that rippled across his frame with an intense spike of arousal came just before his arms wrapped around her and pulled her down, against his hot, aroused body for a kiss as demanding as anything she'd felt before.

"I will." He murmured and ran his hands down her back to feel her ass and gently spread her legs so she was straddling him. "You let me know too," he rumbled seriously. "I didn't pay much attention to how with a femme."

"And I never learned much more about how with anybody," she admitted, groaning slightly at the feel of his hands running along her body. She pulled back slightly, shedding her robes to reveal her slender body. Her pale, rich blue skin quivered as Jay's hands caressed their way up her abs and stomach to gently fondle her breasts as he tried to remember how to breathe.

With a deep moan she leaned back down, kissing Jay deeply and pressed close to his own body as she started to open his robes while he explored her cool skin with warm hands and a hot mouth until she pinned his arms to his side getting his robes off.

Finally, she worked them off, leaving them both nude on her bed; his arousal as visibly obvious to her as hers was to him by scent. She pressed close to his warm, furry body and nuzzling his neck softly, rubbing his sides as her breasts pressed against his tightly muscled chest.

"Oh, gods," Jay moaned and thrust his hips up against her smooth, cool flesh as his hands ran down her back to squeeze her ass. He pulled her hips up a little further so his full erection could rub against the only other bit of hair she had, a trimmed triangle just above her sex. As they kissed he shifted to slide the tips of his fingers down the crack of her ass to caress the slick split in her mons with a feather-light touch.

"Ooh..." She moaned softly, sliding her damp flesh along his body. "That's good," she murmured softly, pressing against his shaft as she rubbed against the smooth, hard length that made him pant and shudder.

"Yessss," he hissed and gripped her ass tightly, guiding her motions into his own as his cock slid into the slick valley between her lower lips. "Close. So close." He gasped and closed his eyes as his body tensed, his motions becoming more erratic and sharp as he pressed into the cool slickness and growled in need.

"So hot," she groaned, her own body tingling inside, the pleasure shooting through her beyond most anything she'd felt before. "Gods, Jay, please... ooh...."

"What?" He got out between gritted teeth, holding himself back for the moment.

"With me," she gasped, her juices leaking out and down his shaft, "so close!"

It was all he could do to keep his claws sheathed as he thrust up hard and pulled her hips down with a roar, his burningly hot seed shooting across her clit to land on his abs before his cock began to rub it into her sex with each thrust and grunt that pumped more between them.

She gasped sharply, her body tensing in his hands before she sealed her lips against his, kissing him desperately as she came hard, her body hungrily clenching, aching to be filled.

He held her there, her mons pulsing around his twitching shaft as they both calmed down a little.

"That was good," he murmured and kissed her hungrily again. "Very different too."

"Good different?" She with a murmur as their lips parted, nuzzling his neck.

"Yeah, a good different," his breath caught as their hips moved when he ran his hands up her back, then down to caress her breasts with his thumbs.

"Mmm ... that feels good," she murmured, kissing him lightly. "Think you'll need some attention before you can handle another round?"

"Not really," he chuckled with a bit of a blush under his fur and rubbed his still-hard cock against her sex before he tightened his grip a bit and rolled them over to put her on her back. He rumbled and kissed down her neck to nuzzle her breasts even as his hands rubbed her thighs.

"Oh...." She moaned softly, rubbing his back and scratching at his neck and ears lightly. "Jay... is this going too far? Little late to ask now, but... mmm...."

"I'm okay," he rumbled as he stretched to lie next to her and kissed her while his fingers began to slide along her lower lips.

"Oh yes," she moaned, his fur adding to the sensation of his touch against her most sensitive flesh as she wrapped her own hand around his shaft and stroked him lightly.

"Ohhhh," Jay shuddered, his concentration broken for a moment as he caught his breath. "The nubs," he moaned as he ran a finger around her hard clit.

She nodded slightly, her breath catching as she worked on teasing the tiny bumps just below the spongy head of his cock with her fingers much the same way he was working her clit. His mews as he buried his face against her shoulder and began to thrust into her hand added enticement to the way he squeezed and rubbed her clit and sex.

"S-Shi ..." he began to tremble and worked his free arm under her back to hold her tightly.

She wrapped her own free arm around him, holding him close and kissing him hotly as she stroked his shaft faster, paying special attention to the tiny spots that were making him feel so good. 

His breath quickened as pleasure began to disrupt his fine motor control, turning his rubbing into pressure against her clit. A deep growl pressed his clenched teeth against her soft skin with a shudder. Burningly hot liquid splashed across her hand, side and belly even as sharp claws made pinpricks in her skin.

Her own breath quickened, the mix of pain and pleasure pushing her closer to her own orgasm. She pressed her body against his, crying out as her next climax rippled through her young body.

Gradually they both caught their breath and pressed close, Jay licking the pheromone-rich sweat from her skin for a high that didn't let him soften. Her pleasant moans for his exploration turned into a sharp gasp when he buried his muzzle against the richest source of the intoxicant and began to lick her sex of its juices. She reached down, rubbing his ears and the back of his head, doing her best to focus on giving him even half as much pleasure as he was giving her.

She could feel his control begin to slip, something blurring his mind as he lapped at her swollen and twitching sex until he actually nipped her clit. Not enough to draw blood, but enough it was a little more pain than pleasure even before his rough tongue attacked it.

"Ow! Jay!" She pushed his head back, panting hard, looking down at him apologetically. His tongue was just too much, at least that side of it. She _hoped_ he'd change his focus instead of just going back for it again.

"Sorry," he mumbled and lowered his muzzle slightly to lap at her lower lips before he pressed his tongue experimentally into her body.

"Ohh...." She groaned deeply, leaning her head back. As much as it had been too much on her clit, it felt _incredible_ inside her like that, the powerful, hot muscle scraping her tight insides against and again while his muzzle pressed against the outside. She lifted and spread her knees a bit, shuttering a bit in surprise at the spike in intensity it caused.

She couldn't help herself from tightening her hands against the back of his head, pressing his muzzle against her even more. She could feel the way his mind clouded as he licked more eagerly the closer she got to the edge again.

It didn't take long for her to come again, her smooth, blue-skinned thighs tightening around his head as she moaned deeply, giving him a rush of her juices and scent as a reward for his efforts. It made him hungry in an entirely different way and he moved up her body to kiss her almost desperately, his hard cock rubbing across her sex as he sought to sink into her body.

As badly as she wanted him inside her, and she _did_ want it badly, she remembered what he'd said about not being ready. And the troubling way he wasn't thinking clearly.

"Jay," she panted, pushing him back slightly. "Jay, stop...."

For a second she though he wasn't going to listen, but despite the way he was panting, he stilled, looking down at her with a bit of a wild look in his amber eyes.

"You didn't want to do this," she murmured, sitting up a little bit and rubbing his back. "Maybe I can do something else for you instead?"

He nodded slowly and kissed her more gently. "A shower maybe." He rumbled, still seriously turned on. "Your smell ... never knew anything like it."

"Thank you," she blushed, reaching down to rub his shaft lightly. "Maybe in the shower I can return the favor? Or here, we can always clean up later...."

"Shower," he decided despite the moan she caused. Then his breath caught for an entirely different reason. "Crud!"

"What?" She asked, looking over at the clock, her own eyes widening as she realized that they were both _very_ much late for when their training usually started.

"Yeah," he blushed brightly. "Share a shower? We're already late, we might as well not smell _too_ much of why."

"They probably already know," Shi pointed out, still blushing. "But yeah, that'd probably be a good idea." She grabbed her robes, and then something occurred to her. "How hot do you usually shower?"

"Hot, but right now I could use a cold one." He found the last of his clothes and poked his head out the door to see if there was anyone in the living space waiting to pounce on them.

Fortunately, there wasn't.

"That probably would be a good idea," she blushed, grabbing the rest of her own clothes and moving up behind him, holding her robes up in front of her. "It looks like Master Ursal isn't...." She blushed even more.

"She says we should get the shower and quit worrying about being caught. She also says that if we're not out in thirty minutes she'll come in to make sure we're staying on track...."

Jay choked, nearly loosing his footing as he bolted for the bathroom. "Cold shower. Definitely a cold shower."

The two of them were finished and dressed again in record time, well before they had to worry about the thirty minute "limit." Shi gave Jay a quick kiss before he left, but for once they managed to keep it at that.

Before long, Jay was tearing through the halls back to his own quarters as quickly as he could. All he could really think about was just how much trouble he was probably going to be in when he got back.

As the door opened, he was greeting by Master Essani sitting on the floor next to it, looking up at him with the closest thing the kushiban had to a stern expression, her fur a deep, almost maroon color.

"Master," he bowed to her. "My apologies for loosing track of time."

"* _Sit down, kit,_ *" she said as her expression softened slightly, her color lightening. "* _We need to talk._ *"

"Yes, Master." He did as told, really not wanting to hear whatever she was going to go over before he had a chance to work out what _had_ happened for himself.

"* _I'm not going to scold you for what happened,_ *" she told him, hopping up onto her own seat, turning to look at him. "* _Normally I might, but your situation isn't normal, and it's something your culture encourages. But I hope you see that you have to be a bit more careful about it?_ *"

"Yes, Master," he bowed his head. He really meant it to. Running on instincts was something he _really_ needed to work on avoiding, or at least controlling better. They didn't have much place here, at least not the ones he tended to end up using.

Essani's color seemed to drain away back to her normal white, and she sat down calmly. "* _You nearly hurt somebody you cared about today Jay, though unintentionally. This is what I meant, when I warned you about the emotions involved with love and sex._ *" There was no reproach in her mental tone, simply a gentle, almost motherly tone. "* _You need to think things through a little bit more in the future. And to try and not lose yourself when you're intimate with somebody._ *"

"Yes, Master," he bowed his head again even as he added 'and learn the local rules' to that list. All together, he rather wished that the last two days hadn't happened. Or at least that Shi hadn't kissed him in the pond. It had led to too much he wasn't sure of now, events and knowledge that scared him in retrospect and brought too many doubts to his mind.

Essani stood and walked over to him, nuzzling his arm gently.

"Go meditate for a while, Jay. You need to sort things out ... but don't be afraid to ask for help, of myself or the other Masters."

"Thank you, Master," he lifted a hand to scritch her almost on reflex before he stood to find his favorite spot deep inside the Temple's Shadow Garden to work out what he was going to do.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Doruth watched the assorted Jedi practicing in the gym with interest. He remembered the long days he'd spent honing his own skills just a little _too_ well, but it was worth it. Looking around, he realized that the skill levels varied as much as they always had. Some of the Padawans, Knights and Masters were as good as he was or better, some of them were worse. More of them were worse than the last time he'd spent any real time here.

There was one particular Padawan he was focused on though. Fenrik Aren. He'd heard about the relationship the Panther was starting to have with Jay, and wanted to get to know him a bit better. Watching him now, practicing despite his Master's absence, he was struck by how much the younger Panther reminded him of himself when he was younger.

With a Temple upbringing, of course.

Still, he had to wonder if that had something to do with Jay's interest, given what he'd said the other night.

"Padawan Aren?" He asked once Fenrik had finished his kata.

"Yes, Jedi." He brought himself to a relaxed stance and faced the Panther twice his age with the respect do to any who had passed their Trials.

"You're not bad," Doruth observed. "Would you care to join me in practice?"

"Thank you," he bowed slightly and smiled a bit eagerly. "I would enjoy an opponent."

"Would you prefer to start out on the offensive, or defense?" Doruth asked with a smile of his own, drawing his lightsaber and igniting the bright blue blade as his opponent's brilliant white one flared to life and Fenrik dropped into an easy defensive stance.

"Defensive," he chose his weaker skill.

"Very well," Doruth nodded, shifting into a formal attack stance. He centered himself, then made a few light, probing attacks that he knew Fenrik would be able to parry easily, trying to read the younger Panther's fighting style. It wasn't a surprise, well, not much of one, when it became clear that Fenrik was both aggressive and of varied style for his experience. Doruth expected Fenrik held the same place he did: top in his class.

A few more experimental strikes and Doruth was getting flashbacks of what he must have looked and fought like fifteen years ago.

Except for one small difference. Fenrik, so far, still fought by the rules. It was helpful that their styles were so similar; most of the flaws were the same.

"Watch your left," Doruth warned him. "You favor your strong arm too much."

He couldn't help but appreciate how well Fenrik responded to a correction he no doubt had heard _many_ times already. The kit was as serious about correcting his flaws in live combat as he was about the katas. A distinction that marked a sharp difference from what he'd seen of Jay's training. _He_ didn't like fighting a live target with a lightsaber, though to be fair no one else particularly liked being around it either when the Darkness in Jay began to flair at having a target.

Jay just didn't understand the difference between sparring and _fighting_ yet. He always went to the latter... and the way he responded to it was something Essani would probably have to work on a _lot_ before he was ready to become a Knight. Fenrik didn't have any issues with that yet.

"I'm going to change things up a bit," Doruth warned the younger Panther. "Just block for now, but try to focus on anticipating what I'm going to do before you see me start to do it." He relaxed a bit, making sure he _did_ give Fenrik enough warning, though not making it too easy for him. He started to mix it up, dropping out of the formalized dueling techniques Fenrik was used to and working in some of the personal techniques he'd developed.

He felt as much as saw the teen focus a bit more on the Force that could truly tell him what was coming. He wasn't as skilled as he was in the formalized pattern, but his Master and experience had clearly begun training him well for the real world. Strike, dodge, parry ... they easily fell into an understanding of just pushing Fenrik's limits that came a bit too easily for not being Master and Padawan.

"You're doing well," Doruth complimented him after a few minutes. "Now, go ahead and mix some offense in. Watch for leaving openings when you're getting ready to attack."

Fenrik nodded and did his best to keep his defenses up, even not striking on most of the occasions when Doruth gave him an opening that would force him to give the older Panther one in return. They were both peripherally aware that they had drawn a small crowd, including one slightly pregnant shewolf, and Doruth couldn't help but approve that it didn't change Fenrik's focus at all.

It wasn't long before Doruth stepped back slightly, lowering his lightsaber and holding it off to the right. He smiled fractionally when it was mirrored instead of Fenrik extinguishing his saber and held there for the couple breaths that were expected for good form.

"Thank you, Jedi." Fenrik bowed and extinguished his saber, Doruth's own fading.

"You're welcome, Padawan," Doruth smiled, bowing his head respectfully. "Are you expected anywhere, or are you free to talk for a brief time?"

"I am free. My Master is away on a mission." He grinned slightly, though it was obvious to most that he'd much rather be with his Master on that mission than with free time on his hands at the Temple. Something else that stood in strike contrast with Jay, who would likely be happy if he never saw field missions.

"Then why don't we go grab something to eat and talk a little once you've cleaned up," Doruth suggested with a smile. "I'll meet you outside the gym." As Fenrik nodded and hurried off, the Panther turned to Tes, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek as he holstered his 'saber.

"I'll see you later," he told her softly as the small crowd dispersed. "I just want to talk with him a bit about Jay."

"Just try not to scare him _too_ badly." She chuckled and kissed him back. "Jay's getting old enough to make his own choices."

"I'm not trying to scare him," Doruth chuckled. "Just making sure Jay's making a good choice. Try not to flirt too much with the Jedi you practice with," he winked. "Don't want things getting too rough," he added, rubbing the small swell of her belly gently before he left her to watch the sparring, and he went to meet with Fenrik.

He was only about half surprised to see the teen waiting for him just outside the gym's main door, his robes in order and his tail swaying lightly.

"Knight Doruth Parn?" Fenrik asked him politely.

"Yes," Doruth nodded. "Though you can call me Doruth, if you wish."

Fenrik nodded and grinned at him a bit nervously. "I'm not going to hurt your kit, sir." He said seriously.

"You guessed what was coming up, hmm?" Doruth chuckled, smiling some. "I'll admit, I do want to talk to you about him. Though he's not my kit, not really at least."

"There aren't that many reasons you'd pick _today_ to notice me, Doruth." He pointed out politely with a curious look. "Then it's not true that you brought him here and petitioned for his acceptance?"

"That is true," Doruth corrected him, leading the way from the gym towards the cafeteria. "But he's not mine by blood, and I doubt he'd say he thought of me like a father if you asked him. By the way, what do you prefer to be called? Padawan, Fenrik, something else?"

"Fenrik," he nodded and kept pace easily and held his peace about Temple gossip that said Jay definitely did consider Doruth is local next of kin.

"All right," Doruth nodded easily. "At any rate, he's a great kit. His real parents are probably worried sick about him, but there's no telling how long it'll take them to get to this part of space ... if ever. And I do care about him," the older Panther admitted.

"It shows," Fenrik smiled a bit. "Both ways. He thinks a lot of you if talk is anything to go by."

"He's mentioned it," Doruth chuckled, blushing slightly beneath his fur. "At any rate, you can see why I'm interested in talking with his new boyfriend."

"I'm not sure I am," he admitted as they walked and rubbed his neck. "His girlfriend hasn't had her say yet, and Jay didn't have a clue what the deal with her was."

That explained the ruckus Doruth had heard about that led to finding out about Fenrik in the first place.

"Is it true she caught you two together?" He asked, stepping into a lift.

"Caught implies we were doing something wrong, sir." He pointed out firmly but politely. "She did walk in and see us together, yes."

"I hadn't meant to imply that, Fenrik," Doruth said appraisingly. "Though I can see why that would cause problems for all three of you," he admitted. "You want to keep seeing him, assuming he comes to an agreement with Shivasta that allows it?"

"Yeah," he nodded thoughtfully. "It may sound presumptuous, but I don't think it was an accident that I came across him last night."

"The Force works in mysterious ways," Doruth granted. "There are some issues you would need to be aware of before the two of you got into a serious relationship, but I want to check with him before bringing them up. He prefers to keep them private," he explained.

"The Dark in him?" Fenrik nodded as the lift came to a stop. "I kind of figured he'd bring it up if this was going to be more than a one-nighter."

"I wasn't sure if you were aware of it yet," Doruth nodded. "And he probably will. He likes to keep it under wraps, but he brings it up with people who should know, that he trusts." The two of them got off the lift, walking the rest of the way to the cafeteria.

"I don't blame him for it, but anyone who's seen him spar with a real opponent can feel it in him. My Master said it was probably fear-triggered, not anger or bloodlust based."

"In a real way, it is," Doruth nodded. "A couple years on Nar Shaddaa on top of his background before that, and he's used to fights being for his life, not for practice."

"Ouch," Fenrik winced in sympathy. "That's not a fun place for a mission. No wonder he's grateful to be here."

"Most people who've spent any time living there would just about kill to even be in the slums here," Doruth chuckled slightly. "I was just glad I could get him out of there. He's paid me back for it at least three times over too, without my asking for more than help getting us both off-planet."

"Can't say I'm surprised," he smiled slightly at the older Panther. "He's well known for being generous to his friends. And just as well known as someone not to get on the bad side of." He added with a bit of a chuckle.

"Oh yeah," Doruth agreed with a chuckle as the two of them fetched their meals and found seats. "He can make your life _so_ miserable if he wants to."

"That tech-talent he has," Fenrik sat down with a grin. "It tends to blind-side folks to. It's not exactly an obvious gift."

"No, and when you're lightsaber turns off in the middle of a fight it's not exactly something you're thinking is going to happen," Doruth agreed with a chuckle.

"No," Fenrik blinked. "I hadn't heard about _that_ one. That's nasty."

"I imagine Master Essani's done her best to train him _not_ to do that except in a real fight," Doruth chuckled. "From what I understand, he had a bad habit of using his tech talents to solve most of his problems early on. Effective too," he observed.

"As tech-intensive as this world is, I don't doubt it," he nodded thoughtfully. "He'll be quite the unique field operative if anybody manages to talk him into it. I expect he'd be good at it too."

"Probably," Doruth nodded. "Though it sounds like he would prefer to stay in the Temple as much as he can."

"What I heard too," Fenrik nodded. "I heard it's why he's with Master Essani and not you."

"Yeah," he admitted. "And he's more scholar than warrior. Master Essani is a much better fit for him."

Fenrik nodded, not about to question a choice of Master.

"What was Jay's life before Nar Shaddaa?" He asked quietly as they ate.

"From what he told me, he lived on a colony ship," Doruth explained. "There was an accident that ended up with him on Nar Shaddaa and his ship light years away with no clue where he was. As much as he loved space, I was a little surprised that he wanted to stay on one planet," he admitted. "Though I suppose being able to fly off whenever he can get into a fighter helps. He could probably tell you more about his life before, I didn't ask too much about it. At the time, it seemed better not to make him focus on it."

Fenrik nodded and took a few bites, working on just how to ask what he wanted to know without asking Jay directly.

"He was about ten when you found him?"

"About," Doruth nodded. "Assuming he was tracking years right. Makes him about thirteen now," the older Panther pointed out, his meaning clear.

"With more skill than anyone with the experience he claims should have," he said quietly, watching the Knight carefully. "Something he probably didn't pick up here."

"If you're asking how he made a living on Nar Shaddaa," Doruth said, shaking his head, "that's not how. He was a petty thief, not a part-time hooker. But it sounds like his family was pretty loose, relationship-wise. Kit knew _way_ too much about sex for any ten year old when I met him."

"There are worse things to be naturally talented at," Fenrik chuckled a little self-consciously. "It just didn't seem to mesh with somebody who'd gotten his first kiss two days ago."

"I'm surprised it's taken him so long," Doruth chuckled. "Shivasta?" He asked, raising an eyebrow slightly.

"From what I've heard," he nodded. "They hadn't really gotten past necking last night. I was half surprised he went with me, much less stayed the night."

Doruth fought the urge to ask Fenrik what he'd been doing making a suggestion like that to somebody as young as Jay. After all, they were a _lot_ closer in age, and it had come just hours after _Jay_ had hit on _him_. 

"You two friends before that?" He asked instead.

"Not really," he stayed still despite the urge to put some distance between himself and Jay's guardian. "We met a few times since I got here."

A couple years ago, he might have had to put that distance between the two of them. As it was, Doruth's displeasure was noticeable, but he didn't seem angry.

"Was he your first too?" The older Panther asked, pretty sure he knew the answer already.

"No," he admitted quietly, his tail down and head slightly lowered in instinctive submission to avoid angering his better. "I've been with a couple other guys. He was acting older than me when I came up," he pointed out quietly. "You don't usually get into girls till your mid-teens."

He actually preferred that answer, honestly, and he couldn't refute the point that if Jay'd been making out with Shi beforehand, it made him out to be significantly older than he was, something Fenrik would have had little way of knowing until they were undressed and well too late knowing Jay.

"How did it happen?" Doruth asked quietly, but firmly. "I can guess that you asked him, but why'd you ask him, and how'd it work out?"

Fenrik swallowed. In retrospect, he'd done plenty to get himself in serious trouble if the Knight or either Master involved took offence at it, even if it wasn't technically wrong. Just Jay's age, something he hadn't even thought of until things were over with, could look bad. It was just two years different, and Jay _was_ into puberty with the first of his barb hair nubs, but it could be made to look very bad.

"Even before my Master left for his mission, Jay had my attention." He said quietly, trying to put the events he'd never questioned in order. "He didn't spend much time alone though. I never really got a chance to talk to him. Last night I was looking for company, and he wanted it, badly. I wasn't expecting him, I just did what I usually do and walk until I catch the right scent.

"I offered to help him wind down. We kissed, I think I started it, but he was in charge so fast. We didn't get much past the main door to my quarters before we were kissing and touching again. He licked and mouthed me as soon as he got my robes were off. Didn't take him long either." He paused to focus himself enough not to cause too much of a ripple.

"When I asked him how he wanted it, he asked to have me in him." Fenrik shook his head a bit. "I made the first move, but it wasn't my ideas past that."

Doruth mulled it over for a few minutes. It didn't sound like he'd taken advantage of Jay; he certainly didn't believe he had. Jay probably wouldn't either ... and, unless Essani was going to raise the issue, that was what mattered. Jay _did_ have the right to make his own choices, after all. Even if they weren't necessarily the brightest ones ever.

"When you found out who I was, you said you weren't going to hurt him. Make sure you keep that promise, unless he gives you a _damned_ good reason to break it."

"I'm not suicidal, Knight Parn." Fenrik looked at him seriously, it all too clear in his manner that that was just what he considered hurting Jay to be, and that it wasn't entirely do to the protectiveness of the other Panther.

"I wish you luck with him then," Doruth said, bowing his head slightly, "assuming you're with him after he sorts things out. Just take good care of him when you can."

"Thank you," Fenrik inclined his head, more relieved that he'd realized for a while. "I will."

* * *

* * *

* * *

Doruth stretched slightly as he walked back to his temporary quarters after talking with Fenrik. It had actually gone fairly well. He'd still have to talk with Jay later, but it could wait. The kit needed his meditation time and as the door opened, he caught sent of something that needed his attention more. He chuckled and started to undress once the door had closed, then stepped the short distance to the bedroom where Tes was laid out on the bed, her attention on the lower two pair of tits that were starting to fill with milk for the pups that had begun to show in her swelling belly.

"Want some help with that?" He asked her, licking his lips as he took in her body. As much as he loved the sleek, muscular look she usually had, there was something _very_ appealing about her like this too, so full and round with new life.

"Always," she grinned at him and extended a hand in welcome. "Everything's getting sensitive."

"Mmm ... even these?" He asked, quirking an eyebrow as he took her hand, kneeling by the edge of the bed and licking her much smaller secondary breasts tenderly.

"Ohhhh yeah," Tes gasped and arched into the contact as she ran her hands along his shoulders. "Especially those."

"Mmm ... good," he grinned and rumbled, licking at them, suckling lightly at the swollen mammaries and their hardening nipples that made her squirm and moan more than teasing her breasts normally ever managed.

"Ohhh, Doruth," she rubbed his ears and spread her legs, encouraging him to both continue and to move lower. "That tongue of yours is indecent." She shuddered in raw pleasure.

"But you love it anyway," he grinned up at her, nuzzling over to the swell of her belly, licking her navel tenderly, then down to her slick sex.

"Raaoowwww!" Tes howled and gripped whatever her hands were near as her body quivered so close to an orgasm it hurt. "Ohhh ... Doruth." She shuddered and pulled away a little. "Want you in me." She breathed sharply and curled up to kiss him hotly. "Without getting yelled at again. Healers gave me a new ... lube-stuff to use."

"Mmm ... to put in you, or on me?" He asked with a rumble, returning the kiss hungrily.

"On you," she licked the side of his jaw and reached between them to stroke his nearly full erection. "Promised it wouldn't dampen anything, but they're _really_ wound up about scarring right now."

"I can understand why," he rumbled. "Mmm... you want me to put it on and let us see if it works, or mind if I try giving you a little TLC first?"

"When have I _ever_ objected to anything you wanted?" Tes breathed hotly and kissed him. "Just need to put the lube on before you get serious."

"I will," he promised, kissing her tenderly and moving up to lie down beside her. "Let's see what it takes to make you whimper my name, hmm?" He ran his hands down her front, caressing her breasts and belly before ghosting his fingers along her swollen lips.

"Very little," Tes murmured, then moaned and spread her legs for him and snuggled against his broad, flat chest.

"Then we'll probably be moving on soon," he rumbled, licking her muzzle tenderly, shifting one leg to help hold hers up as he fingered her sex, holding her close with his free arm.

"Yes," she shivered, her tail wagging against his balls as her sex quivered around his gently exploring fingers. "Ohhhh, yessss."

"Like that, hmm?" He rumbled, rubbing her clit lightly, then reaching down, circling the hot, wet entrance to her body with a dark-furred fingertip.

"Ohhh, Doruth." Tes whimpered and arched against him, spreading her legs further, silently begging him to fill her.

He pressed a fingertip into her slightly, teasing her a little more as he rubbed his own rigid cock against her ass.

"Tell me what you want," he rumbled deeply.

"I want that hard cock of yours where your finger is," she whimpered and pressed back against him. "Want you to fuck me."

"How badly?" He asked with a deep, lusty rumble. He knew he was just teasing her; he was already reaching for the lube they were going to use with his hand, leaving her pussy unattended.

"Bad," Tes whimpered hotly and shifted a bit so his cock slipped forward to rub across her hot, slick mons.

"Mmm ... guess I'd better get inside you then," he rumbled, kissing her as he spread the thick green gel over his shaft. "Can't deny you anything," he purred, pressing into her with a deep groan. The coating the gel provided transferred the tightness and warmth of her sex perfectly, pulling at his barbs as he started to thrust into her.

"Oh, Gods!" Tes howled and stretched out along his body, relishing having Doruth inside her without any pain. Each slow thrust drew a fresh rumble from each of them as he held her against his chest gently and fondled sensitive breasts.

He savored the sensations as he licked and nuzzled her neck and shoulders, his powerful body rubbing against her back and rubbing all her breasts with his hands as he sank himself into her body time and again. As difficult as it was, Doruth kept his body strictly under control as her pleasure mounted and her body gripped him more and more tightly.

"Ohhh, Doruth." She moaned as she gave into her pleasure.

"Mmm ... Tes," he rumbled, licking her neck as he thrust into her sex a little faster. "So hot...."

"Fill me with your seed, Doruth," she cried out sharply, her body milking his cock. "Tell our pups who their father is."

He let out a roar, coming hard and pumping his seed into her deeply as her body milked him for every drop.

"Oh, yes!" Tes squeezed down around the hot smoothness deep in her body, panting as they came down slowly.

"Mmm ... you like it with that, hmm?" He rumbled softly, contentedly, fondling her breasts as his hands strayed from one set to the other.

"Yes," she murmured and turned her head to kiss him lightly. "It's nice not to have it hurt."

"I'm sorry about all that," he murmured, returning the kiss. "Have to thank whoever came up with this when you see them next. They outdid themselves."

"Yes, they did." She murmured and shifted to face him for a lingering kiss. "And the pain is not your fault, Doruth. I knew before you ever touched me what I was getting into."

"Mmm ... still, glad they figured out a way around it," he murmured. "After all," he winked, "only way you liking sex more is a bad thing is if you end up working me to death."

"I have faith that's not possible," she grinned and snuggled against him. "You just bring it out in me so much."

"Mmm... I do my best," he rumbled, nuzzling her fondly. "Love you Tes," he murmured softly.

"I love you, Doruth." She whispered back and claimed a lingering kiss. "More than I thought was possible."

* * *

* * *

* * *

"Hey, Shi." Fenrik called out to her softly as he walked up to her studying alone by Jay's favorite pond the morning after she'd walked in on Jay with him.

"Hmm?" She looked up, surprised to see the Panther there. She hadn't been too surprised that Jay wasn't there, honestly, but she'd just thought that meant she'd be studying alone. "Hello, Fenrik. Care to sit down?" She asked politely.

"Thanks," he settled down a respectful distance. "I was hoping we could talk a bit ... sort thing out between us."

"And between us and Jay?" She guessed, though it wasn't hard to tell that it was at least on his mind. "I'm sorry about yesterday," she opened up, something she was getting a little too used to saying. "Jay and I did talk about it."

"Yeah, well, I really should have locked the door." He blushed a bit. "He was just really distracting right then."

"I ah... think I've got an idea what you mean," Shi blushed a light violet. "He can be remarkably distracting when he sets his mind to it...."

"Yeah, he can be," Fenrik smiled fondly. "But mostly I came because we both care about him and we both want to stay in his life. It'd be good if we got along too."

"That it would," she nodded. "Though, just so you know, I don't mind you two seeing each other yet," she added with a smile. "Don't know if Jay would've told you yet."

"Not yet," he let out a small breath of relief. "Thank you."

"Neither of our people have ever really believed in sticking to one partner," she smiled slightly. "I was just a little surprised to see he'd already found another."

"More like another found him, but yeah, I get how that can be pretty rattling." He nodded seriously. "It's not something you usually expect."

"No," she agreed, leaning back and relaxing a bit. "You don't mind sharing?"

"No," Fenrik shook his head easily. "I don't mind. I'm not really into femmes yet, but if he's happy, I can't really object."

"I don't think he's really into femmes yet either," she admitted. "At least not as much as he likes males. So," she smiled, looking over at the Panther sitting next to her, "truce, friends?"

"Truce, friends," he smiled back. "And give him two or three years. You'll probably see a real change after his barbs start breaking through."

"So about your age?" She asked curiously.

"Yeah," he nodded, blushing a bit. 

"What'd I say?" She asked, giggling a little.

"Just reminded me I'll probably be interested in you in a few months." His flush deepened. "It complicates things a lot."

"Uhm, yeah," she agreed with a blush of her own. "It would. Though I doubt Jay'd mind too much," she chuckled slightly.

"Probably not," he nodded slightly. "It's not like who sired the kits is an issue."

"No," she agreed. "Even if it was possible, it wouldn't be an issue for a _long_ time."

"Very true," he nodded and cocked his head a bit. "So how did you two end up together?"

"I help heal him after he found out why you're supposed to wait until you're a Knight before you practice flying with the Force," she chuckled slightly.

Fenrik blinked a couple times. "He got far enough to require a healer from the crash?"

"He has a talent for trying things before he's ready, and making it farther than he has any real right to," she nodded with a slight smile. "He doesn't talk about it too much, obviously."

"I'm beginning to feel sorry for Master Essani," he murmured with a shake of his head. "And why she has him. Not many Masters could handle a Padawan like that."

"He's getting better about it from what I can tell," Shivasta chuckled. "He seems to be focusing on what he's supposed to be studying a bit more, so it's not as risky when he focuses on what he wants to."

"I expect Master Essani has added a few instructions for experimental time too, like 'don't try new things without me around'." He chuckled slightly. "At least for potentially dangerous ideas."

"I wouldn't doubt it," she nodded. "He said himself that he had a bad habit of turning her fur grey."

"At least she changes back," he cracked a grin. "Most turn grey from us and stay that way."

"Am I the only Padawan here who _doesn't_ delight in leaving her Master new colors?" She asked, looking over with a slight smirk. "The chlorophyll incident aside?"

"Oh, most don't delight in it," he chuckled. "We just do it. Though I bet the green Bear was a bit of a sight."

"To my credit, I only managed that once," Shivasta chuckled. "And Master Ursal thought it was funny too. Not that I did it intentionally. Other than that, all her grey is natural."

"You're both Healers too," Fenrik pointed out with a smirk. "You guys never seem that inclined towards pranks or crazy behavior."

"That's because we have to keep you warriors and scholarly types on the straight and narrow," she smirked back. "Besides, if we managed to get ourselves hurt doing something like that, who'd patch you guys up?"

"And who'd be able to lecture us about not doing stupid things." He chuckled. "It doesn't come across quite as sternly when the lecturer is as guilty as the lectured.

"Very true," she chuckled. "Mmm ... though from what I've heard, Essani comes close with most of the lectures she's given Jay."

"Yeah, but she's his Master. It's different."

"True," she nodded. "Though it _is_ a little odd to think of a Master as pulling some of the pranks she has."

"True," Fenrik chuckled lightly. "She never did grow out of prankster mode. But she's a rabbit. An odd sense of humor is required to get along when nine-tenths of the known universe conceders you either food or a pet."

"True, though it's amusing when somebody tries to treat her like either," Shivasta smiled. "I still remember this time not too long after I was here, some Panther cub tried 'hunting' her."

"Picked him up by the scruff and explained why you make sure something's not sentient before you go hunting?" Fenrik chuckled ruefully, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Oh," Shi giggled. "Sorry...."

"It's okay. _Everybody_ who hunts gets that one. I _did_ learn after the first round, after all."

"Which is better than a lot of others manage," Shivasta nodded. "Like that Navik creep, before he had himself shipped back to Rodia. Don't think he _ever_ really accepted it."

"Yeah, _him_." Fenrik snorted. "You'd think they'd know better than to bring in certain races. Some just aren't capable of being socialized right, no matter how Force-sensitive they are."

"Fenrik," she said, frowning slightly. "There's always a chance. It was worth that much, even if it didn't work out. Who knows? Maybe some day he'll figure out where he went wrong."

"Maybe," he shrugged. "But most of the Jedi killers out there were trained _here_. They shouldn't be turned loose like that when they fail. We're making the Dark stronger that way, and loosing good Knights in the process."

"And only a handful of Jedi, Knights or otherwise, ever _are_ turned loose that way," she pointed out softly. "There's no chance for redemption after death."

"Is that what they teach Healers?" He asked quietly despite the slight bristle of fur. "Make you fight death that much more."

"It's also true, as far as anybody knows," she pointed out softly. 

"They're twisting the truth for you," he sighed. "Death _is_ redemption. You rejoin the Force when you die. It's the ultimate redemption."

"Not if the hold of the Dark Side is too strong on you," she pointed out. "If the spirit fights rejoining the Force. And if it's _not_ strong enough, then they can to the light _without_ dying, make amends for their crimes, whatever they are. Either way, what does it say about us, if we're willing to kill somebody for something they _might_ do in the future?"

He regarded her, and then shook his head sadly. "It says that the people in charge are willing to sacrifice hundreds of thousands of innocent lives rather than killing a few very dangerous people when they first knew they were trouble."

"The ones who killed the most we never saw coming," she pointed out. "Exar Kun, Malik, they were both well on their way to being Knights in good standing when they turned. Revan was nearly a Master, and if Knight Parn hadn't stopped him, Master Zykell would have devastated entire worlds. These are the people who've dedicated themselves to slaying Jedi, and they _were_ Jedi until they turned. Nobody saw it coming until it was far, far too late."

"Because no one wanted to believe it, or it happened _fast_." He countered quietly. "It's not something that concerns us either, any more than why a government would let a disease ravage a world unchecked for years before calling for help. I get sent to pick up the pieces for the Council's mistakes, you get sent to pick up for health departments. Both could be avoided if the people in charge would see what was happening and act on it."

"I think we should just agree to disagree here, at least for now," she said quietly.

"Sure," he accepted easily. It wasn't a debate even his Master got far with very often. "So how did it go with Jay after he caught up with you again?"

"Well, we sorted out what had happened," she explained. "I misinterpreted ... well, pretty much everything," she admitted.

"Like what?" He asked, his tone quite gentle. "Maybe I can give you a heads up on any surprises that are coming."

"We'd been friends for weeks before kissing came up," she explained, blushing slightly, "let alone anything more. When I saw him in bed with you like that... well, I assumed you'd been together longer, and he'd told me that he didn't have anybody. So it started out just being a shock, and from there, I started to wonder if he'd lied to me about being alone, or other things he'd told me."

"Ah, no." He flushed a bit himself. "I was just lucky. You never left him alone long enough to have anyone else. I was looking."

"I didn't think I monopolized him _that_ much," Shivasta blushed. "He explained it... he's just a lot more at ease with toms right now."

"I seriously doubt he wasn't enjoying it," Fenrik smiled slightly. "And yeah, welcome to feline biology. He'll figure it out on his own in a couple years if you don't teach him sooner."

"What is it about feline biology that makes males more interesting?" She asked. "You mentioned it earlier, but not why."

"Female felines usually need the extra stimulation of the barbs to have the right kind of orgasm to conceive," he explained easily. "So until they come in and a male can actually sire kits, interest in females is usually minimal. Interest in sex starts with the first nubs though. It's two or three years between the two when males are interesting but females aren't. He's just barely got his first nubs; it'll be a while before the barbs come in."

"So that's why those were so sensitive," she mused, her eyes getting wide as she realized what she'd just said.

"Yeah," he nodded. "It's nothing compared to what the barbs feel like though."

"I'll take your word for it," she blushed. "At least for now."

"You'll get your chance in a couple years," he nodded easily. "I don't see Jay taking off on you."

"I hope not," she smiled softly. "Though I don't know that he's gonna take off on you either. Thanks for finding me, Fenrik," she added. "It's good to get a chance to know you."

"It seemed like a good idea," he smiled a bit. "You'll have him a lot more than me after all. You're both staying at the Temple mostly, I think this is the longest stay I've ever had here."

"Just hope we don't both end up off-planet on a mission for too long," she chuckled. "No telling what's going to happen to him without us to keep an eye on him when Master Essani's too busy."

"He'd find someone else." He chuckled easily. "It's just how things tend to work. He's not the kind that takes walking alone well."

"Very true," she nodded with a smile. "He needs friends, at the very least. I'm afraid I have to get going," she said, sitting up. "Master Ursal won't be too happy if I'm late for my lessons again," she chuckled slightly.

"No, they never are," he nodded and waved her off.

* * *

* * *

* * *

The next day Shi went looking for Jay. She eventually found him swimming in one of the Temple's ponds, his robes at the shore. She could tell he was fairly well relaxed; there was something about how he moved through the water that seemed much more like his old self. She sat down by the edge of the lake, watching him with a soft smile.

They'd both been doing a lot of thinking the past few days, though he'd done more than she had. Talking with Fenrik had helped explain a few of her questions, and erased any doubts she had about her ability to share Jay.

She waited for him to climb out; she wanted to talk with him next, see how he was doing. She couldn't help but look him over appreciatively as he climbed up on the large flat rock and sprawled out on it to dry off. She also couldn't help but blush as she noticed his half-hard shaft. She walked over, leaning back against his rock.

"How's it going?" She asked him.

"Better," he nodded, rolling his head over to look at her. "How are you doing?"

"Pretty good," she smiled. "I talked with Fenrik yesterday. He's a nice guy, though it's _definitely_ easy to tell he's a warrior at heart."

"I noticed, believe me." Jay chuckled. "It makes quite an impression."

"Mmm ... in case he hasn't told you, we've decided we'll try to be friends, and that we can share," she smiled, shifting to kiss him on the cheek lightly.

"Good," his tail patted the rock lightly and he rolled a bit to kiss her back on the mouth. "It'd be rough if you didn't like each other."

"Philosophical differences, but not anything we can't ignore or sort out," she smiled, nuzzling him lightly and reaching up to scritch his chest. "He did mention something though, that I've got to run by you before it's an issue."

"Mmmm?" Jay rumbled with a deep purr.

"Well, he explained why it is that felines don't get interested in females for a while," she explained, smiling at him. "And he mentioned that he _might_ be developing an interest in me in the next few months."

Jay blinked and looked at her curiously. "News to me." He murmured. "But if you two get along that well, I'm fine with it."

"Mmm ... don't know if we will or not," she admitted. "But I wanted to clear it with you first. After all," she smiled, "fair's fair, right?

"Fair's fair," he chuckled and nuzzled her.

"And he said something about getting more interested once the barbs come in," she shrugged slightly. "Instinct thing."

"Possible," he nodded. "And just some exposure'll help too."

"Mmm ... well, we can work on that some," she smiled. "So, you have things sorted out better now?"

"Yes," he leaned the rest of the way to his side and kissed her. "Mostly it was coming to an understanding of why I did what I did, and what I wanted to do now."

"And what did you decide?" She asked him, scritching his chest lightly as his arousal slowly mounted.

"Mmmm ... that I made a mess of not figuring it out first, but I want you both in my life, for different reasons."

"What did you make a mess of?" She asked him. "What part, at least? After all, you're hardly the sole source of the mess the past few days have been in general."

"I made a mess of my part." He shrugged. "I didn't check to find out what your expectations were and I didn't find out before I went with Fenrik that you'd be okay with it. It's not like I don't know I'm not back home. Running on those social rules is just unreasonable."

"Well I made a mess of mine too, if that's the case," she smiled softly. "Went off without knowing what had happened, what was happening. What _your_ expectations were. So, just for the record, let's just each blame ourselves and not worry about it, okay? We've taken care of it."

"Works for me," he rumbled softly and ran his fingers along her soft blue neck.

"Mmm...." She shivered slightly, rubbing down his chest towards his stomach. "Decide anything else, beyond that you want us both in your life?"

"To take my time to make this work," he murmured and guided her down for a kiss. "As little or as much as that means."

"It doesn't have to mean being uncomfortable," she murmured, returning the kiss, closing her eyes as she got into it. "No farther than you're comfortable with, whether you think I want it or not."

"I know," he rumbled and ghosted a hand over her breasts behind the light robes she was wearing. "I could feel how badly you wanted it, and you still stopped me." He kissed down her jaw and neck. "Thank you for that."

"You're welcome," she murmured, shivering again. "Mmm ... should we find somewhere more private?"

"Suggestions?" He rumbled and rolled to his feet down to the grass to get his robes.

"Anywhere we're not likely to be found by wandering Masters or people who won't let us live it down," she giggled. As he pulled his robes on, she walked up behind him and hugged him impulsively. "And maybe somewhere I can give you that shower I promised before we saw the clock," she whispered.

"That rules my room out," he turned in her arms and kissed her soundly. "Essani likes the sonic kind."

"Mine?" She offered. "Master Ursal kind of made an offer; she won't interrupt unless she has to or we're supposed to be somewhere in ten minutes."

"Works for me," he chuckled and nuzzled her. "I'm not due anywhere until after dinner."

"Then we'd best get going," she smiled, kissing him tenderly and rubbing his back before they broke apart to walk to her quarters.

Shivasta really had no doubt that everybody they passed on the way back knew that something was up, though she hoped they didn't know what. The trip back to her quarters was much longer than she wanted it to be by the time they finally got there, and she drew Jay close for a kiss that he returned with a fair amount of passion and explorative hands that worked under her light, loose clothes.

He didn't say a thing as he began to kiss down her neck, his hands under her short top to caress her breasts, his thumb taking special care in circling the hardening nipple when he found it.

She moaned softly, her hands working along his own back to find each point she could remember that would wind him up.

"Shouldn't we get to the shower?" She asked him, groaning as his furry fingers teased her nipples.

"Mmm, that's a good idea," he shivered in a combination of her touch and the thought of having her under water, even cool water.

"Let's go," she grinned, leading the way, shedding what little she was wearing on the way. "Mind if I set the water?" She asked him, climbing in ahead of him.

"Go ahead," he nodded as he stripped, taking a little longer than strictly necessary to watch her slender sky-blue form move and licked his lips in the hunger her backside raised in him. He wasn't sure if she'd realized the effect it had on him, but after she'd set the water temperature where she wanted it she leaned back up, playing her hands down along her body to accentuate her lean curves.

"Join me?" She asked him with a seductive shyness.

"Anywhere," he rumbled and stepped under the spray that made her skin glisten. It was shockingly cold, below what he took for a cool shower, but after an instinctive shiver he tried to think of it as rain and ran his hands up her trim body, his mouth lavishing attention on her breasts.

"Oh yes," she groaned, reaching down to stroke his sheath and fondle his balls, water streaming down her body and matting his fur. She could feel the pleasure her touch caused, but as he knelt and kissed his way down to the trimmed triangle of dark blue hair above her sex, she could feel that this was pushing his temperature comfort zone pretty seriously.

"Want to move to my bed instead?" She offered, realizing that it was definitely chillier than he liked.

"Mind if I warm up first?" He looked up, willing to pleasure her first.

"If you want," she smiled. "Just want you to enjoy this too, y'know?"

"It won't take much," he promised with a kiss to her sex before he stood.

"I'll meet you in my room," she promised, stepping out and grabbing a towel to dry off quickly before she wrapped it around her waist and walked out of the room. She could feel the heat on her back at the water temperature went up a solid thirty degrees and he groaned as the chill was burned from his body.

She shivered a little, though not from the cold. Just imagining being under that water almost hurt.

They'd definitely have to lay off playing in the shower.

It took her a moment, but it sunk in that it wasn't just the physical chill that had made him uncomfortable. Something about the cold triggered instincts that spoke of dangerous places and things to fear.

She lay down on her bed, stretching and waiting for him to follow her in, untying the towel and getting ready to open it when he was there. It didn't take him long; his fur was still a bit damp as he walked in.

"Sorry," Jay rumbled as he knelt on the bed to kiss her. "I'm just not built for those temperatures."

"It's okay," she rumbled, returning the kiss and laying the towel aside. "What about in here?" She asked, knowing that her room was probably still below what he was used to, for all that he hadn't complained before.

"In here I have my fur to make up the difference," he purred and kissed her softly, one hand trailing along her breastbone. "It's cool, but you warm me up."

"Why don't we see just how warm I can make you?" She offered, stroking his side and pressing into his hand. "Might not be in the shower, but I do still have a few plans for us, if you're in the mood to play...."

"Definitely," he shivered in pleasure and began to kiss down her neck to her breasts again.

"Mmm ... oh no you don't," she rumbled playfully, pulling him up for a kiss as she rolled over on top of him. "My turn to use my tongue this time," she smiled, kissing him deeply before she moved to nuzzle his neck and start kissing down his chest.

"Anything you want," Jay moaned softly and relaxed after his initial startled reaction. It didn't stop him from running his hands along her body, taking in her soft, cool skin that was so different from Fenrik's sold fur-covered heat.

She licked at his furless nipples lightly as she moved down his body, her tongue cool against his skin as her fingers worked his sheath and balls, slowly coaxing him to hardness. It wasn't a difficult task, she could feel the pleasure that wasn't completely physical every touch caused and he had no inhibitions about voicing it with a small multitude of whimpers, moans, groans, rumbles and purrs.

His hands didn't still either, their marked heat a wave that ran over her back and shoulders, encouraging her to go further down to where his cock was stirring in it's velvet-soft sheath. And lower she went.

When she reached his groin, she started to nuzzle it, lick at it, anything she could think of to draw his young cock out of its hiding place. His voice, as much as his body, told her what he liked best and she nuzzled him more, using her tongue and mouth on his balls as he peaked out; the spongy, cylindrical head rewarding her efforts along with his moans and pleasure.

She ran her tongue around the head, moaning softly at the heavy, musky taste. She took him into her mouth, far cooler than he was used to, but just as enthusiastic as she coaxed him out and teased his nubs with her lips and tongue.

He stiffened instantly with a sharp cry of raw pleasure that turned into a drawn out whimper; his entire body reacted to the bolt of sensation by stiffening even as he submitted completely to her attentions.

She moved her head up and down his length, playing her fingers along the nerves and pleasure points around his crotch, thighs and the furless pucker of his ass. She suckled on his shaft lightly, closing her eyes and focusing on pleasuring him. The sensations pouring off him, their utterly unguarded and unfiltered nature, was a distraction that made it more difficult to focus than when his instincts began to take over and he thrust his hips up into the cool, wet warmth.

For a few brief moments, she tried to find some way to keep focused, but quickly gave in to sheer instinct, moaning around his cock and pressing her finger into his almost painfully hot body. She let his reactions, both emotionally and physically, guide her to what felt best for him, her own arousal quickly mounting as his peaked.

"Sh-Shi," he shuddered, his hands working in her hair as he tried not to hurt her as his control of his hips began to slip.

She ran her tongue along each of his nubs, hungry for his seed, almost not hearing him as she worked him towards the edge, then over it with a roar. His hips jerked up sharply, shooting the gooey strings into her mouth with each thrust and it's matching cry of pleasure so intense it was nearly painful.

Shi pulled back sharply, but managed to keep his tip in her mouth, swallowing the intensely hot, bittersweet liquid as it poured over her tongue. 

Once he'd finished, she pulled off of him, nuzzling his sticky shaft lightly, memorizing his scent and taste before she moved up along his body to kiss him lightly, pressing close. He wrapped her in an embrace and rolled them over, putting her on her back.

"My turn," he rumbled softly as he nuzzled his way down her neck, his hands exploring her body with a relaxed hunger he didn't try to control.

"Just wanted to be sure I _got_ my turn this time," she teased playfully, moaning as his furry fingers and the hard tips of his claws played along her body, exploring to find the pleasure points that she knew by training.

"Ever had a fantasy about me?" He rumbled, his breath hot against her bare skin as he nuzzled her breasts, giving every inch of sensitive skin attention.

"Ooh... a couple," she admitted, blushing and moaning softly. "We're probably not really ready for those though...."

"Involving something besides my tongue inside you?" He guessed with a rumbled, his rough tongue swirling around her nipple until it was a hard pebble he couple play sharp teeth over.

"Mhm," she nodded, her breath quickening as he slid one hand down, his palm flat across her stomach. "Mmm ... you have any more our speed?"

"Maybe," Jay rumbled, his fingers teasing her mons with a feather-light touch. "Most involve Fen too. Or playing like guys do."

"Mmm ... not quite yet," she said apologetically, rubbing the back of his head. "But at least we have something to work towards," she giggled, before moaning as his fingers played along her slick sex.

"What about this?" He murmured against her neck and gently slid one finger inside her body.

The sharp gasp of pleasure and arch of her smooth body answered as well as anything else could. Her body tightened slightly around his finger.

"Good," she moaned.

"Like that, do you?" Jay smiled and slowly slid his finger in and out, mimicking the action of stretching a male lover out. He pressed a second finger inside her and shifted so his palm rubbed against her clit while he occupied her mouth with his own.

She pressed up into his hand eagerly, her smooth tongue dueling with his rough one as she scratched and rubbed at his back, relishing the feel of his hard body and harder cock against her even as she ached to have him inside her for real.

"You want me inside you?" He offered softly, his body and mind keyed up to mimic the act of his fingers even as the idea triggered instincts of dangerous things that should scare him off ... and made it even more enticing.

"A-are you ready yet?" She asked, her breath quick as she kissed his neck hungrily.

"Willing to try," he shivered in pleasure as his cock rubbed against the curve of her hip. "Shouldn't even think you're interesting yet, but I definitely do." He murmured and kissed her, his fingers rubbing the inside of her body.

"Mmm ... I'll take that as a compliment," she groaned. "Just stop if it's too much for you, okay?" She said, looking at him seriously.

"I will," he murmured, a shiver of excitement ruffling his fur as he removed his fingers, sliding the slick fur around her clit as he shifted to settle between her legs, her lower lips spread open by slick fingers to expose the small, deep purple opening he pressed his rock-hard cock into slowly.

"Oh Gods," she groaned, raking his back with her fingers as she pulled him close and wrapped her legs around his waist even as he began to thrust.

Jay could only shudder with a groan, the tight heat, so much cooler than Fenrik but still intense, closed around him. He squeezed his eyes closed and whimpered at the sensations and instinctive drive to pound into her. It took all his focus to keep his teeth off her tender skin so his hips had their way with her body.

Shivasta could only moan and whimper as he pounded into her, his shaft spreading her virgin sex.

"Oh Jay," she whimpered, pressing back into his thrusts as her body twitched and spasmed around him. It drew a suddenly powerful thrust as he snarled a roar and pumped a load of burningly hot seed deep into her with each motion.

She cried out in pleasure, almost screaming as her sex clenched down around his, milking it for every drop of his essence as she clutched his furry body close to her smooth one until they were both spent and panting for breath.

Jay murmured something indistinct and rested his head on her chest; his body both exhausted and keyed up beyond anything he understood was possible. He didn't particularly want to move, but he didn't want to stop either.

Her hands rubbed his back as she worked on recovering herself, her mind still spinning from everything that had happened.

"Mmm ... me on top this time, maybe?" She suggested, catching on that he wanted to keep going, for all that some parts of his body didn't necessarily agree.

"All right," he murmured, kissing her lightly.

She rolled the two of them over carefully, keeping his hot cock inside her body as she kissed him deeply, starting to move her body against his as they explored each other's pleasures.

* * *

Jedi Knight Doruth Parn glanced at his mate-to-be, the nervousness at a formal ceremony carefully controlled so he showed a flawlessly settled exterior to the small gathering in one of the private gardens of the Temple. Almost everyone present were in Jedi robes, the only exception was Tes' mother, who wore the subdued finery of a successful Wolf merchant who hadn't left her warrior tenets behind. It left him with few doubts where Tes had gotten most of her nature from.

He felt more than a little out of place here at the center of a half-moon of onlookers who represented both their 'packs' and extended family. Despite knowing practically everybody there well, the preponderance of Wolves, mostly Tes' adoptive extended family since she'd come to the Temple three years before, made him feel a bit like an outsider. The only people there who weren't Wolves were Jay, Fenrik, Master Essani, and Jolani.

Still, looking over at Tes, at ease and happy to be making this official, he knew it was worth being a little uncomfortable. Besides, they'd been over the important parts time and again; he knew what was going to happen and what he was expected to do and say.

He was still running over the less obvious over in his mind when a subtle shift in the gathering brought his attention forward to the male Wolf, his fur graying with age, that was approaching to officiate the event in full Jedi Master robes. He almost showed his surprise when he recognized Master Ryul, then spotted Master Karyk not far behind him, her presence nearly masked by her own skills.

He glanced over at Tes, wondering if she'd known who was going to be in charge and saw a bit of surprise, and that she was more than a little in awe that the Council Wolves had chosen to do this. He certainly hadn't been expecting them. From what he understood, they might have been expected to officiate the marriage between two Masters, but between a low-ranking Knight and a Custos just about any Wolf Master, or even a high-ranking Knight, was acceptable.

On the other hand, there was certainly no doubting that they had the right to if they wanted to. He just had to wonder _why_ they wanted to.

"Greetings Alpha Ryul," Doruth bowed his head in the greeting that Tes deemed the most important thing to get right in the entire event. 

"Greetings Alpha Karyk," Tes matched his motion, directing it towards the other female that was mate to Alpha of Alphas among the Jedi and a Wolf of great rank in her own right.

"Greetings, Alphas," Master Ryul returned the greeting without bowing, his tail and head high in the dominant posture that he didn't use normally. "What business has been called before the greater pack?"

"The formal mating of Alpha Doruth Parn and Alpha Tes Ramaris of my pack," Doruth answered easily and received a nod in reply.

"Are there any who object to this mating?" His strong voice rang out across the crowd.

Doruth offered a silent prayer that he'd made a good impression with Tes' mother, and that nobody else would decide she deserved better than a Knight who'd run away from the Order and returned. He knew that just about anybody there could stop this right now if they wanted to. At least anyone willing to fight him, and possibly Tes, over it if they were not willing to back down. He knew without looking that at least a couple pairs of eyes went to Knight Tallerin Ryzish, the sire of Tes' pups and the one with the best challenge claim.

"Very well." Master Karyk stated after an excruciatingly long time that wasn't even a full minute and focused on the pair again. "Doruth Parn, what do you bring to this union?"

"I am a Jedi Knight," he answered easily. Despite the accomplishment it represented, he knew it meant remarkably little to bring in among those gathered here. "And am able to provide well for my pack, now and as it grows."

Master Karyk nodded acceptance and shifted to look at Tes. "Tes Ramaris, what do you bring to this union?"

She took a small breath before answering. "I bring the wealth and holdings of the Ramaris packs as its Lord Alpha's sole heir," she claimed her heritage for the first time in almost ten years. "We claim three Heroes and two Jedi Masters from our packs in the last century. The pups I carry are strong and the Ryzish have accepted that they are Ramaris and will carry on our bloodline and my place in it. I have successful led a pack in trading in the outer rim, have completed Custos training and survived the field with a Jedi."

Master Karyk nodded again; ignoring the nearly silent murmur of surprise that swept through those gathered and the pride of the elder Ramaris at hearing it.

"Who is the senior Alpha among you?" He asked formally.

Doruth was grateful for the question; it helped to remind him what was going on after hearing about Tes' heritage and inheritance for the first time.

All in all, it was enough to make him feel a little odd as he closed his jaws lightly around Tes' for a moment in the proper answer of 'I am'.

"Very well." Master Karyk accepted the statement and cast his attention back to the crowd. "All have heard their standing. All know their intent. Do any object to this union of packs?"

Another short moment took an eternity to pass while they waited for an answer that didn't come. Doruth relaxed inwardly, half-convinced that Tes' mother would have objected once he found out who she was.

"Then let it me known and accepted by all that Doruth Parn and Tes Ramaris are now mates and joint Alphas of their pack, and each is to be accepted by the other's family as kin." Master Karyk rumbled with his full authority as the excitement and approval gathered in the howl that nearly drowned out his last words. "* _Good life,_ *" he added silently to Doruth before slipping away to allow the party to start.

* * *

Doruth watched as Jay practiced his lightsaber style with Master Yamari. As much as the kit didn't enjoy combat, he certainly seemed to enjoy practicing, at least with the blue-furred Mouse. He wasn't half-bad either, though her technique was much more graceful than Jay's own with the half-century of experience she had on the kit.

Not really a surprise honestly, but it was interesting to watch the two of them in their dance-like motions, similar to but quite different from Doruth's own. He even caught the beginning of what would become a rather unique set of moves in Jay's flowing motions.

He smiled slightly as the pair separated and signaled the end of the match, extinguishing their lightsabers with a bow. His smile spread as he realized that at no point during the match had Jay lost control the way he was prone to. He stood up, walking down to the two of them where he could be seen easily.

"Master Yamari," he said with a respectful bow. "Any objections if I kitnap Jay for a few hours? I did check with Master Essani, and she approves of giving him a little break."

"Of course not," she smiled warmly up at the much bigger feline. "He is learning his lessons very well."

"It looked like it," Doruth nodded. "At this rate, they'll end up turning you into more of a dancer than a scholar," he teased playfully, reaching down to squeeze Jay's shoulder.

"Hardly a bad thing if I'm any good at it," he grinned back unrepentantly as they headed out of the gym. "So what are we doing?"

"Well, from what I've heard, you've spent the last three, four years almost either in the Temple or going to some tech convention," Doruth explained with a chuckle. "So I talked to your Master, and she agreed it'd be a good idea for you to see some of Coruscant. Besides," he smiled warmly, "be good to spend a little time with you that _isn't_ in the middle of a personal crisis for one or the other of us."

"You're not going to get an argument from me," he grinned, his tail swaying happily. "In civvies or as Jedi?"

"Civvies," Doruth smiled easily, his own tail swaying. "We'll be taking the Gurath," he added, "so you can change there after you've grabbed some clothes."

"Very cool. What's on the agenda?" Jay almost vibrated in excitement.

"Mostly general sight-seeing," Doruth explained. "Possibly pay a visit to the Senate building, if it interests you, but mostly poking around the tourist traps that you _don't_ find unless you know your way around. And Tes said something about wanting to hit the shopping district," he chuckled.

"Be afraid," Jay snickered.

"I know," Doruth chuckled. "I sensed a great disturbance in the Force when she told me. Like thousands of credits crying out in terror... then suddenly being silenced."

"Oh ... that's mean!" He grinned until his cheeks hurt.

"True though," Doruth chuckled as they walked back towards Jay's room. "At least the sinking feeling in our bank balance. Though she's _certainly_ entitled about now; she needs to find a few things that aren't quite as tight with the pups on the way."

"And I doubt she's done any shopping to speak of since she met you." He nodded. "At least not around here."

"Not seriously," Doruth nodded. "Certainly nothing to get her ready for a litter of pups."

"Maybe we can sneak away and not get stuck with porter duty." Jay winked with a mischievous grin.

"And here I thought mind-reading _wasn't_ your best suit," Doruth smirked. "Though there are enough people there who'd be _happy_ to do the job for us."

"True," Jay nodded. "And droids always behave for me."

"Porter droids behave for anybody," Doruth chuckled as they reached Jay's quarters. "Why don't you grab yourself some clothes, I'll wait here."

"Right," he nodded and ducked inside, coming back a moment later with a neatly folded set of general wear clothes in his arms.

"Great," Doruth grinned. "Now, let's get back to the Gurath and get ready."

* * *

* * *

* * *

Jay looked around as the nature of the building around them changed from the chaotic bustle of government to the somber stillness of the Hall of Heroes with its statues and perfectly polished floors and walls. His head and ears dropped down, almost the kind of submission kits usually displayed to the Council the first time they comprehended who they were facing.

"Everything okay, Jay?" Doruth asked, squeezing the kit's shoulder lightly. He could understand the impact; it could be imposing to know what each statue represented ... and, given Jay's talent for reading objects, it was probably even stronger for him with everything these statues and memorials must have absorbed over the millennia some had been here.

"Yes," he nodded slightly, still in complete awe of what he was feeling, hearing, from the memorials. "It's just ... they're almost here." He struggled to explain having the statues so impregnated with their events that it was almost as potent as having their real ghosts there telling the stories.

"If it's too much for you, let us know," the Panther told him softly, watching as Tes' attention was caught by assorted Wolves in the Hall and she moved off to watch, touch ... sometimes even commune with her own kind held in such respect.

"I will," Jay nodded and striated a bit, though the aura of extreme respect never left him as they walked slowly down the great central hall with it's alcoves for each heroes memorial.

"Anybody in particular you want to hear more about, or just want to listen to them?"

"Anyone here you knew?" He asked curiously, his attention drawn to one statue in particular. A young Weasel in Jedi robes, his lightsaber a glowing sea green as he held the classic defensive position.

Jay's hand ghosted over the written inscription without activating the holo-recording and he smiled shakily. "This is who my family is, Doruth."

"More people I know of," Doruth admitted, looking up at Charmis Missuri. "Now he's one that didn't make the Order happy. Not all of it, at least. He died like a Jedi though, whether he was one or not. Went out facing the beasts of Malys VI when they were besieging the natives. Left the Order when they decided they didn't have any place helping against natural phenomena."

"Who did you know?" Jay asked him quietly.

"Down more towards the end of the Hall," Doruth explained, leading the way to a statue of a shewolf dressed in the rich clothes of a noblewoman on the third level of statues. "Anwyn Solace; friend I met on my solo mission. Didn't know her too well," he admitted. "She was killed evacuating a hospital during the bombardment of Dantooine; the survivors petitioned to have her recognized here. Not all the heroes are warriors."

"She was brave though," he cocked his head a bit. "Not many would risk their life for a people not their own."

"I know," Doruth nodded, smiling a bit. "Just commenting on it. Most of the people here were warriors, or did something that made the entire galaxy stand up and take notice. She's one of the exceptions."

"Another odd one is Arkennin Tyos, the inventor of the hyperdrive." Tes nuzzled her mate, drawn to him by the distress clear in his mind and looking to help keep his dignity intact. "He's one of the few recognized for contributions to science, rather than an event or action."

"Yeah, but you'd have to be one _hell_ of a hypocrite not to include him," Doruth chuckled, grateful for the shifted focus. "After all, he basically made the Republic possible. About the only Arkanian here too," he noted as they walked past the statue of a tall, furless male with four long fingers and featureless eyes."

Jay cocked his head, respectful of the brilliance required to accomplish what the Arkanian had, but not so sure it qualified for a place here. "A hero?" He questioned. "For creating a piece of technology that would have happened anyway? He risked nothing."

"It might've happened anyway, or it might not have, at least not for a longer time," Doruth pointed out. "It's also a factor of how people get in here. There are a _lot_ of heroes that'll never get in here, for one reason or another. The Senate decides based on the petitions they hear; it's why Arkennin Tyos isn't the first statue there. Nobody thought to sponsor him in until after the Hall already had several occupants."

"Politics," he sighed and nodded, acknowledge that nothing happened without it, not even recognizing heroes. "I really shouldn't be surprised."

"Necessary evil, kit," Doruth pointed out gently. "Though they don't do too bad a job of it, usually."

"I know," he managed a tolerant grimace. "There are far worse ones than here."

"Definitely," the Panther nodded. "At least here they're _mostly_ honest politicians."

"As honest as the species gets at least." Jay snickered.

"True," Tes chuckled. "It is a relative thing."

Jay nodded, even as his attention was drawn to vixen in Jedi robes. "Why would a Hero be so feared?"

"Because that particular hero didn't just save the Republic, she almost destroyed it," Doruth explained. "Jedi Revan, eventually Master Revan, defied the Order to lead the Republic forces in the Mandalorian Wars. She was pretty much the sole reason we won it too," he said respectfully. "But when the Wars were over, she, her Padawan, and a good part of the fleet disappeared beyond the Galactic Rim.

"When Revan returned, she had become a Sith Lord, and gathered an army that nearly destroyed the Republic. A handful of Jedi were sent to kill her, but they captured her instead. She redeemed herself by turning back to the Light, facing her old apprentice and defeating him, destroying the ancient artifact they had used to build their fleet and crippling the Sith army. The decision was made to include her here for her role in the Mandalorian Wars more than for what happened after, but her full story is in the archives."

"Did she ever say what happened? What made her turn ... both times?"

"She never said what made her turn to the Dark Side," Doruth said, shaking his head. "What redeemed her... the Council of that time used a technique that suppressed her identity and memories. They had hoped that she would simply fade into obscurity, at the time, but she returned and they decided she needed to be retrained. She was adamant about one fact, once she found out who she really was. What made her resist the Dark Side that time was the support of her allies. An odd bunch to say the least, and each one just as likely to lead her to the Dark as to the Light, but together they helped her stay on the straight and narrow."

"Sounds right," he nodded, now _very_ curious about what had turned her evil. "Friends can make or break any path in life."

"That they can," Doruth nodded. "Want to stick around here a bit longer, or look around a few other places?"

"Let's see something else," he grinned up.

"How 'bout a visit to the Coruscani Zoological Gardens, then we go hit the shopping district?" The Panther offered, looking from Jay to Tes for their preferences.

"Works for me," the shewolf grinned, her primary interest clear.

"Sure," Jay snickered, a bit curious about the idea of collecting animals.

"Let's go then," Doruth smiled, chuckling slightly at the thought of how perfectly normal the day had actually been so far.

* * *

* * *

* * *

"Hey," Jay smiled a bit seductively when Fenrik opened the door to his quarters later that night. "Free for company?"

"Sure," the Panther grinned. "You've been pretty scarce today."

"Doruth katnapped me for a day of fun," he grinned and slipped inside, claiming a kiss when they had a little privacy.

"Mmm... and now you're looking for a different sort of fun, hmm?" Fenrik rumbled, returning the kiss and wrapping his arms around Jay lightly.

"Yap," he grinned unrepentantly and ran his hands down the bigger tom's chest. "And you're it."

"So, have a good time with him?" He chuckled as his hands explored Jay's lean body.

"Yeah," he chuckled and nuzzled in. "A little weird when nothing went weird, but it was fun. Tes was a terror in the shopping district though."

"Only you would think nothing weird happening was weird," Fenrik smirked, giving Jay an affectionate nuzzle. "So, wanna tell me about your day a bit, maybe let me help you wind down while you do?"

"Oh yeah," he licked his whiskers and slid one hand between them to fondle him. "We hit the Hall of Heroes, the Coruscani Zoological Gardens, Eternal Falls ... and even a few shops that were interesting." He added with a wink.

"Mmm ... do I _want_ to ask?" Fenrik rumbled, slipping Jay's robes back off his shoulders and kissing his neck lightly to an appreciative purr.

"Only if you want the lecture of your life for 'encouraging' me," Jay snickered as he made short work of opening Fenrik's robes. "Doruth was a little freaked that I recognized things he didn't."

"I'm surprised he _let_ you into a shop like that," the Panther rumbled, working Jay's robes off and running his fingers through dark red fur, tracing some of the stripes and spots with his fingers. It was moments like this that made it so hard to remember that Jay's nubs had just started to come in. He acted ever so much more experienced.

"Don't be fooled, the pregnant one runs _everything_." He snickered and arched into the pleasant contact before he began to kiss his way down the broad black chest in front of him. "And she thought it was funny as hell."

"Mmm... I'll bet you did too," the Panther rumbled, rubbing Jay's thighs, then reaching around his front to stroke his sheath lightly. "So, you get anything there?" He asked with a smirk.

"Uh-hu," he nodded with a rumble and bit of a blush. "For later," he stretched up to lick Fenrik's jaw.

"Mmm... works for me," Fenrik rumbled, turning to kiss Jay soundly. "Can I taste you?" He asked with a deep rumble, reaching down to fondle Jay's young balls lightly.

"Ohhh, any time you want." He breathed out softly with a moan and let his eyes drift closed as Fenrik trailed kisses down his jaw and throat. He knelt slowly, nuzzling his way down Jay's chest to his crotch, licking his sheath slowly.

Fenrik rumbled at the arousal built, the light but distinctly make musk permeating his nose while he gradually encouraged Jay to full hardness before taking him into his mouth while Jay moaned and rubbed his ears. It was a little like when he'd played with a Wolf, but instead of the most sensitive parts being a ring at the base, Jay's were just under the head.

And he tasted _all_ feline.

He licked at the tender nubs lightly, bobbing his head up and down Jay's shaft as he rubbed the younger tom's ass. His own shaft was getting harder every moment, the taste and smell arousing him like little else could. Jay's historic willingness and enjoyment of being well fucked only added to the anticipation.

"Ohh, yeah." Jay shuddered and thrust lightly into the mouth pleasuring him and his fingers worked Fenrik's velvety ears. "Want you in me." He groaned.

"In my bed, or out here?" The Panther rumbled, looking up at him and teasing his pucker with a fingertip.

"Shower?" He rumbled, the first time he'd really associated the fact that he was a lot more turned on by water than most folks. "All wet and slick and humid air holding our scent there."

"Mmm ... I think we can arrange that," Fenrik grinned, standing and kissing Jay soundly. "You go get the water ready, I'll grab the lube from my room."

"Right," he rumbled excitedly and darted for the bathroom, happily soaking wet and lightly playing with himself with a hungry look for Fenrik as the Panther walked in.

"You don't waste any time," the Panther rumbled, climbing into the shower and pinning Jay to the wall with a hungry kiss as the water soaked his own fur. "Mmm ... turn around and raise that tail of yours, and I'll give us a reason to have to clean up."

"Oh _yeah_." Jay licked his whiskers as he turned around, moaning deeply with his lover as his ass was spread open by Fenrik's thick, hard cock.

* * *

Jay was sitting in the library, wondering where Shi was. Normally they'd be studying together right now, but she was nowhere to be seen at any of their usual spots. He doubted she was upset with him. After two months things had seemed to settle down nicely. She and Fenrik were both content enough with the attention he gave them and their Masters were satisfied that none of their studies were slipping now that the first week of traumas had been sorted out.

"Sorry I'm late," she said, hurrying in, a slightly winded look on her face.

"You okay?" He glanced up, looking her over with concern.

"Yes, just...." She sighed, sitting down opposite him. "I'm afraid I can't stay long. Master Ursal was assigned to help on Necropolis; I'm going with her."

"Necr ...." Jay went tense, his eyes wide. "That's a plague system."

"Which is why we're going," she nodded. "Along with every healer the Order can spare. They need us, Jay. Don't know how long we'll be gone, but it'll be months at least."

"Are you likely to _be_ coming back?" He asked quietly.

"Do you really think Master Ursal would take me with her if she thought I wasn't going to survive it?" She asked him.

"At some point our Master has to lead us into danger, as much as they all hate it," he murmured. "Not every Padawan survives to become a Knight."

"But the danger they take us into isn't danger they think is more likely to kill us than teach us lessons," she pointed out, reaching across the table to take his hand. "I _will_ come back, Jay. I'm sure of it. I'm not going to die somewhere like Necropolis."

He squeezed her hand and nodded, needing to believe her words more than truly agreeing with them. "I'll try to be here when you do."

"I'll write you," she smiled softly, squeezing her hand back. "Promise."

"Thanks," he managed a smile, his distress under a blanket of calm and acceptance for her sake. "I hope it's not as bad as it sounds."

"I hope not too," she nodded, standing and leaning over to kiss him gently. "I should go finish packing; I just had to come and say good bye before I left."

"Thanks," he squeezed her hand before she had to hurry off. It was enough that he stood and quietly walked out a few minutes later. Studying was pointless right now. He needed to calm down.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Fenrik shook his head as he saw Jay sitting next to his favorite koi pond, teasing the fish into nibbling at his fingers. Word had traveled fast about the deployment to Necropolis, and the Panther had known how it would hit him.

"Hey," he said softly, sitting down next to Jay. "How're you doin'?"

"Better than an hour ago," he said quietly, looking over at him with his eyes lowered. "Still scared half to death for her."

"Can't blame you," Fenrik admitted. "Hell, even I'm worried. Tell you what, why don't we do something to take your mind off it for a while?"

"What did you have in mind?" He asked non-committally, not particularly interested in doing anything, but knowing it was a bright idea. Brooding never helped, after all.

"Two tickets to the holo-theater," Fenrik offered, holding up the chip with the data on it. "Warriors of Fire 3?"

"That's cheating!" He pouted, but the grin wasn't far behind.

"Didn't Master Essani teach you that yet?" Fenrik asked with a grin. "Jedi don't always play by the rules."

"Nah, she had to teach me there _were_ rules first," he snickered. "It's why her fur is always gray these days."

"Well, let's go occupy you for a few hours, let her relax for a while," Fenrik chuckled. "After all, how much trouble could you get into watching a movie?"

"Do you _really_ want to know that?" Jay smirked with a wink as they headed back towards their rooms to change into less conspicuous clothing.

"Probably not," Fenrik agreed, chuckling as they walked off.

* * *

* * *

* * *

A few hours later Fenrik and Jay were walking back to the Temple from the holo-theater. Jay was excitedly going on about the movie, special effects, and how to improve the theater's projection systems in roughly equal proportions. Fenrik, for his part, was half-listening, offering his own comments when it was appropriate and he had half a clue what Jay was talking about. He knew Jay didn't mind.

A few blocks from the theater, his focus shifted entirely away from Jay's conversation. He had a feeling they weren't entirely alone, but he couldn't place it yet.

"What's up?" Jay asked in the same rapid-fire voice as he had said everything else since the credits had rolled.

"Probably nothing," Fenrik said, shaking his head. "Just keep walking... keep an eye out though." The more they walked, the more certain he was that somebody was following them. And not just somebody else from the Temple following them back.

"Muggers wouldn't be that stupid, would they?"

"It's not like they know where we're from," Fenrik pointed out quietly. "Besides, I might be wrong."

"No, you aren't." Jay murmured after a moment of contact with the blasters in the area even as he slid his lightsaber from it's concealed sheath under his loose sleeves.

"Great," Fenrik muttered. "Well, let's see if we can shake them." They kept walking, turning the corner towards a better-lit street. A trio of Duros turned onto the walk ahead of them, starting their way. 

"So much for shaking them," the Panther murmured.

"We won't have to worry about vibros and blasters, but its not good odds," Jay shifted slightly so they could guard each other's backs and started to really focus on _not_ loosing control in a real fight.

"Let's see if we can get out of this without a fight if we can, okay?" Fen suggested, slowing down as the Duros approached from the front, and the part of the gang tailing them, another Duros, a Gamorrean, and a Rodian, came up behind them.

"Hey! Move out of our way," one of the Duros ahead of them demanded.

"If we could, we would," Fenrik said easily. "I'm afraid there's nowhere for us to go, since your friends are so close behind us."

"Are you saying we're crowding you, fuzz-face?" The Rodian sneered in its native language.

"No, just that you're too damaged to see the obvious." Jay replied coolly, a little too at ease with the harsh language and it's insults.

"I don't know what you said," Fenrik muttered at the Rodian's offended squawk, "but I don't think it helped."

"You're the one who'd brain damaged, crossing us, fuzzy," the Rodian shot back. "Or can't you count?"

"In case you couldn't understand that," the Duros said calmly, "unless you're looking for a fight, he'll need an apology. A rather large one," he added, rubbing his thumb and one large forefinger together in the near-universal sign for money. 

Fenrik's fur bristled slightly, but he held back the growl. Unfortunately, he was also broke, so even if he was inclined to pay them off he couldn't.

Not that he was particularly inclined to.

"How about this instead?" Jay rumbled in Basic and flicked his deep blue lightsaber to life. "You move, or we find out if Rodian really does make good eating."

"Jay," Fenrik cautioned him, slipping into a defensive stance as he felt chills run up his spine from the younger tom's reactions.

"Jedi?!?" The lead Duros exclaimed in surprise, all four of them stepping back and reaching defensively for the weapons at their hips.

"Pretty toy, fuzz ball," the Rodian muttered, even as he stepped back slightly and pulled two strange blades out of his pockets. "You know how to use it? No Jedi young as you."

"Ignorance always was your kind's strong suit," Jay sneered in Rodian, hatred over a year dormant flaring white-hot with an unprotected target in the offering.

The Duros drew their blasters, and Fenrik was very glad to be behind Jay as he saw one of them pull the trigger with no result.

"Walk away," he said levelly. "We won't tell anybody, you'll get out of this with all your limbs intact, everybody's happy."

"Fuzz-face pays first." The Rodian snarled and flicked his blades towards them, the micro-tech in them making a hard target to hit or dodge as they buzzed around the pair.

It was also the excuse Jay was looking for. He took two fluid steps forward, uncaring of the blade the lodged into his shoulder for a moment before they both fell to the ground, their innards no longer working. He brought his sword-arm in an upward arc that cleanly separated the Rodian into four pieces with an immensely satisfying _shenk_.

Two of the Duros, typically not a violent people in the first place, decided that living was the better part of valor and ran. The other two dropped their blasters, drawing vibroknives that, despite not working as they were supposed to, still made serviceable weapons. The Gamorrean, by contrast, pulled a heavy metal rod out of a loop along its back and slammed it against Jay's wounded shoulder. 

Fenrik snarled and turned to put himself between the massive pig-man and his tumbling friend, slashing its arm with his claws and earning a pained squeal. It was just in time for him to feel the Dark rising in Jay as the kit got to his feet, his rage giving way to a survival-based fear as the Duros closed on him while Fenrik was busy trying to survive the giant pig out to crush him.

He ducked out of the way of the rod hurtling towards him again, making another quick, darting attack, wishing he'd thought to bring his own lightsaber. It might not have helped keep them out of the fight, but it would have made it a lot easier if they were both armed.

He lashed out again, as the two Duros left at a run when they realized that _they_ were the ones left facing the lightsaber. He felt the Gamorrean's makeshift club smash into his left arm, but ignored the pain as he sank his claws into its wrist, pulling it forward and off-balance, planting his foot on the back of its neck.

"You _really_ don't want to fight anymore." Jay growled at the downed Pig, the Force a palatable presence in his voice even as his lightsaber singed the hair of the Gamorrean's thick snout.

It squealed incoherently, though the fear behind the noises was obvious.

"Jay!" Fenrik said sharply, wincing and cradling his arm. He had a feeling he wasn't going to like what the medic said when they got back to the Temple. "It's over; he's not going to try anything."

The lightsaber took too long to deactivate, but it did before a second life was lost.

"It hurt you," Jay said quietly as he touched his friend lightly.

"You too," Fenrik pointed out, nodding towards Jay's bleeding shoulder as Jay's lightsaber vanished into his sleeve again. "Let's get that bound up and get back to the Temple before those Duros decide to come back with friends." He took his foot off the Gamorrean's neck, snarling at it in warning that sent it squealing away.

"I liked this shirt," he pouted a bit as they began moving again, though not even he thought the attempt to lighten the mood on the short walk remaining was funny.

* * *

* * *

* * *

The staff in the infirmary was much smaller when Jay and Fenrik got back; a keen reminder of how many of the Jedi and Padawans who would be working or training here had been sent abroad just hours before.

"Take it easy on that arm for a few days," the MediCorps worker told Fenrik firmly, tightening the sling around it mostly as a formality. The bone had been set and the worst of the damage healed, but it was still sore.

"I will," Fenrik nodded. "Thank you," he added, bowing respectfully as he stood and walked over to Jay near the door.

The younger tom's injuries had been easier to patch up being light muscle damage, and mostly required a little care with a medkit and a good tip to the driver of the sky car that had brought them back to the Temple to get the seat cleaned.

"So, they're done with you?" Fenrik asked, smiling slightly.

"Yeah," he nodded and fell in next to his friend. "I heard you snapped bone."

"It's been set, won't be any serious damage in the long run," Fenrik said dismissively.

"* _Which means you were both lucky,_ *" Master Essani's familiar mental voice told them both as the kushiban trotted in to the Infirmary and hopped up on a nearby chair.

"A good reason to never go out unarmed." Jay nodded, mostly to Fenrik and completely missing his Master's intent.

"* _Also a good reason not to let your emotions guide you in a fight,_ *" Essani told him, her mental voice directed at him alone.

"Master?" He looked at her, a bit at a loss as to the reprimand.

"* _We will discuss it in private in the morning,_ *" she explained.

"Yes, Master." He accepted without question.

"* _I'll see you in the morning, Jay. Or will you be sleeping in your room tonight?_ *"

He shot a slight look at Fenrik, then turned back to her. "I will see you in the morning, Master."

"* _Very well,_ *" she nodded slightly. "* _Rest well, both of you,_ *" she added, emphasizing the word 'rest' purposefully.

"I don't think either of us are game for much else, Master." Jay murmured as the kits walked out of the room, though he shot a last look at his Master as if it could tell him what he was in for a lecture on in the morning.

"I think she's mostly worried about how you responded in the fight," Fen told him softly as they walked back towards his quarters. "Not physically, but emotionally. I know I could feel it, and she's much better at sensing that sort of thing than I am."

"What happened?" He looked over, concerned that he _really_ had no clue what they were talking about. Everything felt natural and correct in review, unlike every other time he'd gotten in trouble for fighting.

"The anger and fear," Fenrik explained, trying to come up with a way of putting it into words. "Jay, even before the fight started I could feel it; that Rodian _really_ pissed you off.... Why don't we get back to my room before I try and explain it better, okay? Better in private."

"Sure," he nodded as he placed that much in the memories and walked in silence. Fenrik reached up, tentatively putting his arm around the younger tom's shoulders, alert for any sign that he was aggravating his injury with the added weight. When they got back to his room, he groaned slightly, leaning back against the door as the lock clicked behind them.

"And I was trying to get you to relax tonight," he chuckled slightly, shaking his head in a mixture of frustration at the timing and a little in acknowledgement of exhaustion that was making itself felt.

"I appreciate it," he smiled and stretched up to kiss him lightly. "Feel like a cup of warm milk?"

"Mmm ... only if you let me make it or make yourself something too," Fenrik rumbled, returning the kiss. "No fair pampering me when you got hurt too."

"You aren't making anything," he smirked up and turned for the small open kitchen. "And warm spiced milk sounds good to me too. Now go sit down somewhere comfortable."

"All right," Fenrik chuckled, going to sit down on the bed, laying back and testing his arm gingerly. It still hurt, but at least he could move his arm reasonably well already. He unhooked the sling from around his neck; trying to sort out how to talk to Jay about something his own Master was having a hard time explaining.

If Jay didn't understand that he'd drawn on the Dark even before the fight, it could be nearly impossible to make him understand. Still, as badly as Jay's actions in the fight had unnerved him, there was no way Jay was Dark yet. Now that he was calm again, the taint was gone.

"You put that back on," Jay tried to sound stern as he came in Fen's bedroom with two steaming mugs of warm milk, one well-doctored with fragrant spices.

"Jay, my arm is _fine_ ," the Panther grumbled, sitting up and making room next to him. "It's just a little sore is all."

"Which is why you need to wear that sling tonight." He pointed out and handed a mug over before settling in next to him. 

"Jay," Fenrik groaned, though he set the mug down and hooked the cling back up over his neck, picking up the mug and leaning against him lightly. "You _do_ realize I'm only doing this to humor you," he muttered affectionately.

"Of course," he grinned and kissed him lightly, the sweetness of spicy milk on his lips. "It's the only reason you warriors do anything good for you."

"Oh, like you're one to talk," Fenrik pouted, sipping his own milk. "You know you'd be in just as much trouble left to your own devices."

"Yeah, but _I_ make no pretences of having any kind of good judgment." He pointed out with a chuckle and long sip of milk, almost purring as the mixture slid down his throat and relaxed parts of him he forgot could tense. "You're supposed to if you got left alone."

"Oh just you _wait_ until you're supposed to be respectable too," Fenrik rumbled teasingly. "You're going to be _so_ glad that Masters aren't supposed to chide their Padawans publicly."

"Hey, there's a _reason_ I'm looking to stick around the Temple, you know." He snickered and licked a drop of milk from Fenrik's jaw. "They tend not to ask the questions I can't answer around here."

"Not yet at least," the Panther rumbled, shifting to kiss Jay lightly. "Mmm... I seem to remember we had a conversation to have here...."

"Yeah, what freaked you out about the fight," Jay looked at him uncertainly.

"Yeah," Fenrik nodded, sighing a bit and leaning his head against Jay's good shoulder. "It's not really easy to explain, but as much as it worked...." He sighed again. "The emotions you were reaching into, and the way you reacted to the Rodian... they're dangerous feelings, Jay. Fear, anger, hatred, they're all parts of the Dark Side, almost word for word." He shifted to nuzzle Jay's neck lightly.

"It's not you," he murmured softly.

"It's very much me," he murmured and let his head lean against the Panther's. "More than the Light is. It's why I'm not a warrior. I can't afford to live that close to the fire. It ... it doesn't feel wrong because it's most of my connection to the Force."

"Jay, that's _not_ true," Fenrik said firmly, reaching across his body to rub the younger tom's arm lightly. "You're not a creature of the Dark any more than Knight Parn. You wouldn't _just_ be being trained if you were... you reacted the same way most Padawans do in their first real fight, that's all."

"I ..." he looked over at the Panther seriously, debating just how much to explain. He dropped his eyes with a sigh and wrapped his hands around his mug. "How much about my tech talent has made the rumor mill?" He asked quietly.

"Not too much beyond what you do with it," Fenrik admitted.

"You have a right to know what I told the Council, what my family is. At least the quick version of it." He murmured. "We don't have a name for the Force back home. I'm not completely convinced what I do with machines _is_ though the Force as you know it. But I'm the fifth generation in the family to be able to do it and a sixth generation has been born.

"It started with Jermain Tabisan. My great-great-grandfather. He probably had the Gift already, but it wasn't enough. He made a deal with the Demon to give him much more power, the power to warp reality itself through the machines he created. It drove him mad in the end, completely to the Dark as you'd call it. He nearly destroyed the world many times before Great-Grandfather Jake killed him.

"But the Demon already had a hold on Jake, who stumbled on the expanded Gift without knowing the price of it years before. Jake fought the Demon inside as the ones in the real world until he was killed in the line of duty with his partner. He was the one who named it, explained the price and boons to his daughter by his father, my Grandma Jessie. She's still fighting it every day. She chose the Gifts, the ability to do real good even with it's price.

"My father made the same choice. So have I. Most of our power comes through the Demon, a creature of the Dark Side. It's not like it is for most sensitives. The Force isn't something that starts neutral and our wishes draw us to one side or the other. Clawsons are born Dark. We _learn_ to appreciate the Light, but it never comes that naturally for us. Not the way the Darkness does. I have to pay attention to not draw on the Dark Side."

"Jay, it's like that for most of us," Fenrik said, squeezing the younger tom's shoulder gently. "The Dark Side _is_ easy to draw on, and it offers a hell of a lot of power for the effort. That's what makes it so seductive. Just because you call on it without thinking doesn't mean that you're evil, or that it's the way you're strongest in the Force. I've done it before, Knight Parn has, I'd be shocked if you could find even _one_ of the Masters who hasn't, some time, when they were younger or desperate.

"* _You're_ not evil, Jay. What taught your family to use the Force might have been, members of your family might have been, but _you're_ not."

Jay wanted to argue, to make Fenrik understand ... then part of him that didn't like the status of condemned whacked most of him upside the head and made him shut up. Maybe if he repeated what Fenrik had said enough times, he might manage to believe it. It was an incredibly seductive thought, even if it only lasted tonight.

The morning would come soon enough when he had to face the Masters who _did_ believe he was intrinsically Dark.

It was enough to make him want to cry, a lump in his throat as he wondered if these were the kind of things that Chance had told Jake when he was hurting about his choices. He could believe that this was what kept his kin out of trouble, and the lack of it cost them their battle with the Demon.

Empathy had never been Fenrik's strong suit, but he knew when it was time to shut up and just be close to somebody he cared about... and Jay qualified, more than he'd thought he would at first. He wrapped his good arm around the smaller tom, ignoring the ache as he held him against his chest and the sling between them.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Master Essani watched Jay walk in the next morning, letting out a quiet 'whuffle' of mild frustration. This was never an easy discussion to have, and what she felt inside him said this wasn't going to be an exception. He was clearly conflicted about _something_ , though she couldn't be clear what yet. Knowing her Padawan as well as she did, it was almost certainly not going to make things easier.

"Morning, Master." He bowed his head to her in respect and settled nearby, ready for a lesson that he didn't really understand what it was about.

"* _Good morning, Jay,_ *" she said softly. "* _Did you sleep well?_ *"

"Yes, Master," he nodded. It was true after all, even if it had been a bit of a strange sleep that left him waking up feeling no better mentally than when he curled up against Fenrik to rest. All he knew from it was that Fenrik could control the Demon. In the end, it was all that truly mattered. If he couldn't control the Demon, he needed a mate that could.

"* _How is your shoulder feeling?_ *"

The question seemed to surprise him a bit. "Almost healed, Master."

"* _That's good,_ *" she nodded. "* _Did you and Fenrik talk about your response the fight at all?_ *" 

She wasn't entirely sure what to make of his reactions, honestly. Most Padawans were disturbed after the first time they killed in battle, though given that the Rodian had attacked first it was quite possible that Jay wouldn't be. Between his culture, early years and personal quirks, he rarely reacted like most Padawans did no matter what the situation was.

What worried her more were the feelings she could sense behind his mental shields; she was beginning to get a clearer impression of what he was upset about and it wasn't good that it had lasted this long.

"Yes, Master." He nodded, putting the blur of that time into as much focus as he could. "Mostly that I was angry even before anything started. I don't remember being angry, just a smooth transition between trying to talk our way out and the fight, but I do not doubt his recollection of things. Something happened. I just don't know what."

"* _You responded to a Rodian who was trying to goad you into a fight, from what I felt,_ *" she explained. "* _It was a very intense response. It was also a very troubling one, given that I doubt it was the goading that made you respond that way. You've dealt with worse from Navik before without reacting that strongly._ *"

"Navik was protected." He said even before he realized _what_ he'd said.

"* _This is the problem,_ *" Essani sighed softly as things began to fall into place. "* _I'm surprised nobody noticed it before, but you still have a lot of issues with Rodians, don't you?_ *"

"Yes, Master." He lowered his gaze, knowing he was in the wrong.

"* _We're going to have to work on that,_ *" she said softly. "* _Not all Rodians are like Navik, or like Guilden. They have a tendency to be violent and bullies, but they're individuals as much as any other race. They can be brilliant, honorable, even peaceful, despite their culture._ *"

"Just not the ones I've met," he murmured. It wasn't a denial; just an uncertainty about how he'd react if one didn't try to push.

"* _Granted,_ *" she admitted. "* _Their culture values hunting and combat ability highly; many of them turn that into a violent streak. We had been hoping Navik would turn out better, but that didn't happen. I think we're going to spend some time working on trying to introduce you to better ones._ *"

"Yes, Master." He accepted it, wondering what kind of creature a non-offensive Rodian would be like. It was a difficult concept to wrap his brain around but he was quite willing to try.

"* _Now... there's also the issue of your response to a fight in general,_ *" she said gently. "* _You're going to have to fight without responding with fear and anger eventually, Jay._ *"

"The Dark Fenrik said I call up," he nodded seriously. "I don't remember doing that. I don't remember it feeling anything other than right." He admitted quietly, deep down very afraid that he may have already lost the most critical battle of his life. "Master Yamari says I'm making progress. It just hasn't been fast enough."

"* _It's a natural response, Jay,_ *" she explained. "* _I'm sure Fenrik told you how easy it is to tap into the Dark's power, especially when you _are_ afraid or angry. It's simply a response you have to learn to control, preferably before you get into another fight._ *"

"Yes, Master," he nodded submissively. "I _am_ working on it. It's difficult to deal with that part of me when I'm not in a real fight. I lock it away ... I don't even know exactly how anymore. It's like it doesn't exist until a fight is real."

"* _Do you believe you can learn to extend your sense of it being a game to when the fight is real?_ *" She asked him, moving over to nuzzle his arm gently as he nearly jumped, his eyes wide in shock at the idea.

"I ... urrr ... isn't it dangerous to take fighting that way?" He asked, a bit stunned at the concept coming from his Master. "Make it too easy to take that route?"

"* _Just until you're better at controlling it,_ *" she explained. "* _We can control the situation here, keep it from becoming deadly. We don't want you to forget the consequences of fighting, but you need to learn how to handle knowing those consequences are possible without responding emotionally._ *"

"I ... yes, I can." He decided that it was simply going to happen, the odds be damned.

"* _I have to go sit with the Council today,_ *" she explained, "* _but I want to start working on teaching you to do that as quickly as we can._ *"

"I understand Master." He nodded quietly. "I would like to spend the day mediating. Maybe I can remember what happened; exactly what I did, where it went wrong."

"* _Very well,_ *" she nodded. "* _I hope it goes well, Jay. I'll see you this evening?_ *"

"Yes, Master," he smiled a little more warmly and reached down to scritch between her ears until she became a light golden. "I am glad I chose not to become a warrior. As natural as it felt, I don't think I like how easy it was to kill."

"* _That is a good thing,_ *" she agreed, rurring slightly and putting a small paw on his leg, pleased not only in his statement but that her approval still meant so much to him. Both things made life much easier. "* _I hope you never do, to be fair. It's necessary sometimes, but not something you should ever like._ *"

* * *

* * *

* * *

Padawan Jay Clawson looked like anything but a Jedi as he walked into the Temple of Akwina, dressed in the loose brown and green robes he remembered from his kittenhood, his ears decorated in the slender gold and gem clips and fine chains. It was almost half the world away from the Jedi Temple and home, but it was as close to his homeland as this world had to offer. For all it was dedicated to a deity he'd never heard of before finding this place, it _felt_ right.

The hand-carved stone was warm and old, done for love of the Power, not to impress visitors that didn't believe. The stained glass and small statues and artwork of the mother feline of all bloodlines and her legends were rich with the efforts of many artisans. Even the central statue, close to three times life sized was dressed in much the same way as he remembered Bastet was in the temples back on Aristal and those build with each colony and ship.

Full and rounded in a body representative of all her children, the mother of all felines stood with her translucent robes of all colors and smiled at those who entered with warm eyes.

Jay let out a small sound as he relaxed, comforted by the familiarity of something so incredibly similar in this land so far from his home and kind. He settled easily near the central statue on the pillows provided for just that and relaxed his mind and soul with the prayers and silent offerings from his home.

"Thank you for overseeing my travels Lady Bastet," he murmured. "I am you son still, and always will be. I ask for your protection in this journey inside."

With the formalities over with, he sank easily into a deep meditation, seeking out the source memories that he could only remember as a blur when awake.

The beginning came easy. Fenrik thought they were being followed. The blasters and vibro-weapons confirming the familiar pattern. Then the Rodian was in front of him and something he hadn't felt in over a year woke up in his mind. Vicious. Hateful. Destructive. Utterly gleeful to have a target that wasn't protected.

He had enough control to keep the first insult from being his.

But the words were exchanged, the details blurred, and something warm and dark and controlling oozed around his mind.

And he welcomed it, embraced it.

Not for one moment had he fought to free himself until Fenrik had asked him to.

Even then, he hadn't wanted to. He hadn't wanted to have the power cloaking him go away.

If that was the Dark, the thing that destroyed its users, why did it feel so comforting? So natural and _right_?

Tracing its retreat through his mind, he abruptly stopped.

This was it.

This was the door Father and Grandma talked about.

The door to their full Gift.

The door the Demon lived behind.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Essani hurried through the ancient feline temple as fast as she could respectfully. She - and the rest of the Council - had felt the chill coming from this place an hour ago, a flash of Dark Side power of a level that usually heralded disaster. Master Noloth was with her now, his aged, scaly face showing a dark scowl.

She didn't know why Jay was here, or what had happened that had made him the source of such a powerful surge, but she was glad for the Lizard beside her. Even if Jay _did_ have things under control, like he'd said when she'd contacted him, she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to be there alone if he lost it.

"* _Jay?_ *" She called telepathically as they walked through the door into the aged church.

"* _Here, Master._ *" His mind-voice came back easily, directing them to the central statue as he stood smoothly. It look serene, but she could feel how completely terrified he was just below the surface of calm.

"What happened?" Master Noloth demanded in his heavily accented Basic, a nearby acolyte looking at the scene with a slightly distressed expression.

"* _Master Noloth,_ *" Essani said firmly, walking towards Jay, her fur a dark grey. "* _What happened, Jay,_ *" she asked more gently.

"* _I was following what happened in the fight in my mind, trying to understand what had happened. I found the door._ *" Jay recounted, a tremor in his mind-voice that spoke volumes of it's meaning to him. "* _It's not well sealed. I didn't open it, but the Demon could reach in when I got too close and tried to grab me. I managed to shove it back and close the door, but I don't know how long it'll stay closed._ *"

"* _Let's get you back to the Temple,_ *" Essani said soothingly. "* _It clearly didn't get you, but I think we'd best be back there in case something happens again._ *"

"* _Yes, Master._ *" He nodded and followed her, relieved to have them present.

"I thought you said he was going to wait," Noloth asked her quietly, earning a sharp look from the much smaller kushiban.

"* _He_ did _,_ *" she pointed out as they returned to the waiting sky car. "* _Come on, we'll discuss this on the way._ *" They left, climbing into the back seat before the driver, one of the Temple's custodians, lifted off and started back towards the gleaming spires half a world away.

"* _What were you doing out here?_ *" Master Essani asked Jay, looking up at him from where she was curled up on his lap for the trip. "* _It's not exactly a short trip for somewhere to meditate._ *"

"It's very much like the Temples to Bastet," he stroked her lightly along her ears. "It's ... home." He tried to explain something that wasn't even a feeling. He'd learned not to speak of Powers seriously, but no amount of knowledge had damped his belief that Bastet was real.

"How long have you been coming here?" Master Noloth asked, his voice not betraying any of his reaction.

"Eight months, Master Noloth." he answered formally.

"* _And it hasn't interfered with his studies, Master Noloth,_ *" Essani pointed out, cutting off the Lizard's next question. "* _Jay, are you certain the Demon is contained for now? At least as far as you're concerned?_ *"

"Yes, Master," he nodded. "I do have to give it an opening of some kind to get out."

"So what kind of opening was involved this time?" Master Noloth asked.

"I got too close to it, Master Noloth." He tried to explain. "The seals on the door are incomplete, so it could reach out a little way when it had a target."

"Did this have anything to do with the altercation you had last night?"

"No, Master Noloth," he said simply. "It has to do with being an adolescent Clawson. This is part of what I tried to explain when I first got here."

"* _This Demon is definitely a powerful Dark Side force, whether it's powers are or not,_ *" Essani mused. "* _I suspect it's native to your galaxy, whatever it is._ *"

"Agreed," the Lizard nodded. "And not a power to be trifled with."

"* _Regardless, as long as it's not going to be released, I believe we'll all be fine,_ *" Essani said softly. "* _Were you able to come to any conclusions before your encounter?_ *"

"* _That it was the Dark that felt good,_ *" He told her as privately as he could, a mixture of acceptance and horror at it.

"* _The power of it?_ *" She asked, hoping to make things clearer.

"* _The warmth of it, the fire that made things so clear._ *" His thoughts barely made it to her. "* _It didn't give me any power. At least I don't think so._ *"

"* _I see,_ *" she murmured mentally. Warmth was usually the _last_ thing anybody used to describe the Dark Side, even those who embraced it. "* _That's definitely unusual. I'll have to speak with some of the others, Jay._ *"

"* _The Demon knows my family, it know_ me _. It knows what will attract us, what we won't fight. It's been in my head since before I was born._ *"

"* _I believe I understand,_ *" she nodded. "* _For what it's worth Jay, we're not going to let you go that way, not without a struggle._ *"

"* _Thank you,_ *" he smiled slightly and stroked her ears, almost oblivious to Master Noloth sitting next to him. "* _Fenrik helped a lot too. I pushed the Dark back after the battle because he asked me to. It spared the Pig's life._ *"

"Gamorrean, kit," Master Noloth corrected him, leaning his head back with something that was almost a chuckle. "There is a difference."

The last part earned him a curious, and rather questioning look, but Jay nodded. "The Gamorrean's life."

"* _So, think you can handle the rest of the day _without_ giving us reason to come chasing you half-way around the world to see if you released a swarm of ancient Sith spirits?_ *" Essani asked with a mental chuckle.

"Yes, Master." He managed a bashful smile. "I think I can manage."

* * *

* * *

* * *

"So, anything bothering you?" Jay asked Fenrik later while the two of them were snuggling.

"Mmm ... well, you're leaning against my arm a bit," the Panther chuckled, taking the glass and pressing against him lightly for emphasis. He was still wearing the sling, at least when Jay was looking, but more to humor him than for any real pain left in it. "And I'm a little worried about Master Kiris," he admitted.

"Your Master?" Jay shifted and nuzzled him.

"Yeah," Fenrik nodded slightly, pressing into the contact. "He's been gone longer than he was supposed to be. Probably just some little delay that came up, but ... I worry," he admitted.

"He matters to you," he nuzzled him gently. "I'd worry about her if Essani left me alone, late coming back or not."

"We probably all would," Fenrik chuckled slightly. "Worry about our Masters, that is. I'm just feeling a little nervous, I guess. I haven't heard from him since he left, which is normal enough. Just all those little things that go together to make you nervous."

"I know," Jay murmured and nuzzled him. "And if he's stressed, you're feeling it too."

"It's like that with you and Master Essani too?" Fenrik asked, returning the nuzzle.

"Yeah, it's how they always know about us," He smiled a bit sheepishly. "That Master-Padawan bond gives them access past our shields, but it's not completely one-way."

"Uhm ... did Master Essani ever tell you if she feels anything through that bond when we...."

"Only if she's checking, or it's very strong," Jay looked at him curiously.

"That's good," Fenrik nodded, blushing beneath his fur. "It just occurred to me that she might be picking up on things when we were in bed together... y'know?"

Jay blinked, then blushed brightly. "Umm, well, yeah, she probably knows. Maybe not details ...."

"I hope not," Fenrik nodded, turning to kiss Jay tenderly. "Now, let's both try to forget either of us thought of that."

"Yeah," he grinned and kissed him back, slipping his tongue into his lover's mouth with a bit of hunger.

"Mmm...." Fenrik returned the kiss, their rough tongues exploring each other's mouths. "Want to see if a day's been enough?" He suggested, leaning back on the couch and drawing Jay back on top of him slightly as he worked out of the sling.

"Yeah," Jay rumbled and relaxed to straddle his hips with a more heated kiss. "I could definitely stand a workout."

"Mmm ... who in who?" Fenrik rumbled, wrapping his arms around the younger tom.

"You in me," he breathed hotly against Fenrik's neck between kisses as the Panther worked to get his robes off.

* * *

Master Jienhui Ursal stretched out in her bed on the transport ship, absently checking those around her by reflex, beginning and ending with her Padawan, who was understandably nervous. Already the young woman, normally a fairly late riser by Jedi standards, was in the meditation chambers on the ship, attempting to deal with it as privately as she could. Normally the great Bear would have left her to do so, but today she decided it wouldn't hurt to offer a little help, if it was welcome.

She lumbered out of bed and made for the shower, giving Shi enough time to come out of her meditative state if she cared to before she got there. It was only a short walk to the meditation quarters, and it was no surprise to find her Padawan was not alone there. This was the first mission for many, and even those who knew what was coming needed the extra calming.

Especially those who knew what was coming, in several cases.

Shivasta stood and walked out of the near-silent room, smoothing out her robes and bowing to the older Bear.

"Master Ursal," she said, quietly but politely. "You wish to talk with me?"

"Yes," she rumbled gently and guided Shi to the abandoned observation deck. "About what is coming, and what you have left behind."

"I had a feeling," the young Ice Walker nodded slightly, following her Master out, looking out the view screen at the strange surroundings of hyperspace. "I'm a little uneasy about it," she admitted.

"About the mission, or Jay?" She asked kindly.

"Both," Shivasta said softly. "And they're both connected, yet not, at the same time. It's a little confusing," she chuckled slightly, blushing a light violet.

"Perhaps I can help you sort it out," Ursal offered. "Visions are frequently confusing, even after you know what they are about."

"I'm not sure if it's a vision," she admitted. "Probably just nerves. I've never had to help people who needed it this badly before. I know it's what I'm training for, and that I can help, that I want to, but... I don't know how much I can."

"You help as much as you can," Master Ursal said simply. "It is all any of us can do. It is all any of us are expected to do."

"I understand, Master," Shivasta nodded softly. The Bear only wished it was as true as her Padawan felt it was; she was certain that many difficult lessons would be learned before they returned to the Temple. "I'm also worried about Jay," she admitted, "in several ways."

"What ways?" She pressed gently.

"I'm worried about him worrying about me," she chuckled slightly, pressing back against her Master's comforting size and warmth. "He was terrified when I told him where we were going, not that I can really blame him."

"I can not either," Ursal nuzzled her lightly. "But it does no good to worry about such things. You can not control what he thinks."

"No," she admitted. "But I wish there was some way to help him feel better about it. I promised him I'd write, but I don't know how much that helped."

"It will be enough." She said simply. "But something else is bothering you, cub."

"Yes," Shi admitted softly. "I'm scared... not just about the mission, but about what I'll find when I come back."

"That he will have moved on?" She asked gently.

"Yes," the young woman admitted. "I wouldn't blame him either. We could be gone for years."

"Yes, we may be," Ursal nodded solemnly. "If he has, and you have not, you have the option to court him again."

"I know," she nodded. "It's just that difference between knowing and _knowing_ ," she said, wishing there were words in Basic that better explained the difference.

"I understand," the elder Bear smiled gently. "At least you will be able to keep up on his life. It may not be being there, but you _can_ write to each other. It will not be completely disappearing from his life."

"Thankfully," she nodded. "And he has Fenrik."

"Yes, he will not be alone." She said gently. "Things will be all right, cub. Trust in the Force."

"I will Master," she nodded, sighing slightly. "Thank you."

"I will always be here for you, Shivasta. Even after you have earned your place as a Knight. You are not the first I have helped through this, I do not expect you to be the last."

"Which part of it?" The young woman asked with a slight chuckle.

Ursal smiled and chuckled in return. "The first serious, long mission. The first plague. The first patient you can't help. The first time you leave a lover behind. The first time you come home to a lover or mate you haven't touched in months or years. I've seen it all a few times."

Shivasta turned, embracing the Bear as well as she could.

"And to think," she murmured fondly, "some people don't think old people know anything."

* * *

"Mmmm, Doruth," Tes nuzzled him as they snuggled on the large, soft couch in the living room of their quarters. She watched the news while he was more interested stroking her swollen belly. "I think I can help get an audience with Dilvam Tam. I know him from a few years back. He's usually happy to see me."

"Really?" He asked, looking over into her eyes. "That'd be great, if you can swing it. Thought he was a little paranoid about 'guests' though?"

"Oh, he is if he doesn't know you. But if you appreciate his work and are willing to bring in supplies or play a few games of pazaak, he's a friendly little guy. He knows I'm good for all three."

"How is he with new people then?" Doruth asked. "After all, we're hoping to introduce Jay to him _without_ getting either of them ready to gut the other."

"They're either be the terror of the tech circuit or they'll try to kill each other." She chuckled softly. "He's friendly, but you can not shut him up about his new toys if you show a wit of understanding."

"I think we'll have to have Master Essani schedule a month or two off of Jay's studies," the Panther chuckled slightly, snuggling up. "Thank you, love."

"Anything for my packmates," she murmured and nuzzled him. "Besides, Jay's a good kit. And it'll be fun to see Dilvam again."

"Mmm ... just don't let the two of us get into a pazaak match," Doruth chuckled, nuzzling her back. "I'm trying to kick that gambling habit yet."

"Do you seriously want me to keep you from playing, or just put a limit on the finances?" She rumbled in soft affection and stroked his ears and forehead.

"Mmm... tip me off before I tick him off," Doruth chuckled. "I might lose money in games sometimes, but I'm not _that_ much of an addict. Learned that much from my father before he kicked off."

"Oh Doruth." She rolled her eyes with a chuckle. "It's a friendly game, no fair using Force to tweak the odds."

"I won't!" He said seriously, nuzzling her neck. "Only do that when it's serious. I just mean before I clean him out," he smirked. "I _was_ a pro, remember? I didn't _always_ cheat."

"Mmm, we'll see then." She winked at him and followed it up with a kiss that left no doubt of why she'd brought the lube out into the living room.

"Mmm ... that we will," he rumbled, returning her kiss. "Y'know, at this rate, you're gonna have another litter on the way before this one's born," he winked, running his hands down her sides and reaching back to caress her ass.

"I think I could live with that," she grinned and leaned forward to give him ample places to touch even as she pushed him back a bit to lay on the couch. "You're a lot more enticing than their sire."

"Good to know," he purred, nuzzling her neck and inhaling her scent, heavy with arousal and the pups in her belly. "Mmm... almost a shame it doesn't work that well."

"Oh, I don't know," she rumbled as she pushed his robes from his shoulders to expose the sleek black fur and powerful chest. "This way means you can stay with me during my heats without pups."

"Mmm ... which is going to end up making things awkward when you go into heat when the pups are getting old enough to wander around the ship on their own," he pointed out playfully, pulling his arms out of his robes and starting to undo her own looser robes.

"As if your Padawan won't be?" She raised an eyebrow, her mind elsewhere with a groan when his mouth found one nipple. "Oh gods," Tes shuddered and ran her hands along his face and ears. "You and that tongue."

He just grinned up at her, suckling first one nipple, then another, fondling her lower sets as he bathed them with his tongue. It was so delightful how she moaned and squirmed without a trace of reservation. She held nothing back from him.

It felt so good event before she touched him, something she did very well when he wasn't distracting her too much.

"Willing to try something new?" Tes breathed with a shudder.

"Mmm ... surprise me?" He asked her with a rumble, certain she didn't have any kinks he couldn't at least tolerate.

He saw her dark brown eyes glitter and a wide grin spread across her muzzle.

"Then I need you undressed before you get too turned on." She licked her muzzle eagerly.

"I think I can manage that," he grinned, pulling his robes off the rest of the way, leaving himself naked as he pulled her down for a hungry kiss that was surrendered to completely as her own robes came off in a hurry.

"Now, now," Tes tried to get herself under control enough to not jump him immediately as she kissed and licked her way down his chest and abs while her hands gently fondled his full balls to bring him to the right state of arousal.

"Mmm ... how long will you need me like this?" He asked with a groan as she got him about half-hard and kept him that way while she reached next to the lube bottle to bring a rather wobbly slick black ring with a much more slender second loop under it.

"Just till I get this on." She grinned up at him adoringly before kissing his cock.

"And what is 'this'?" He asked, rumbling and focusing on keeping his body from getting any more aroused until she was ready as she slipped the gel-dildo like ring over his half-full erection, then slid the smaller loop behind his balls to tighten the arrangement like a cock ring, except the part around his cock was rather soft and far too high up.

"This is a delightful little thing that'll let you tie to me," she grinned and ran her tongue up his cock, catching as many of his barbs as she could. "Let go, lover."

He did so with a groan, quickly hardening the rest of the way at her attentions and knew just as quickly that this thing would world like a cock ring, strange configuration or not.

"So this is what you... oooh... bought while Jay was... mmm... asking what those beads were for?"

"Yap," she grinned and stood to run her hands over his body. "I won't ask often, but I have _so_ missed tying with my lover."

"Mmm ... and how could I possibly deny you," he purred, running his hands down her body. "Be interesting to see what it's like for your kind," he rumbled.

"It is very intense." She shivered in anticipation and coated his barbs with the lube that made it so good for them both. "How do you want to snuggle for twenty minutes?" Tes murmured with a kiss.

"Mmm ... you in my lap," he groaned. "Damn, woman... mmm... you sure this thing'll swell then come down, right?"

"Yes," she kissed him soundly and pressed him back to sit on the plush couch so she could straddle him. At first she just rubbed her pelvis against him, relishing in the feel of a canine cock on the male she loved. "Gods, you make me impossibly hot."

"I do my best," he rumbled, nuzzling her breasts, lapping at them with his rough tongue, groaning as she rubbed against him. "And you _more_ than return the favor."

"That a request to get in me already?" She giggled a bit and licked the back of his ears even as she shifted her hips up to take him in.

"Mmm ... it's _certainly_ not me complaining about it," he grinned, suckling one nipple hungrily as he took her hips in his hands, pressing up against her wet, eager sex and slid in easily until they came to the ring she had slipped on him.

"Ohh, yeah!" Tes howled and shuddered, her body nearly on overload already from the sensations and instinctive response to the knot pressed against her sex.

Doruth just started thrusting, savoring the sounds she made and the feel of her body, tight and hot around his own. He didn't particularly _like_ cock rings, or things like them, but what he'd said before was right - there was no way he could really deny her something she wanted in bed, especially not something that minor.

Besides; if it made the ecstasy he could feel practically pouring off her a more common thing? He could live with that _very_ easily.

* * *

A few nights later, the quiet chime of somebody asking to be let into the suite shared by Jay and Master Essani woke the kit out of his near-slumber. Reluctantly he uncurled from around Essani's small form and slipped out of bed, quickly pulling an outer robe on to cover his nudity before he went to see who was asking in at this hour without waking his Master telepathically first.

Opening the door, he saw Fenrik on the other side, looking exhausted and _very_ wound up.

"Sorry I woke you up," the Panther said apologetically. "Jay, do you think I could stay here tonight?"

"It's okay," he assured him quickly and guided him inside with a gentle hand. "You're welcome here." He said seriously, knowing his Master wouldn't object even before she confirmed it mentally while she walked out of Jay's room and settled into her own, smaller bed.

"Thanks," Fenrik said gratefully, letting the door close behind him before he hugged Jay close; a sort of needy hunger in the embrace.

"What's wrong?" Jay asked and hugged him back.

"I don't know," the Panther admitted, a fact that clearly worried him almost as much as whatever was wrong did. "I just... I can't be alone tonight," he murmured.

"No problem," Jay nuzzled him supportively and urged him to his bedroom. "I understand."

"Thanks," Fenrik repeated, following him into his room and sitting down on the side of the bed. "I hope Master Essani doesn't mind."

"* _I don't, kit,_ *" she told him gently from the other room. "* _Calm down, and try to get some sleep. You'll probably be feeling better in the morning._ *"

"Yeah," Jay nuzzled him. "Warm milk, or just snuggling?"

"Snuggling," Fenrik murmured, turning to return the nuzzle before he shifted to kiss the younger tom. "More, if you want."

Jay was caught between the reflexive answer of yes, and a doubt that it was really what Fenrik wanted.

"Snuggle," Jay kissed him back lightly even as he let the loose outer robe to the floor and encouraged Fenrik to stand so they could get under the covers. It wasn't hard at all, though the Panther's arms were back around him as they crawled under the sheets, both of them naked.

"Don't know what's wrong," Fenrik admitted with a kiss as Jay snuggled close with a content sound.

"Maybe your Master is stressed," Jay nuzzled him gently. "Or the worry you mentioned before is getting stronger. It'll be okay."

"I hope so," he murmured, rubbing Jay's back, working strong fingers through his fur; unconsciously touching all the right spots to turn his lover on.

"Just try to focus on what's here and now and let the worry slip away," Jay tried to concentrate on helping his friend and not on what Fenrik's touch was doing to his own body.

"Right," the Panther murmured, kissing Jay tenderly. "Here and now's good...."

"Yes, it is." He breathed in sharply as wondering hands tried to draw a whimper of arousal from him and stop his own hands from returning the favor.

"Take me," Fenrik murmured softly, nuzzling Jay's neck as he got over the shock of the request and it's phrasing.

"All right," Jay kissed him gently and ran his hands along sleek black sides, trying to gage the mood a little better as he kissed his way down Fenrik's muscular body.

He earned a deep, soft moan and felt the Panther shift, leaning back slightly and lifting his upper leg to give Jay better access to anything he wanted. He rubbed the younger tom's back and shoulders, kneading them as he closed his eyes and surrendered completely to the distraction of pleasure that Jay offered him so freely.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Running, darkness, pain shooting through the side. The beast was probably still chasing him.

People screamed in the streets, diving out of the way as he ran by, pursued closely by a nightmare he'd thought was nothing more than a legend.

Master Kiris leaped up onto the roof of a small building in the Corellian slums, running and jumping to the next before he dropped into an alley and tried to catch his breath. He looked up with a start, igniting his lightsaber as a wall exploded in a shower of plaster and the terentatek howled for Jedi blood.

The Panther dropped into a defensive posture, wincing as blood dripped from the gashes the beast's claws had left in his back after it killed the Dark Jedi he'd been hunting. The giant, beetle-like creature growled, its mandibles clacking as it gauged its foe and smelled something that no enemy the Jedi had fought had smelled in years.

Fear.

Kiris thrust his hand out desperately, stabbing at the terentatek with the power of the Force and trying to knock it off balance, following the attack with his lightsaber. The wave of Force energy washed over the creature, but the lightsaber blow struck true, biting into its chitin and burning through its flesh for a few inches... still, not nearly enough damage to stop it. A massive claw grabbed the Panther by his arm, pulling him up towards massive, spreading wide, ready for the kill....

Fenrik screamed, shooting up in bed as he grabbed for his own throat. Agony shot through his other arm as all the fears and insecurities of the past few weeks came crashing together into one jumbled moment of stark terror.

"* _Master!_ *" Jay's mind voice screamed at Essani, who was already rushing for their room. He had no idea what was wrong, what the jumble of images, thoughts and information in his mind was, but he _knew_ what it took to draw that kind of sound and smell from a warrior. That in and of itself was a terrifying concept when all he could do was try to hold Fenrik and convince his brain that whatever this was wasn't happening to him right now.

The door opened, letting the kushiban in as Fenrik shuddered in Jay's arms.

"* _What happened?_ *" She asked, hopping up on a chair as the Panther tried to calm himself down.

"Master Kiris," he panted. "Something... something killed him!"

"Terentatek," Jay named the thing that reminded him of stories of his Great-Grandfather's adventures. "A giant beetle."

*Is that what you remember?*" she asked Fenrik. Jay could feel the shock she kept tightly shielded from anybody else, even from her fur.

"Yes Master Essani," he nodded, licking his lips. "That was the word my Master had for it. It was killing him."

"* _It may only have been a nightmare Fenrik,_ *" she told him soothingly. "* _I will call the Council, we will see what has happened. If you two can sleep, it would be best._ *"

Jay looked at her, uncertain why she would not tell him what they all knew had happened. "* _Master, may I add some somuric to his milk?_ *" He asked along their tightly shielded bond.

"* _Do so,_ *" she nodded. "* _And take some yourself, if necessary. I may be busy for the next few days Jay, along with the rest of the Council. I'm sure you'll have your hands full helping Fenrik cope._ *"

"* _I understand Master._ *" He nodded fractionally, squishing his curiosity until it was a better time to ask what had her so frightened about a giant beetle. "I'm getting you some warm milk," he nuzzled Fenrik gently. "Okay?"

"Just don't take long, please," Fenrik said, looking into Jay's eyes with an expression that was closer to lost than anything the younger tom had seen before.

"I won't," he leaned down to kiss him reassuringly before hurrying to make the milk that would hopefully be strong enough to let Fenrik sleep despite the ragged ends of a shattered bond in his mind. "* _Master, shouldn't he see a mind-healer for the bond?_ *"

"* _In the morning,_ *" she confirmed, moving to the door. "* _For now, he needs to sleep. Force willing, when he wakes up there won't be any need._ *"

"* _Yes, Master._ *" He took the small glass of warm milk back to his room and handed it to Fenrik before settling next to him to hold the bigger Panther. "There's somuric in that. It'll help you sleep."

"Thank you," he murmured, taking the glass as the door slid open and closed. "Jay... do you think it might have just been a dream?"

"No," he sighed and hugged him tightly. "I'm sure it wasn't."

"I didn't think so," the Panther murmured, squeezing his eyes tightly shut as he drank the drugged milk and wrapped his arms back around Jay, fighting to keep from breaking down.

"It's all right," Jay murmured quietly as they embraced and he stroked Fenrik's ears.

"Not yet," the Panther murmured softly, pressing his muzzle against Jay's neck. "Not until I know for sure."

"Then lay down and don't fight the somuric," he said softly and guided him down. "They'll know in the morning."

Before long, he held the drugged Panther in his arms, sleeping with a peace and calmness that was completely at odds with what he actually felt.

* * *

* * *

* * *

The twelve Masters of the Council were clearly tired as they gathered, but none of them protested the extremely unusual meeting. They also paid little attention to the usual protocol, simply gathering in a circle and settling in.

"We all know why we're here," Master Shan said softly. "Master Essani, I assume you believe that Padawan Aren's vision was valid?"

"* _I do, Master Shan,_ *" the kushiban agreed, her fur a deep, steel grey. "* _And if it is, then we must act quickly. There is no way to save Master Kiris, but Corellia has many Jedi there, most of whom would stand no chance against a terentatek, let alone the damage it may do to the people there while hunting us._ *"

Master Ryul nodded seriously. "Are there any still alive who remember the last time we hunted one?"

"Not who saw the hunt," Master Kareth said softly. "However, the records still exist, as well as how they have been slain. Those who leave on the hunt must be skilled in blaster combat, as well as with lightsabers. What concerns me is why this one has returned; they've been thought to be extinct for over a thousand years."

"It means what it has always meant," Master Yamari said quietly, her gaze elsewhere. "The Dark is strengthening as it has not in generations."

"Given the associations, could this be linked with Padawan Clawson?" Master Noloth asked pointedly.

"* _It may,_ *" Master Essani admitted. "* _Though not because of anything he has done directly. The Dark Jedi we sent Master Kiris to hunt went to Corellia for a reason; it may be connected to the appearance of the terentatek there._ *"

"Which means we will need to seek to find what that connection is, if there is one," Master Surool said, frowning slightly. "And if there is more than one to deal with. We may need to begin training for another Great Hunt."

"For now, what Jedi have the skills to hunt this one?" Master Charn looked around, his long black tail lashing sharply. "Besides Knight Parn."

"There are more Custos who are qualified than Jedi," Master Noloth admitted. "But Master Kylyanni is qualified. There are others, but I don't know their names off-hand."

"I am as well," Master Kareth said softly. "Master Kiris was the superior warrior, but I have studied the terentatek more than most others, and prepared for this day to come."

"I would say that makes this mission yours to lead." Master Ryul inclined his head to the slender vixen. 

"It is the sensible decision," Master Noloth agreed. "Do you believe that the three of you, possibly with Custos, will be sufficient?"

"We sent three Knights to finish the Great Hunt some three thousand years ago," she pointed out. "Two Masters and a Knight should be able to handle this one without anyone else being slain." She stood up. "We should leave soon; I'll contact Master Kylyanni and Knight Parn and have them meet me in the vehicle bay."

"I strongly recommend taking a few of the more blaster-inclined Custos as well." Master Shan cautioned her. "We do not know if this creature is alone. Do not become too confident from your rank. Those three Knights had battled many terentatek before their final kill. No one with you has."

"Very well, Master Shan," she agreed, inclining her head towards him. "We will be cautious."

"* _May the Force be with you, Master Kareth,_ *" Master Essani said softly as she left.

* * *

* * *

* * *

"Where are we going?" Tes asked amicably, a bit excited, when Doruth came back to their quarters after the middle-of-the-night emergency meeting and started to pack.

"We're not," he said softly, knowing she wasn't going to like it. "I've been assigned to a joint mission to Corellia with Masters Kareth and Kylyanni, trying to find out what happened to Fenrik's Master. I'm afraid I have to leave you here for this one."

"Like hell!" She growled softly. "I'm not on maternity leave yet."

"Tes...." He sighed and closed the small case with the clothes he thought he'd need in it. "Master Kiris was probably killed. What did it is supposedly a creature called the terentatek. It's a Jedi-hunter specifically, but it goes after anybody who can wield the Force. They picked the three of us who were best at fighting without lightsabers or the Force to face it if it's there, and we're taking several of the Custos with us, but I don't want you anywhere _near_ it until it's dead, or we know it's not real." He moved over to the bed, caressing her cheek lightly. "Please," he said softly, "I don't want to take the chance that this is going to go badly."

"It's that terrible a beast?" She calmed down significantly, worry replacing outrage and she cupped his face.

"The Jedi have tried to hunt its species to extinction, multiple times," he nodded softly. "Lightsabers barely touch it and the Force is practically useless against it. If something goes wrong, you've got our pups to worry about too." He leaned forward, kissing her softly.

"Which is why you're going." She nodded regretfully. "Not many Jedi are good hunters without those two things."

"Exactly," he nodded. "It's that, or hire mercenaries or bounty hunters to go after it. Frankly, it's better this way. Sorry about the short notice," he said apologetically, "but if this thing's real, we need to change that as quickly as possible."

"Be careful, love." Tes murmured and kissed him; a lingering, passionate contact not intended to distract him but to have him leave with a taste of her in his mouth. "You have pups to come home to."

"I will," he murmured softly, reaching down to ghost his hand along her belly. "I have you to come home to too; no better reason than both of those together."

"Good," she rested her head against his chest for a moment before stepping away to let him go. "Force be with you, love."

"Thank you," he murmured, kissing her briefly before grabbing his pack and turning to leave. The walk to the hanger where their fast transport was already waiting was brief but too long, and he stopped dead in his tracks when their Custos contingent came into view. Five Wolves, no doubt a working pack from the way they interacted, with enough heavy personal weaponry to take on a small army of heavy droids.

The blaster carbines he could understand, even the heavier models. But the repeating blasters he saw were _almost_ overkill, especially the one the largest of the Custos was carrying, almost too big to be used by a person without a tripod.

"The concept of 'overkill' is lost on them, isn't it?" He asked Master Kylyanni quietly as he walked up next to her.

"They said something about wanting to be certain the Alpha's mate returned," the Ferret pointed out. "They're very dedicated to making sure we all come back from this, particularly you."

"Tes'd be glad to hear that, I'm sure," he murmured, raising an eyebrow as they loaded a number of high-caliber slug throwers. "Excuse me," he nodded politely to the older woman, stepping forward to have a word with the Wolves.

"Greetings Knight Parn," one of the females, well-built with brown and grey fur, inclined her head to him without breaking from overseeing the others as their equipment was locked in place in the cargo compartment.

"Greetings, Custos Resh," he said politely, inclining his own head slightly, though not quite as much. "Don't you think this might be a bit much?" He asked, indicating the growing arsenal.

"Hunting anything that scares Jedi more than _Sith_ does warrants whatever might be needed." She said firmly but politely. "We do not yet know if these are improved terentatek, or how many we face."

"I understand your concerns, but I'm worried about what might happen with the slug throwers. What type of ammunition are you using?"

"Hollow point, dum-dums, tumblers, incendiary," she ran over the inventory in her mind. "And a load of armor piercing variants for if it turns out a lot tougher than reports indicate."

"I hope you don't plan on using the armor piercing rounds unless they're necessary?" He asked hopefully. "We don't want to endanger bystanders with bullets that rip through the target, after all."

"Of course not," she almost sounded miffed. "Those are only for if the target is too tough for the other rounds and is blaster resistant."

"Which it shouldn't be," he nodded. "It's not that I doubt your judgment, Custos, it just seemed like a little much. Which, given my track record, probably means something's going to happen and we end up under-gunned," he admitted with a slight chuckle.

"I suggest you not tempt fate, Knight Parn," Master Kareth chuckled. The lean vixen looked very unusual with a blaster rifle strapped across her back, particularly a light sporting rifle, but Doruth had a feeling that it was heavily modified for what they were going to be doing.

"We are prepared for it if he does." Resh said simply. "We were chosen because we know how to retreat when it's a good idea."

"A skill we may end up using," Master Kylyanni agreed as she walked up to the ship. "Is everything ready, Custos Resh?"

"Yes, Master Kylyanni." She bowed politely after the biggest male in her pack nodded that everything was secured and accounted for. "We are ready."

* * *

* * *

* * *

Master Essani walked into medical, noting mentally that she had been here _far_ too often for her liking since taking Jay on as a Padawan. Not that it was his fault by any means, but he _did_ have a knack for being found here, with or without somebody else.

Now he was sitting with Fenrik as the mind-healers finished smoothing over the remains of the bond that Master Kiris' death had shattered. It was always painful when a Master's death ended the bond, but when death came in an instant, when it didn't have time to fade before ending, it was worse. She wasn't surprised that Fenrik had screamed, or by the rest of his response the night before.

She only wished she had better news for them. Not that they didn't know it already, but she never enjoyed telling a Padawan that they had confirmed it. Hopefully Fenrik wouldn't ask about the condition of the body. The look Jay flicked her way when he realized she was there warned her well enough that _her_ Padawan would, even if Fenrik did not.

This was not going to be pleasant.

"* _How are you feeling?_ *" She asked the Panther gently once she was sure the mind-healer was done.

"Better," he said softly. "They said the bond was why I was as wound up as I have been lately." He sighed, closing his eyes. "I still can't believe he's gone...."

"That takes time." Jay murmured and hugged him supportively, speaking from far too much personal knowledge for one his age.

"* _Time that you'll have,_ *" Master Essani reassured him gently. "* _I'm afraid that I can't tell you you're wrong either. We received word from Corellia today; they found his body._ *"

Fenrik swallowed hard, trembling slightly in Jay's arms.

"Are they sending him home?" He asked.

"* _Here first,_ *" the kushiban said softly, "* _but yes, back to his homeworld after that, assuming his wishes didn't say otherwise._ *"

"They don't," the younger Panther said softly. "He only talked about it once, but he did want to go back home. Was it...."

"* _We're not sure if it was a terentatek or not,_ *" Essani explained. "* _But we've sent a team to find out, well prepared if it was. They'll find out what killed your Master, Fenrik. For what it's worth, his death was swift, and likely painless beyond what had happened in the fight._ *"

"It's something," he nodded softly. "I should go back to my...." He swallowed hard at the thought of his quarters, or going back to them. They _were_ his quarters now; his alone.

"You don't have to," Jay offered, his voice low and respectful in his offer to stay with his lover, or have Fenrik stay with him.

"If you don't mind, Jay, Master Essani...?" Fenrik sounded hopeful, and the kushiban nodded.

"* _It's no inconvenience, and understandable,_ *" she said softly. "* _You can stay with us until you're ready._ *"

"You don't need to be alone," Jay squeezed his hand. "There is plenty of room for what you need in my closet."

"I should go pack up what I'll need then," the Panther said with a shaky smile as he stood up. "Jay... do you mind coming with me?"

"Just try to get rid of me," he managed something of a stern face, but the concern behind it ruined the effect.

"Wouldn't dream of it," the Panther murmured, wrapping his arms around Jay in a tight hug before he caught himself and stepped back slightly and found his hand captured as Jay took charge and guided him out into the hallways to his quarters.

* * *

The quiet hum of Master Kareth's blaster rifle charging broke the background rumblings of the Corellian streets. The trail of the terentatek had led them up out of the slums and into the upper city... and, frighteningly, closer and closer to the parts of the city that Corellia's Jedi tended to gather. It hadn't killed anybody else yet, but it was only a matter of time before that changed.

"It's close," she said softly. "To the east... it's approaching the Testing Grounds."

The Custos pack nodded and double-checked their weapons that had been ready throughout the hunt and exchanged glances to double-check that they all understood the battle plan and orders.

"Let's get going then," Resh's voice was low, nearly a rumbling growl as they picked up the pace a bit.

The three Jedi moved with them, Doruth and Kylyanni's blasters already prepared.

"Master Kareth," Doruth asked quietly, "how can you sense where it is?"

"Look for the void in the Force," she answered. "That is where it will be."

"I see what you mean," he nodded, focusing and seeking for the sensation she described. Suddenly, he leaped up and over the pack of Custos, bolting in the direction of the beast making its way towards a cluster of young sensitives who would have no way of surviving the encounter.

"Move!" Resh barked and hit a dead bolt run to get into firing range before the Panther got himself killed doing the Jedi thing.

"Can't blame him," Master Kylyanni pointed out softly as they hurried to follow him. "Not given all that's at stake." Her blaster pistol, almost comically large in her small hands, was ready for use when they were in range. The sound of a blaster discharge, followed by a bellowing roar of pain, said that wouldn't be long.

"Damn crazy Jedi going to get himself killed." The biggest Wolf rumbled in a mixture of frustration, distress and respect even as Doruth appeared in front of them so quickly he was nearly run into.

"I got it's attention," the Panther pointed out, turning and firing his heavy blaster as the great beast appeared from around the corner, earning a roar of pain as the shot struck on its shiny black-brown carapace.

"We noticed," Kylyanni said dryly, moving out from the middle of the pack and firing her own weapon, spreading out so it had to focus its attention on multiple targets rather than a single group. Master Kareth started to move away from them as well, though she went a different direction - up, onto a nearby balcony.

Resh made a sharp motion with her free hand and two of her Wolves vanished into side streets to come around behind it while the remaining three opened fire even as they spread out, their much heavier repeating blasters making a significantly bigger impact.

"* _Hold Fire!_ *" Resh ordered calmly across the Force with the note that her two packmates were about to lead it into the open where it would be an easier target and them much harder to get.

In the moment of silence terentatek roared and spun around, scuttling after the two Wolves that were harassing it from behind. It drew back a massive arm, swinging for one of them even as their repeating blasters fired volleys of energy-bolts into its chest.

A massive crack from the balcony drew everybody's attention to Master Kareth's shot, just before the beast howled in agony, the arm it had drawn back falling to the ground, twitching as green ichor flowed from the wound.

"Finish it," she called down to the others.

"With pleasure," Doruth growled, the seven warriors on the ground opening up with a second series of shots that left the nightmare of the Jedi dead in the streets, its body twitching slightly, its armor scorched and burnt.

"Heavier weapons next time," Resh commented absently as she stepped up to the carcass.

"Definitely." A packmate nodded decisively. "That took _far_ too many hits."

"At least it's dead," Doruth pointed out, looking up at the Grey Fox putting her weapon away. "And none of us are even seriously injured. What the hell sort of blaster was that?" He asked.

"Tensor rifle," she responded easily as she jumped down from the balcony. "I acquired it while I was still a Knight, when I was researching the creatures. I'm glad it worked as well as it did."

"Nice," Resh rumbled appreciatively. "Illegal as hell, but _very_ nice."

"A Jedi isn't a creature of morals," the Vixen chuckled slightly. "At least not when necessary. Now, let's go deal with the rest of our task."

"Should we bring the body back with us?" Master Kylyanni asked. "It might prove useful to study one."

"Custos Resh, do you believe it's possible for us to carry it back?" Master Kareth asked the Wolf.

She glanced at the carcass, then at her packmates, and nodded. "It would be easiest to carry it to the Testing Grounds and land the ship there to load it. Even with Force assistance, the bugger's heavy and the streets ill-suited to maneuvering it in.

"I'll help you move it then," Master Kareth offered. "Knight Parn, Master Kylyanni, if you two would be kind enough to bring the ship?"

"Yes, Master Kareth," the Panther and Ferret nodded, turning to head back for the transport as the rest of them worked to move the massive predator to the Testing Grounds.

"Is it just my natural paranoia going overboard, or was this just a bit too easy?" Resh asked Master Kareth quietly as they used a combination of Force and muscle to get their prize into the open.

"It does feel that way, doesn't it?" Master Kareth agreed. "But I do not sense another. I find myself wondering if this one might have been the Force's way of giving us a warning."

"Hell of a warning," the shewolf muttered. "Leaving a Padawan without a Master."

"He'll find a new one," the Vixen said certainly, knowing that it was little comfort to the Wolves, and would be little comfort to Fenrik if he heard it ... if not upset him. And yet she knew it was true. "What I can't help but wonder is what it's a warning about."

* * *

"Hello Jay." Shivasta's image flickered in the holo-message. She looked well-rested, calm, at peace. Jay hadn't been sure what to expect, but this was a good sign he was sure.

"We're about to arrive at Necropolis; I wanted to be sure to record this while I had the time. The trip's been uneventful, mercifully. I've been talking with some of the other Padawans here... even some of the Knights are nervous. I'm not the only person who hasn't seen anything of this scale before... I guess that's comforting, in a weird way. I might be out of my depth, but I'm not the only one. We've all heard the reports, read them... it's bad there, but we all know we can help.

"That's the important part. We _can_ help there." She looked away from the camera briefly and nodded.

"I have to go soon. I hope everything is going well for you and Fenrik. Write back when you get the chance; it'll be good to hear how things are at home. I'll bet you've managed to get yourself in trouble a dozen times just since I left," she chuckled with a fond smile. "I'll write again as soon as I can. Until then, think a fond thought or two for me. I know I'm thinking them for you," she smiled, before the image flickered out with the 'end message' chime.

Jay drew a deep, thankful breath, debating just how much to tell her of the hell that had gone down here. Some he really did have to tell her, some ... she just didn't need to hear from him.

"Anything you care to say to her?" He looked over at Fenrik, who was trying to relax on the couch.

"Wish her luck, and tell her I'm glad she left you here for me to take care of," the Panther chuckled slightly. "It didn't quite work out that way, but one of us is takin' care of the other at least."

Jay nodded with a forced grin and turned back to the holoscreen to make the recording.

"Hey Shi. Glad to hear the trip was uneventful. Things are moving along here. Doruth got sent on a hunting trip with a couple others and left Tes behind, so she's been a real terror. Hopefully they'll send word he's coming back soon.

"Fenrik wishes you well, and sends thanks that you left be behind to take care of," he winked with a playful grin. "Essani's kind of adopted him since his Master is gone." He did his damnedest not to look as stricken as that made him feel. "Still no word on when he's getting back.

"I hope things turn out not to be as bad as it sounds, and things get sorted out soon. I already miss you." He clicked the recording off and sent it to her.

"I'm sure she'll be fine," Fenrik said softly, moving to hug Jay from behind. "I wonder when they're going to hear about Master Kiris," he mused quietly, closing his eyes as the pain washed through him again. "And I'm sure Doruth will be back soon... it should only take them a couple days to get to Corellia, at worst."

"And not much longer to hunt that thing down, I hope." He nodded and turned to hug him back, embracing his lover in all the caring warmth he could offer. "They'll probably know in a few days. It's news, but they're going to be really busy."

"I know," Fenrik murmured. "And they're going to have their own troubles to deal with too." He sighed slightly. "Come to bed with me?"

"Of course," he stretched up to kiss him lightly and nuzzled him before standing, still in their embrace.

* * *

"Master Essani?" Doruth asked politely, approaching the kushiban as the entourage of tall, well-muscled Panther Jedi of both genders boarded the Gurath.

"* _Yes, Doruth?_ *" She looked up, watching as her Padawan boarded with Fenrik.

"I noticed you're not on the list of people I should make sure are on-board before we leave," he said softly. "There is space for you, if that's the concern." Of course, if she was any larger there wouldn't be; the Gurath's quarters were well and truly filled with Panthers coming along for Master Kiris' true funeral on his homeworld of Shiraak Prime.

"* _No, I am not coming,_ *" she agreed quietly. "* _I am needed here on the Council. I trust you can take care of Jay and Fenrik for this journey._ *"

"Very well, Master Essani," he nodded, surprised at the level of trust involved. Of course, it wasn't like they were planning on having any trouble on the way, but it was still a sign. "Thank you," he bowed respectfully.

"* _Just bring my kits home safe,_ *" she said softly, her full confidence that he would clear with the words.

"I will, Master," he promised. "We'll see you again in a few weeks," he said before turning to board the Gurath and run the last of the pre-flight checks that Tes had begun.

* * *

* * *

* * *

"Hey," Jay caught Fenrik gently by the arms and guided him to settle on the simple bunk they'd share for the next couple weeks. "It's too early to pace."

"Sorry," the Panther said apologetically, ducking his head a little. "Guess I'm just a little wound up. It's kinda strange to think of all these people are coming along with us to pay their respects to him, given how little time he spent with most of them... most of anybody, for that matter."

"You never did talk about him much," Jay reached up to caress Fenrik's face. "What was he like?"

"A warrior in every sense," Fenrik smiled softly. "And ultimately a Panther too. Fiercely independent, a real loner. Guess that's why I'm so surprised by the turnout; most of the people here he only knew by virtue of being another Panther, as far as I know.

"But as much as he was a private person, he always fought for the right side of things. Not necessarily the legal one, but the right one, unless his vows forbid it."

"There are such vows?" Jay frowned, trying to think of such a thing worth keeping.

"I saw them in action," Fenrik admitted. "The Jedi are viewed as representatives of the Republic, so we can't necessarily enforce our morals in an area where they conflict with the local laws. Nar Shaddaa was the place I saw it happen. Slavery is legal there, and the Republic has so far not taken a stance opposing it in Hutt space. No Jedi may strike against slavery _within_ Hutt Space. Outside its boundaries is another matter, but within it would be seen as an act by the Republic against the Hutt's laws, which we do not have the right to represent until it is an accurate representation."

"Oh, that," he nodded. "Didn't think of it that way."

"True though," Fenrik pointed out. "It was downright painful to watch him the time I was there with him; I could practically feel the offense he took at it, though he never let anger show, even in private. He stayed away from Hutt Space for just that reason; he only went when the Council required it of him for a mission.

"Beyond that...." Fenrik sighed, snuggling up next to Jay. "He was incredible. It's hard to explain it, but he is... was... everything I want to be."

"Everything you will be," Jay said softly, stroking his ears and neck gently. "It's good to have at least one person like that in your life."

"I just wish I knew what to do now that he's gone," Fenrik murmured softly, nuzzling Jay's neck and holding him close.

"You accept it, heal, and find a new Master to complete you training with." He answered simply.

"Is it really that simple?" Fenrik asked, looking at Jay searchingly. "I've been his Padawan since I was ten, Jay, six years.... How do you find somebody you can connect to like that again?"

"That simple, yeah." He nodded seriously. "That _easy_? Not likely. It's not much different than falling in love or finding a lifemate after one's died." Jay murmured and stroked Fenrik's neck and upper spine. "It can take a while, but it can happen." He looked back and kissed him softly. "And this one really comes down to the fact that if you don't find someone you can at least trust, even if it's not as much as Master Kiris, you can't finish your training. Give it a few months. Someone will become apparent as the right choice to do the job."

"I hope so," the Panther nodded slightly, kissing Jay back and sighing softly. "It just doesn't feel like it right now," he admitted. "I know better, but feeling it is a lot harder."

"Fenrik," Jay got him to look at him directly. "You _just_ lost him. Traumatically. You haven't even _buried_ him yet. Don't worry about anything but seeing him off and healing from the loss for a while. No one is expecting you to move on like nothing happened."

"You're right," Fenrik admitted, snuggling up closer to him. "Thank you, Jay," he murmured softly. "For being sensible for me."

"It's what friends are for," he nuzzled him and held him tightly. "And mates are to hold you when you cry for the loss."

* * *

* * *

* * *

Fenrik turned over in bed, trying to let Jay sleep. He'd woken up a few minutes ago, his mind tossing and turning as he tried to calm down. The nightmares weren't as vivid anymore, they didn't have the immediacy of Master Kiris' true death, but they were still there.

He sighed softly, turning again and kissing Jay softly before extricating himself from the younger tom's arms. He climbed off the cot and moved to the small dresser in the room, opening the drawer and pulling out his lightsaber.

His Master's lightsaber, made for him.

He walked out to the cargo bay where Master Kiris' remains were in stasis. He still remembered the first time he'd seen it, after Knight Parn and the others returned from hunting the beast that had killed him. It hadn't looked too bad, except for the one glaring flaw. The head that the beast had taken off and partially eaten had been replaced by a false one. The imitation was flawless, but that only mattered if you were looking at the appearance. The fact that it didn't belong was too obvious... and, in its way, more disturbing than the simple absence would have been.

Fenrik tried to ignore the nearby body, instead igniting his 'saber and starting a simple kata. As the blazing white blade cut through the air, he focused his world down to three things; the blade, himself, and his troubles. Each stroke illuminated the shadows of his troubled mind, bringing things into clarity and giving him a point of focus to tackle until another issue became more clearly the source of the trouble.

The young Panther fought his phantom battle in the cargo hold, lights flashing off surfaces, the quiet hum of his blade the only sound in the ship.

It was that unexpected sound that woke the usual inhabitants of the ship. Tes lifted her head, checking with her eyes what she felt, that her mate was indeed still in bed and not the source. With a soft mumble she settled back down even as Doruth kissed her gently and slipped out of bed to dress quickly. No one should be practicing at this hour. No one should be _conscious_ at this hour.

In the back of his mind, he wondered if one of those on board had his meditation method. It was usually him that was up at strange hours with a saber in his hand, using the katas and glow of his saber to bring clarity to his troubled thoughts.

He made his way back to the cargo hold, and paused at the door, watching the youth. To almost any other in the Order, it would look like 'saber practice. To Doruth, who used it himself, the difference between that and combat meditation was obvious. He could hardly blame the youth for needing it either. Loosing your Master was never easy, even after you were a Knight. To loose him half way through training in such a traumatic way with half a galaxy between you ... that had been known to break a Padawan.

Fenrik continued his meditation for a few minutes before he realized that he was being watched. He finished the kata and extinguished his blade to turn to face the Knight with a bow.

"Did I wake you?" He asked, looking up politely.

"Yes," Doruth nodded slightly. "I'm usually the one doing that." He paused, regarding the admittedly strange scene. "Is it how Master Kiris taught you?" He asked softly.

"It is," Fenrik nodded, closing his eyes briefly. "It was how he meditated as well, when he had the space."

"I wish I had known him better," he murmured. "I had to learn on my own how to clear my mind. I didn't realize there was another Jedi who used kata meditation."

"Neither did I, except for him," Fenrik admitted with a slight smile. "He said it's not very common, even among the warriors, though I'm sure a few others do it. It works," the cub chuckled slightly, putting his lightsaber in its holster with ease. "That's the important part."

"Yes, it is." Doruth nodded with a small smile of his own. "It's good that you are taking the time to. It's not an easy or quick thing to come to terms with."

"No, it's not," Fenrik nodded. "I just needed to clear my thoughts tonight."

"Then I will leave you to your thoughts, before Jay decides I need to be 'encouraged' to go back to bed." He smiled warmly and turned to leave, even as he realized that it was much more likely to be Tes who came to drag him back to bed, though _that_ was unlikely to be restful. He was definitely going to have to invest in some serious soundproofing before he took on a Padawan.

"He's more likely to encourage me," Fenrik chuckled slightly. 

"Quite possible," Doruth grinned at him over his shoulder. "He's as bad as Tes from what I've heard."

"Knight Parn? Would you mind staying for a little bit, if it's all right? It might help to have somebody who knows what they're doing a bit better to talk some of this over with."

"Of course," he said easily and turned fully to face Fenrik. "Here, or up in the observation bay?"

"Probably be better in the observation bay," the younger Panther admitted, looking at the stasis case holding his Master's body as he moved to follow Doruth.

"It is rather unsettling, for all the copy is perfect," he nodded, speaking quietly as they walked.

"I know they meant well," Fenrik nodded slightly. "But it's just not _him_. I can't believe that creature...." He shuddered, sitting down in the observation bay and felt the bigger Panther settle next to him and put a strong hand on his shoulder. "It does get easier, right?"

"The going on, day to day? Yes, that gets easier with time and acceptance that he is gone." He nodded solemnly. "Loosing someone close to you? No, that part never gets any easier."

"Guess it's not supposed to," Fenrik nodded slightly. "Why do we do it the way we do?" He asked, leaning back in his chair with a sigh.

"Do what?" Doruth asked, a bit at a loss as to which thing he was asking about.

"I...." Fenrik sighed, trying to think of how to say what he was thinking. "The whole thing. We're not supposed to get too attached to anybody, anything, it's the whole reason most students are taken when they're so young. But then we create a bond like the one between Master and Padawan... even without the actual bond, there aren't any pairs that don't have a connection like that. I don't know how you were able to do it, turn against him when you had to."

"I almost didn't," he sighed, the memories of it still a faintly terrifying pain. "The rest ... that's a complex answer." He sighed and shifted to lean against a bulkhead and stared out at the stars rushing by. "The lack of attachment ... emotions tend to cloud judgment. It makes it hard to think, to see things for what they are and the path you should take. You just went through a fairly civil round of why you are encouraged not to be close to anyone with Jay and Shi. It would have gone much differently if there weren't two Masters intervening in the fallout. It's why it's so hard to accept what the next year will bring, that you'll heal enough to have another Master for the remainder of your training and risk it all again, possibly even a third time if it comes to it.

"The bond with a Master is mostly to protect the Padawan. You learn so much, you're put in so much danger so young and so often that it's almost the only way a Master can make sure you aren't getting into trouble, physically or with the Dark. It's not something a lot of Masters relish having from what I've read. It's not something I liked having at your age. It's not something I'm particularly looking forward to when I take a Padawan, but I know from my own time that it's needed if he'll survive to become a Knight. I _have_ to be able to know when he's in danger from anything to protect him until he's ready to protect himself, and that means I accept the bond and all that comes with it."

"Didn't do either of us any good when we needed it," Fenrik pointed out, his tail betraying the brief rush of anger he felt.

"Life is like that," Doruth said quietly, understanding the anger and pain all too well. "Things don't always work out the way we mean them too. A lightsaber should cut anything it touches. A Master should see his Padawan a Knight. A Jedi is the hunter, not the hunted. We shouldn't let emotions cloud our judgment or fall to the Dark Side. But it all happens and the incredibly small odds of any of it isn't much comfort to those that face the results when things don't work out right."

"Especially not when you could've done something," Fenrik nodded, swallowing hard. "Should've said something sooner."

"You had that premonition before?" He frowned; surprised that such a dramatic Force-ripple could have been missed.

"Not the premonition, but the whole week leading up to it... I was feeling more and more stress from him, so many things that should have said something was wrong...."

"Fenrik, as frustrating as it may be, even if you'd said something nothing would have changed. He was expected to call for help if he needed it, even if it was just to you. He was hunting a Dark Jedi, a fallen Master. If he was close, that _is_ how it feels. It can drive you crazy to be the one left behind, knowing something's going on and blocked from even being moral support." Doruth sighed. "Taking the blame for what happened won't help any either."

"Did you at least found out what happened to the Dark one he was following?"

"The terentatek killed him."

"It balanced things out," Fenrik murmured, sighing and shaking his head. "At least his mission was completed."

"Yes," Doruth nodded. "And that one won't hunt another Jedi."

"I just hope there aren't any more of them out there... whatever created it, it's an abomination. How could anything exist outside the Force like that?"

He held back his real beliefs that it was the predator of the ultimate predator. "I don't know," he admitted the truth. "But we've tried to exterminate them time and time again, and every time the Dark rises in power again, they come back to hunt us all."

"I'm going to hope this was just a fluke," Fenrik sighed. "Rather than something about to go very, very wrong. Thank you for speaking with me, Knight Parn. We should probably both get back to bed, before we're missed."

"Any time you'd like to talk, you're welcome to," he smiled warmly and squeezed the younger Panther's shoulder. "I may not have all the answers, but I've been through a lot of what you are."

"Thanks," Fenrik smiled slightly, putting his hand on Doruth's before he stood to leave. "I'll keep the offer in mind."

* * *

* * *

* * *

"Have you assessed how far in his training he is?" Master Ryenth casually asked the female next to him on the observation deck.

"He's at the point where I would recommend starting to train him in lightsaber construction," Master Zaian admitted, inclining her head slightly as her ears twitched, taking in the report on the vid-news Master Charn was watching. "He seems to have a reasonable grasp of how to use his abilities, though he relies on his training before his talents. I believe he would be ready for his Trials within five years, if not for the interruption this will cause."

"And the difficulties his bonding with Clawson will cause." Master Charn commented without truly joining them. "They are as tight as any mated Knights, and less likely to take separation well for all it is all but a given."

"It can't be that close?" Ryenth frowned. "They are far too young to have developed that closeness.

"Barely three months." Charn confirmed. "Impossible or not, it has happened and it will be an unpleasant thing for them to have end."

"And recent events have only brought them closer," Master Demria, youngest of the four, pointed out quietly as she walked onto the observation deck. "Though Clawson's involvement has helped Aren to maintain his balance throughout this."

"Agreed," Zaian nodded. "Their closeness is surprising, but has worked out for the better thus far."

"It is when they are separated for an extended period that will require careful management." Charn cautioned. "It would be best if his new Master has helped someone through such a separation, and has experience with the death of someone close."

"He needs a healer or counselor more than another warrior most, right now," Demria agreed. "Though that may change through the next year."

"Right now, that is what he will have." Charn nodded. "He won't have another Master until he is ready and at least largely recovered from what has happened. Master Essani has agreed to oversee him until he is ready to accept a new Master as he is likely to all but live in her quarters anyway." He paused to look at the three most likely candidates for that new Master. "Make no mistake, even healed, this will leave its mark on him long past his Knighthood.

"He will not be the first troubled Padawan to be trained successfully though," Zaian pointed out.

"None of us expect him to forget what happened, Master Charn," Demria agreed. "Losing your Master is never easy, especially not through violence. The question is what nature that mark will take. Kiris would not have wanted his death to end his Padawan's training, or leave too great a shadow over his future. Properly directed, this trial could serve to temper him, rather than tarnish him."

"Yes it could. It will simply require special care for it to. Not every Jedi is ready to provide that."

"Hardly," Demria agreed. "Though I am willing to," she added, "if it is possible when the time comes. He deserves the best chance he can get, both for his own merit and as Kiris' Padawan."

Master Charn nodded thoughtfully. "I would encourage you to include yourself in his life then, and Padawan Clawson's as well if they are ever separate. I can already see in the Force that his will shall be the deciding factor, and it is quite unlikely that their opinions will differ for long." He advised her calmly. "They are both very strong willed kits."

"Once we have returned to Coruscant," the younger Master nodded. "For now, he has enough to do with grieving and the responsibilities he has accepted. As I understand, he has taken the position of Master Kiris' heir for the ceremony."

"At least he is unlikely to have difficulties beyond finding a suitable location," Charn said softly. "And his perfectionist nature."

"That is helpful," Zaian agreed. "And I'm sure Clawson will be willing to point out when he's worrying too much about finding a perfect location."

"And Aren may actually listen to him," Ryenth chuckled. "At least more than to anyone else on board."

"We can certainly hope so," Demria nodded. "He doesn't need to give himself any more stress than he's already under."

"Very true," Charn nodded. "It'll be a rough enough year for him regardless."

* * *

Fenrik knelt beside the grave Master Kiris' body was resting in. Most of the others had gone already, leaving Fenrik to pay his last respects. He looked around at the spot they'd chosen, a quiet clearing surrounded by massive jungle trees. It was a quiet, peaceful place, one that had felt _right_ when Fenrik had first visited it.

He hoped his Master would be happy here.

"This is it," he sighed, reaching down to brush his fingers along the dead Panther's arm. Most people would have thought the grave was far too shallow, balked at the lack of a casket ... or the fact that there was a burial at all. Most of the Republic had gone on to cremations, for space among other reasons. But their people's traditions were different; here, Kiris' remains would go on to rejoin the planet's life cycle and his spirit would rejoin the living Force of the area.

He looked down at his Master's remains. His real head was beneath the body, what was left of it at least. The false one remained on his shoulders, a training 'saber replacing the one the terentatek had destroyed after killing him. Fenrik sighed, closing his eyes as the pain washed through him.

"Jay?" He asked quietly, sitting up a bit straighter.

"I'm here," he answered softly and stepped closer to put a supportive hand on Fenrik's shoulder.

"Can I have a few minutes alone?" Fenrik asked softly, putting his hand on top of Jay's. "There's something I need to do."

There was a moment of hesitation, fear that the Panther meant to kill himself, but he nodded and squeezed Fenrik's shoulder. "I'll be by the river."

"I'll be there," Fenrik promised as he glanced up and realized that Jay had been crying silently during the ceremony for someone he had never met, the only visible grief any of them had shown. "Don't worry," he smiled slightly, "I'm not that far gone."

"Thank you," Jay stopped himself from kneeling to kiss him and let go, his steps away steady despite the emotional turmoil inside as he tried to cope with his own losses, eventual death and how much family customs actually mattered to him. Things no thirteen year old had any business thinking about and he'd put off for too long already.

Fenrik swallowed, taking his lightsaber out and setting it down at his knees. He was grateful for Jay's tears; he'd have to let him know later. He knew the others felt their own grief, in their own ways, but none of them had really showed it. He felt his own tears roll down his cheeks, and for the first time since the body had been brought back to the temple he didn't try to stop them.

He wasn't sure how long he cried, though he was sure Jay had gotten back to the river some five, ten minutes walk away. He wiped his tears away as his nerves steadied, then picked up his 'saber.

"I know it isn't yours, but at least it's one you made," he said softly, carefully removing the training 'saber the Jedi on Corellia had placed there as a formality and replacing it with his own. "Besides ... I promised to return it to you when you were done with my training. I wonder if you knew it would be like this. I know I never did." 

He holstered the training 'saber, hoping nobody would notice ... or, at least, that they wouldn't mention it if they did. He looked up at the false head that had been bothering him since he had known about it. Ironic, really.

Master Kiris had told him once that even if he lost a hand he wouldn't have accepted a replacement. He'd considered it a sign of pride overcoming faith in the will of the Force. And now, when it wouldn't have helped him, the decision had been made for him. Fenrik reached into the grave again, taking the head and twisting it, wincing at the sound of the mountings sliding out of place as it came off in his hands.

"This doesn't belong here," he said softly, standing up and hiding the offending prosthetic by one of the nearby trees before he set about the task of shoveling the soil back into his Master's grave. Once he was done, he brushed some of the dirt from his sweat-soaked robes, his tired muscles giving him something else to think about as he started to walk back towards the river where Jay was waiting.

"Goodbye, Master," he murmured as he followed Jay's steps to where the kit was sitting by the water's edge, his knees to his chest and his face buried in his arms on top of them. His entire body was shaking, the tears no longer silent as any attempt to control himself had been abandoned well before.

Fenrik sat down beside him, wrapping his arms around the younger tom and held him close, silently offering some of the support he'd been given since this had all started while Jay pulled himself together enough to face the adults again.

"I don't suppose there's a swimming hole nearby?" He murmured quietly, rites he barely remembered hearing about combining with not wanting the Jedi on the ship to see them this tear-soaked to drive events for a time.

"There should be," Fenrik nodded, helping him stand up and felt him lean against him even as Jay tried to be supportive as well. "They don't expect us back for a while, I'd wager, and they can find us if they have to ... why don't we go clean ourselves up?"

"Better than looking like this what we see them." Jay nodded and hugged him back.

"It's okay for you to cry too, Jay," Fenrik murmured softly, kissing him gently before they walked to the small pond nearby, steam rising lightly from its surface.

"Wouldn't know it from the adults," he made a small sound of relief and shed his robes just far enough from the water's edge to avoid getting them wet before stepping in with no concern for any critters that might be in residence or that it would be too hot.

Fenrik followed him in, groaning as the hot water soaked through his fur. It was almost too hot for comfort, but the heat felt good as it soaked into his shoulders.

"They've seen too many friends go already," he pointed out softly. "They're just keeping it inside, like everything else."

"I know," he moved to rub Fenrik's shoulders even as his nuzzled his powerful neck. "I just still remember how much trouble we'd get in for doing just that. Dad said it was how the Demon got a hold in your mind, how you fall to the Dark. It just doesn't seem right." He sighed. "Some parts of your world I'll probably never get used to."

"That holding it in was?" Fenrik asked, wanting to be sure he was hearing it right.

"Yeah. Holding everything inside was the best way to go suicidal, insane or Dark, whatever came first." He murmured.

"Only if you bottle it up, instead of handling it," Fenrik murmured, turning to rub Jay's back. "We're just not supposed to let our emotions rule us, after all... it's just that bottling it up seems to be the easiest way to do that for most of 'em."

"And it works for most," Jay consented and groaned softly in their embrace, not really questioning the reasons or method. "It just isn't how I was raised as a sane choice. It just feels _not right_ to have that much grief around and no tears or ... well ... _social_ outlet." He sighed and rested his head against Fenrik's chest. "I just never realized till now just how _different_ things are here; that my funeral's going to be anything but what I'd want just because of who'll be there."

"Maybe you'll manage to get home before that happens," Fenrik murmured, rubbing his back. "Besides... it's not just the Jedi approach. Panthers aren't exactly renowned for showing their feelings," he admitted, "especially not warriors. Not unless it's 'pissed as hell.'"

Jay couldn't help but chuckle weakly and tried to lighten the mood a little with a kiss. "Or horny as hell."

"Mmm ... very true," Fenrik chuckled, returning the kiss. "Sorry I haven't really been in the mood lately."

"You just lost the most important person in your life." Jay looked up at him seriously and cupped his cheek. "Sex is hardly the top of my concerns list."

"Thanks," the Panther murmured, kissing him gently. "Don't know what shape I'd be in by now without you here, Jay," he admitted.

"It doesn't matter," he said firmly. "I was here, I am here and I'm not about to leave you."

"Good," Fenrik murmured, rubbing his back. "So, feeling better now?" He asked, licking the younger tom's tear-matted cheek lightly.

"Yeah," he managed a smile, purring weakly at the intensely personal and caring touch. "You?"

"About as much as can be expected," the Panther smiled slightly. "Thanks for giving me that time."

"Anytime you need it, just ask," he kissed him gently before stepping back and closing his eyes to sink completely under the water to work the tear stains from his fur.

Fenrik took the chance to clean his own fur off, though he stayed above the water to do it until Jay was back up himself a few seconds later.

"I will," he smiled, "though I don't think it'll be too often."

"Good," Jay murmured and ran his hands up Fenrik's chest before kissing him soundly, the hunger in his mind from memories from home not matching the lack of arousal in his body. The conflict took a third way out and made him blink as he finally placed what was off about the incredible silence of the area. "I can make you a real one to practice if you'd like." He offered hesitantly, remembering Doruth's polite but very firm refusal of an improved 'saber over a year before.

"You noticed that, huh?" The Panther asked softly. "It just wasn't right to leave a fake one there... and I might take you up on that, eventually. Surprised you know how to do that already."

"I don't, technically," he looked up with a bit of an impish grin. "But it's seriously hard for me _not_ to pick up how to create something I spend so much time working with. I built one for Tes a couple weeks after I got to the Temple. It doesn't take long, really. It's the tuning it to yourself that's the time consuming part, and it's not something you do unless you can build your own. I could probably have it ready in a day or two at the Temple."

"I'll consider it," Fenrik smiled slightly. "It'd be a lot easier to explain," he chuckled a bit.

"I doubt anyone will question it, whether I build you a new one or not." Jay kissed him gently and climbed out of the pool to shake off. "Sun-dry?"

"Works for me," Fenrik nodded, climbing out and shaking the hot water out of his own fur, laying down on the grass next to Jay, reaching over to rub his chest lightly.

"Mmm, feels good." He rumbled softly, a contented sigh escaping as relaxed in the strangely blissful silence of this world.

"Do you think I picked the right spot, Jay?" Fenrik asked, rolling up onto his side and absently scritching along his lover's front.

"Did you want somewhere calm and peaceful and full of life?" He glanced over.

"Yeah," Fenrik nodded. "Somewhere worthy of a protector's spirit, but where he could be at peace."

"I think you found a perfect spot then," he smiled at him easily.

"Thank you," Fenrik smiled. "Mmm ... you ever come up with some way I can thank you properly for all this, just let me know, okay?"

"Come to peace with this," Jay rolled to his side to look at him seriously as he reached out to caress his face. "Don't let this scar you for life."

"I'll do my best," Fenrik nodded slightly, leaning forward to kiss him. "I won't forget... but I won't let it ruin me either."

"That's how it should be," he nodded and kissed him back with a bit of fire. "Life does go on and you have a lot of life left."

"And a good tom to live most of it with," Fenrik murmured, returning the kiss and snuggling up close as they passed the time it would take to dry.


	4. A Triad Formed? pt 2/2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's an eventful year at the Jedi temple as the first true triad in a thousand years forms around death, birth and biology not quite ready for it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written with Karl Wolfemann

Jay let the light pack he'd brought for the funeral trip drop to the floor of his room at the Temple unceremoniously, too emotionally worn out to care about clothes. Fenrik had made some headway after the funeral, and Jay couldn't begin to express how grateful he was at that. He was already thinking far too much about death for anyone's good and how to word his instructions to a people that believed in cremation and letting the ashes drift on the wind.

The very idea was enough to make him shiver. Not all his kin were lucky enough to have a body left to burry, but to intentionally destroy it with no marker they ever existed ... it scared him more than he dared admit.

He was grateful too that Master Essani didn't seem to be around as he checked for messages and saw one from Shi a couple days old.

"Jay!" Shivasta's image looked as frustrated as she sounded as she said his name. "You should have _said_ something! Gods I'm glad I had Master Ursal view the first version of this message before I sent it!" She sighed, straightening up slightly. "Please tell Fenrik I'm sorry about his Master. I wish I was there to help. We've been here about a week now, and I have to say... they've cleaned up the reports we get out there," she admitted. "It's not too bad around our outposts, but you get too far from those and...." She sighed again, shaking her head.

"The plague is bad, Jay. Don't tell anybody out there, but I don't think it's natural. The Masters are looking into the cause while the Knights and Padawans try to help as many people as we can. I've never seen this much suffering in one place before. It would be so easy to be overwhelmed by it, but we have to be strong. I helped a little girl today," she said with a smile. "Her parents were frantic, but I was able to bring it under control. According to the doctors, those we heal _should_ have the antibodies to fight the plague better, so she should be immune now. I hope they're right.

"Give Fenrik my condolences, Jay. I miss you terribly, but he needs you there. The Force be with both of you. And don't give Master Essani any heart attacks while all the healers are gone," she winked as the message ended.

Jay closed his eyes with a defeated sound and let himself drop into a nearby chair. There was no way he could answer her now. Too wound up and worn out to say what she'd need to hear. It ached to have her missing. She could have made the death go away in a few minutes.

But he had to be strong, for her and for Fenrik ... and for himself. He could feel the Demon alternate between raging against the door and crooning sweet promises of power that they both knew were true.

Fenrik interrupted it as he got into the room, setting his own pack down as he noticed Jay's mood even as he realized that almost all the furniture in the room had been changed out to be more suitable for two.

"What's wrong?" He asked, kneeling next to the young tom.

"Shi's seriously ticked I didn't tell her about Master Kiris, the plague is really bad ... the unnatural kind of bad, but don't repeat that ... I guess the last few weeks are starting to really catch up with me too."

"Shi's probably not _that_ ticked off," Fenrik said reassuringly, standing Jay up and guiding him over to sit on his lap on the bed, wrapping his arms around him. "And they've got more healers there than they do back here, I'm sure they'll figure out what's really going on and solve it."

"I know," he willingly surrendered to the embrace and closed his eyes. "I'm just really worn out right now."

"Shh, rest then," the Panther murmured, kissing his neck gently. "You lay down, I'll help you relax enough that you can get some sleep in your own bed, okay? I'll even give you a big black body pillow to snuggle up with," he smiled.

"When am I ever going to refuse that?" He managed a grin and kissed him softly. "I think I've gotten used to the relative silence of a ship too. The chatter's intense here."

"And here you said you used to gripe about places that were too quiet," Fenrik chuckled, pressing him down to the bed and starting to work his robes off. "You can tune it out, right? If it's too intense?"

"Yes," he groaned and arched up into the touch and coming nakedness even as he worked Fenrik's robes off his shoulders. "Just like you do minds."

"Just checking," the Panther rumbled, helping Jay take his robes off, then working his off the rest of the way. "Roll onto your front, okay?" He suggested and got an almost immediate response as Jay shifted to his arms and knees.

"Fuck me, now." Jay shivered, his body only half aroused but his mind driving a need so intense it hurt if he let it.

Fenrik blinked. He'd expected Jay to be wound up, but _this_ wound up he hadn't been expecting. Even so, he reached into the nearby drawer and pulled out the lube.

"Sure you want this?" He asked, opening the tube and spreading some onto his fingers.

"Yes," he breathed hotly and looked back at his lover with pleading eyes. "I want you _in_ me."

Fenrik made quick work of preparing his partner. Jay looked almost as desperate as he'd felt the night....

He shook his head, dispelling that thought. No way that was going to happen. He pressed against Jay's back, nuzzling the back of his neck as he started to press his shaft into the younger tom's ass with a moan. He groaned with a shudder as he felt Jay let go of something deep inside that hurt like hell. Not the pain of loss, but something related.

"Yessss," Jay hissed and pressed back, embracing the almost-pain that came with such pleasure and a kind of comfort he had no words for. He tightened his body around the invading cock, relishing the feel of every bump along its length and the barbs near the head that made Fenrik whimper when he pulled out.

"Oh fuck," Fenrik groaned, starting to thrust slowly. It had been weeks since they'd done this, literally. It added an extra level of intensity to it that was a lot like their first time. The main difference was that Jay was a much more active lover now; thrusting back when Fenrik thrust forward and rippling the muscles of his lower body to milk the cock inside him ruthlessly.

"So good," Jay whimpered.

"Nnngh ... can say that... again," Fenrik panted, gripping Jay's hips lustily as the pace picked up and the musk of their arousal began to fill the air around them.

"Harder," Jay almost growled, pushing back hard against Fenrik's groin.

"If you want," the Panther growled, starting to thrust harder, searching for the nub inside his lover's body as he reached around to start stroking his cock, paying special attention to the small nubs around the head and particularly the two new ones that had come in since the last time he'd truly explored Jay's body.

"Ohhhh," Jay moaned deep in his chest and didn't fight the rising pleasure in his body. He was vaguely aware that he cried out when Fenrik found the right spot deep inside him that felt like nothing else in the world. The scream that came with the second thrust into his prostate combined with the two fingers just below the head of his cock that squeezed his nubs down in unison left him feeling lightheaded and mewing as he came, spurting his seed across his bed and Fenrik's hand. His ass spasmed around Fen's shaft, drawing a deep roar from the older tom as he pumped his cum deep into his ass.

They were both panting as Jay turned his head to nuzzle his lover. "Face to face?" He rumbled softly.

"Gimme a couple minutes, Jay!" Fenrik protested playfully, even as he pulled out with a groan. "Me in you yet?"

"Yes," he groaned with a shudder and rolled over with his knees up and spread, his ass leaking the Panther's seed as he casually stroked himself, his eyes on fire with desire for the tom kneeling above him.

"That's a _very_ good look for you," Fenrik rumbled, licking Jay's seed off his fingers before pressing against his chest and kissing his neck, pressing himself into his body again.

"Ohhh, yeah!" He groaned and pressed up against the solid mass over him, kissing him and filling him. If mortal heaven existed, he had found it here with this tom claiming his body and mouth with all the strength and deep passions of his kind. 

The new position rubbed them both in all new ways, the tight slickness and pounding, the hand that touched everything right, and moaning cries of pleasure and for more pushed them both to a second orgasm in ten minutes.

Fenrik panted as he pulled out of Jay, kissing him hotly, the smaller tom's seed mingling on both their bellies, his own dribbling from his ass.

"Mmm ... how 'bout a break, 'kay?" He asked hopefully.

"All right," he murmured and ran his hands up Fenrik's chest, but the look on his face belied his words.

"You're _still_ wound up?" The Panther chuckled, kissing him lightly and laying on his side.

"Some," he admitted and shifted to snuggle in. "You haven't really been in the mood for a while."

"Mmm ... spirit is willing now, just not sure if the body's up to it," Fenrik chuckled, nuzzling his neck. "So... how 'bout you tell us a 'bedtime story' while I rest up?"

"A story?" Jay looked at him, completely at a loss.

"Mmm ... you can't tell me you haven't been thinking about Shi any. About what you two might be doing if she was here...." Fenrik's fingers ghosted over Jay's cock and its sensitive nubs.

"Oh," Jay moaned softly as his hips lifted into the touch as he tried to get his brain into het mode with all the male scent in the room. "She likes being in charge," he admitted, his cheeks burning lightly even as Fenrik kissed him soundly enough to make him forget that and just want to please his lover. "Her body's so cool, even her mouth. It's kinda weird, exciting too, knowing that's normal for her. Her scent's utterly intoxicating, even more than yours."

Fenrik gradually guided one of Jay's hands down to his cock, letting him take over the stroking so he could scratch the younger tom's chest.

"Go on," he rumbled. "What would you two be doing, if she was here instead of me? Just let go and imagine it...."

"Not as much," Jay breathed in sharply at the touch to his chest and his own fingers around his cock. "She'd pin me on the bed, straddle my hips and let her robes fall away from all that soft, blue skin. Make me just look and feel with my hands for a while before I can finally get undressed. She makes the most incredible sounds when I lick her nipples and run my fingers along her sex." He whimpered as memories combined with touch to bring him to full hardness. "It smells incredible when I rub her the right way and she comes."

"And how would she make you cum?" Fenrik asked, nuzzling Jay's neck lightly and inhaling his scent.

"Sometimes with her mouth, like you do, or her hand," he made an indistinct sound as a tremor ran through his body and his fist closed around his cock. "But what's really good is when I slide between her legs. She's so slick and eager and her clit is hard against my cock as she moans and moves. It never takes long."

"You want that?" Fenrik asked with a seductive rumble. "Want her here to make you come onto that soft, smooth skin of hers?" He trailed his fingers down Jay's front, paying special attention to each of his hottest spots.

"Yes," he admitted with a long moan, intentionally keeping his hand slow to draw out this new game. "Or feel you inside her with me." He whimpered as the idea broke most of his self-control.

"Mmm ... go ahead Jay," Fenrik purred, "make yourself come for her."

The strange idea didn't really have time to register as instinct tightened his grip and sped up his strokes, bringing his hand up to squeeze the nubs just below his cock-head with each pump until his hips thrust off the bed with a sharp roar and his seed spurted across his abs. Each motion drawing a little more come from his body and another whimpering sound from his throat.

Fenrik purred deeply, inhaling the scent and caught Jay's mouth in a tender, intimate kiss once the younger tom's roar had passed, his cock still shooting his essence up onto his stomach and fingers.

"Mmm, that was different," Jay murred lazily after he caught his breath.

"Bet she'd like to hear some of that," the Panther purred. "Maybe watch too," he winked.

That got a raised eyebrow in return, though Jay was far too relaxed to particularly argue. "She doesn't have anybody to play with."

"You have clearly never learned about having a partner who's in the field," Fenrik chuckled, kissing him lightly. "Sometimes Jay, the important part isn't having somebody there to play with, but knowing that the person who's waiting for you still wants to play with _you_ , even if they've got somebody else. Honestly, from talking with her, I'd say _especially_ if they've got somebody else."

"I'll think about it," he murmured, his cheeks a bright red under his fur. "That's a lot to send with a message."

"But I think it'd be worth it," Fenrik smiled, nuzzling Jay lightly. He was cute when he was embarrassed like this. "Not like you have to do it this time," he chuckled. "Now," he purred, rolling back on top of Jay, between his legs, "let's see if I can make you come as hard with me here as you did thinking about your girlfriend across the galaxy...."

* * *

Shivasta groaned as she dropped onto a seat in the common area, closing her eyes and reaching back to rub her neck gently. Her entire body ached from exhaustion and stress. She wasn't the only one either; most of the Healers who were coming off their shifts were just as wiped out.

Some of the Padawans were already sleeping on their tables, too wiped out to make it back to their quarters. One of the Knights looked like he was meditating, but Shivasta could tell the difference; he'd put himself into a stasis-trance so he'd be available in case of an emergency. She wondered how Master Ursal was holding up, and how close their were coming to finding out what was going on in this system.

Normally a Healer had a few minutes to rest between patients, recover their strength. Here, they were seeing them as quickly as possible, one coming in the door practically while the last one was still being tended to. It was like her worst shifts in the infirmary back on Coruscant, only about ten times worse since only the patients who had the mildest cases of the Plague were able to be sent home cured most of the time. The rest were left for the next shift's treatment, the theory being that giving the work some time to 'settle in' might make the next attempt more effective. She _hoped_ it would work that way. It was the only hope some people had.

She stood up stiffly, walking over to the front counter of the barracks.

"Any messages for Shivasta Stormwarden?" She asked hopefully. The young man behind the desk, a local volunteer, looked through the list and pulled out a small disk, handing it to the grateful Ice Walker.

"Thank you," she smiled, starting up to her room. She hoped it was from Jay; she could use some news from back home. Compared to things here, it was bound to be good news as long as nothing had gone horribly wrong since the last one.

She closed the door to her small room behind her, stripping down with a grateful sigh. Gods it was hot around here. She couldn't wear her lighter outfits while she was on-shift either, not unless the heat was enough that regular robes were dangerous for her. It made things even worse, exhausting her faster than just the work would.

She slipped the disk into her holo-deck and opened it, cocking her head slightly as the menu rose with two messages from Jay. She opened the first one and sat on the edge of the bed while it started.

"Hey Shi," Jay's warm smile came across in the hologram. "I hope things are going better for you. I've missed having you around. I am sorry I didn't tell you about Master Kiris. It happened after the last message and things happened _really_ fast after that. So for now Fenrik's staying with me and Master Essani until he's ready for a new Master." He glanced off the viewing area and ducked his head a bit. "Yeah, the side benefits are pretty good too.

"Anyway. Things are settling down again now that the funeral is over and everybody's back home. Tes is getting _huge_. Between her belly and three sets of tits she's one big rounded front. Looks rather like a pear with teeth and legs. I think she's starting to scare Doruth too." He snickered. "She's just a bit erratic with only a month to go before the birth."

He paused, shifting a bit uncomfortably. "But Fenrik talked me into something he thinks you'll like. Just _please_ don't watch the attached movie anywhere public, okay?

"I hope you enjoy it. Talk to you later." He smiled shyly and clicked the recording off.

She cocked her head slightly, wondering what the devil could have him that embarrassed. She let her hair down, the long, dark-blue braids falling behind her, then pulled the viewer over so she could watch it as she laid down on the bed. She hit the keys to open the attachment, and lay back with a sigh.

The vid opened with an image of his room... rearranged with new furniture so two could live in the small space ... and focused on the bed, but no one there. She had just long enough to process that when a Jedi, soon obvious as Jay's lithe form walked into view wearing the heavy outer robe she had gratefully just gotten out of.

Her breath caught as he shifted fractionally, his back still to her, and let the dark brown robe slide from his shoulders to reveal the long lines of his nude back before he slipped onto the bed and rolled over to face her, his body relaxed and his smile warm and just a touch loopy.

"Thank you Fenrik," she murmured softly as she started to guess what was probably about to happen. She rested her hand on her pale blue stomach as she watched, wondering what had caused the odd smile.

"I've missed you Shi," he murmured softly, his voice low and seductive as he ran one hand along his tightly muscled chest and abs while the other stretched up to lengthen his already slender form. "Missed how only you touch me," he rumbled, circling one nipple with a finger as it hardened, "how you feel against my fur."

She shivered slightly, licking her lips as she watched him caress his body and felt the first stirrings of arousal in weeks.

"Your skin's so cool when you touch me, run your fingers through my fur, it's exotic." He lowered his eyes with a soft sound when he finally ghosted his fingers over his sheath, encouraging his cock to fill. "Even at your hottest, it's an electric shock against my skin. Doing things I never thought possible."

He drew in a sharp breath and arched up slightly as his cock peaked out and he circled the head with the back of one claw.

"Your skin is so soft, like your tongue and curves ... everything." He moaned as much in memories as his own touch. "You're so different from Fenrik, it makes you that much more enticing."

Her eyes roamed his miniature body, from his filling shaft up the lean muscle and soft fur she remembered against her own body the times they'd been together. A shiver of pleasure ran down her spine as she reached down to touch herself, drawing in a slight breath at the pleasure.

She was sure Fenrik was in the room, an impression that only got stronger as she saw ghostly 'fingers' leave furrows in Jay's chest fur. She looked at the lean tom's face, focusing on his expression and the unguarded pleasure there.

"You smell so sweet when you're aroused," he groaned and closed his eyes, his concentration on his words faltering as his fingers circled over the multitude of tiny nubs just below his cockhead. "But it's nothing compared to how you taste when I slide between your spread legs to tease your clit. Nothing matches the intoxicant of what you taste like inside when I press my tongue inside that incredible tight body of yours and make you cry and squirm as you start to loose control."

She whimpered softly as she started to stroke her sex... then stopped, pulling her hand back as an idea came to her. If he was going to do this for her, the least she could do was return the favor. But she wanted to watch the rest of this first. She tried to imagine him there with her, his scent, how it would feel to be getting that attention from him.

Gods she missed him.

"Nnn ... it makes me want to be inside you, to feel the tight slickness around me as you come." Jay managed even as his balls tightened and he stroked himself a little faster. "To be able to kiss you as you come so hard around me and feel my come pour into your cool body." He whimpered and shivered with a deep groan as his hips thrust up, precariously close to pushing himself over the edge before her eyes.

"Go ahead," she whispered to herself, "come on...."

It was only a moment longer before he growled, his teeth bared and clenched before a low rumble turned into a sharp roar as he let go, the white ribbons of his seed in sharp relief to the darker background and his dark, rusty-brown fur.

"I miss you Shi," he murmured as he panted in recovery.

Shi pressed her legs together almost shyly, now well and truly aroused as the recoding faded to black and clicked off. She removed the disk from the viewer. She was going to want to hang on to this.

And she _definitely_ wanted to record her 'reply' while she was still interested in it. She'd grab a nap and record a real message later, but for now.... 

She slipped in a blank disk so she could give it to transfer later, and started the recording. As the recording signal came on, she smiled.

She was going to give them _both_ a show they wouldn't want to forget.

* * *

Tes growled as her swollen, uncomfortable body woke her at a truly vile hour once again. There hadn't been a comfortable position to sleep in since before her mate had left to burry his kin, and it was getting worse every week. At least now Doruth was back to help warm her ... at least when she wasn't overheating and crawled out of bed to stick her face into the small freezer to try and cool off.

She couldn't fault his backrubs though, which couldn't be often enough for her. It felt wonderful, and even managed to get the swelling in her joints to go down for a while.

"Force!" She gasped as consciousness hit at the same moment as a shot of pain through her wombs.

"What's wrong?" Doruth asked, waking up quickly at the pained sound.

"Probably nothing," she murmured, her hands rubbing her swollen belly even as it rippled again. "Or not." She grimaced. "Contractions."

"Think you can get down to medical without help?" The Panther asked, fully awake in a flash, sitting up and grabbing their robes from near the bed. "Or should I call for somebody?"

"I can walk," she nodded stubbornly and scooted out of bed as much got up. "My water hasn't broken yet. It's not far along."

"All right," he nodded, helping her get her own clothes on. "Though you're not going there without me. I thought you were supposed to have a month or so left?"

"I do." She said simply, grateful for the help and his presence. "It's not unusual, just requires attention."

"Just let me know if you need any help," he said, putting an arm around her as they started out of the room and towards medical. She was being calm about it; it couldn't be anything too worrisome.

At least that was what he was telling himself on the entire walk, which took far too long for him, and from the number of times she winced, for Tes as well.

"Tes?" The MedCorp healer on duty looked up in surprise as they walked through the door. "What is happening?" He asked calmly and professionally.

"Pre-labor pains," she explained with a wince.

"A month and a half early." Jameric nodded and guided them into a private room. "The Healer will be here soon."

"At least they're not sending in a medical droid," Doruth murmured as he sat down near Tes.

"Not for four Force-sensitive pups." Jameric smiled at him. "These things are serious."

"Four?" Doruth asked, raising an eyebrow and looking at Tes, wondering if she'd known there were that many on the way.

She nodded. "I found out while you were gone."

"It's part of why we're watching this so closely." Jameric added. "That's twice what it is usual for a first litter."

"And it's a _lot_ to carry." Tes grumbled.

"No kidding," he agreed with a slightly concerned frown as he reminded himself that there really wasn't anywhere better to be.

"No, there isn't." Tes squeezed his hand gently. "Even if they were born today ...."

"Which isn't likely." Jameric interrupted.

"It's far enough along that they won't be in much danger." She finished.

"Good," he nodded, chuckling slightly and squeezing her hand. "Y'know, for being the one in pain, you're doing a remarkably good job of being the rational one of us."

"One of us has to be," she pointed out with a tolerant grin, just before she winced.

"That doesn't look good," a well-rounded black she-bear said as she entered the room. "Has your water broken?"

"No, ma'am." Tes spoke with more submissive respect than she gave anyone.

"Good," Healer Ethrins nodded and knelt to run her hand over Tes's swollen belly.

"Is anything wrong?" Doruth asked the Bear quietly.

"No, but we do need to control the contractions to be on the safe side," she answered him soothingly. "More for her comfort than for the safety of the pups. They are not nearly strong enough to be a danger."

"So she's not having the pups yet?" He clarified, squeezing Tes' hand reassuringly as he felt the pain ripple through her again. "I think I'm speaking for both of us here; anything you can do to make this more comfortable for her will be welcome."

"No, your pups are not coming yet." The big Bear nodded and stood. "I will be back in a moment with something to ease the contractions."

"You okay?" He asked her softly as the Healer walked off.

"Yes," she smiled up reassuringly. "It just hurts.

"Just checking," he smiled back at her. "You didn't even treat the medic who was patching you up after Xagobah that well."

"Midwives rate extra respect," Tes chuckled softly. "Maybe it's a Wolf thing, but the one who makes sure pups are born healthy to a healthy mother rates that kind of respect. Especially since they have to deal with you during the birth when it's not going to just happen."

"She has a healthy sense of what's good for her," Healer Ethrins rumbled with a distinct chuckle as she returned with a small band and bottle of pills. "These are for the pain, try not to take more than one every twelve hours without talking to me first." She handed the bottle to Tes. "And this will monitor the contractions and limit them until it's time. If you'd stand up." She motioned slightly and Tes stood and helped rearrange her robes so the thin, soft ribbon could be hooked around her middle. "Take it off for water activities; showers, swimming, water therapy and such. If you need it to control the contractions for that short a time frame, you need to come in, because something is _wrong_."

"I understand," Tes nodded politely and got her robes back in place.

"Good. Then I will see you in four days for the regular weekly." She turned her attention to Doruth. "Do you have any questions?"

"As long as everything's all right, I don't think so," the Panther smiled slightly. "Not that I can't ask her instead at least," he chuckled, giving his mate a gentle hug.

"All right," she nodded easily. "You two get back to bed, and try for _rest_ ," she eyed Tes sternly. "Understand?"

"Yes, ma'am," she blushed slightly. "I'll behave."

"And you?" The Bear leveled her materially protective gaze on Doruth.

"Yes'm," the Panther chuckled slightly, raising his right hand. "Rest, for her especially."

"Good," she nodded, apparently satisfied. "Call me if anything happens."

"I will, Healer Ethrins." Tes promised as they headed back to their quarters.

* * *

"Padawan Aren, have you eaten yet?" Master Demria walked up to him just outside a sparring gym from a round of practice.

"Not yet, Master Demria," he said politely, almost used to having a Panther keeping a discreet, or not so discreet, eye on him much of the time. "I was about to go do so."

"Would you care to join me?" She offered with a slight smile that managed to carry the fact that it really was an offer, not a politely worded order.

"Certainly," he smiled and fell into easy step with her on the way to the nearest cafeteria. 

It was odd, in a way; she wasn't usually all that friendly. Of course, he was starting to get used to the Panthers, Knights and Masters alike, taking more of an interest in him. In the days since the funeral, several of them had talked to him, or been watching him. He was pretty sure he knew why too; they were all wondering which of them, if any, would stand the best chance of being his new Master once he was ready to accept one again. And to make sure that he _would_ be able to accept one again, no matter how unlikely it felt to him right now.

Only Doruth didn't seem to be acting that way, but then _he'd_ taken an interest, because of Jay, before anyone thought Fenrik was going to need a new Master. It was kind of funny, because he was also the only one who'd been actively looking for a Padawan when it happened.

"Did Kiris ever speak of me?" She asked easily.

"Some," he nodded. "He said you two had been good friends, when he was younger." He felt like he should say something sympathetic, express some sorrow for her loss, but he wasn't sure what to say. She certainly hadn't seemed more upset than anybody else had. Then... she _was_ a Master. That was hardly unusual, especially for a Panther. Grief ... almost all strong emotions ... were dealt with in private, or with one's mate at most.

"The closest either of us came to having a mate." She nodded, apparently at ease with the fact. "He said you had the most potential of any available when he took you as his Padawan."

Fenrik blushed slightly beneath his dark fur, holding back the twinge of pain that came with knowing he'd never be able to thank him for the compliment.

"I think he changed his mind about that a few months after he took me on," the younger Panther admitted. "Took a couple years before I reached the point where he was satisfied with my progress."

Demria couldn't help but chuckle a bit fondly. "You learned quickly then. Most take nearly to their Knighthood to get the perfectionist nature down that well."

"I wanted to please him," Fenrik said easily. Thinking back, it really had been that easy too. It wasn't a matter of resenting his lessons, or putting them up against anything else. It was a simple matter of knowing that he had to improve in order to prove his Master had made the right choice in selecting him as a Padawan.

"I guess that's part of why I feel as lost as I do now," he admitted. "I don't have that anymore."

"I think you do," she said almost gently as they entered a lift. "It maybe not as focused as it had been, but it seems clear that you still care about your skills and place as a Jedi."

"I do," he admitted. "I'm just not sure yet how much of that is because I don't know what else to do."

"Being a Jedi is not the only thought you have had?" She asked, intent on the answer.

"I came to the Order when I was barely old enough to climb," he pointed out. "Serving it, serving the Force, is all I've really thought about. It never seemed to be something in question, as far as I can remember."

Demria nodded. "Your ... friend ... Jay, may be able to help you understand if you wish to explore other possibilities. I understand he spent much of his youth elsewhere."

"I might," Fenrik nodded as the lift stopped and they stepped out. "And mate, please. At least boyfriend."

"As you wish," she nodded, easily accepting Jay's status even though she thought they were decidedly too young for it. "Few make it as far as you have if serving the Force is not in their heart, but it would not hurt to be sure of that in yours." She advised kindly.

"You're probably right," he nodded. "Though honestly, it'd take something very unusual to fit me as well, I think."

"Such is true with most who come to the Temple," she nodded easily. "It is very unusual to have the talent and focus to become a Jedi after all."

"Very true," he nodded. "And honestly," he added, smiling a little, "I think Master Kiris' spirit would come back just to rip me a new one if I gave up because of this. He hated wasting his effort," he chuckled slightly and got a warm smile for it.

"That he did," Demria chuckled herself as they got in line to get their meal. "He rarely did either."

"Can't let this be the first time then," Fenrik smiled a little as he took a meat-heavy plate and followed the older Panther to a table. "Guess I'm still trying to please him after all."

"I don't know many Jedi who are not trying to still please their Master." She admitted with a slightly amused chuckle. "After so long, it comes naturally."

"Of course, most of them would never admit it," he chuckled. "After all, we're not supposed to care either."

"True, but it still shows. Especially when you've known them from Student all the way to Master and know what to look for."

"I imagine," he nodded, eating slowly. "Do you stay close to your old Padawans?"

"As much as it is possible," she nodded. "Monith is quite the wondering Knight."

"So it's not just one-way," Fenrik smiled. "That's good to know."

"It depends on the Jedi involved," she countered slightly, "but no, it is rarely one way."

"One thing I _have_ learned," he smiled, "there are _very_ few things that apply universally."

"Only the Force," she chuckled. "Before a sentient gets involved."

"And then it doesn't always like to work the way it's supposed to," he chuckled. "I still don't get how everything I've seen works, even _with_ the Force behind it."

"Ah, such is the nature of the Force," Demria smirked. "There are debates dating back to before the Jedi that are still going about exactly how we do some of what we do."

"And then you get to some of the things _other_ creatures do," he chuckled. "And I _know_ I haven't seen much of what's out there. No wonder we still haven't figured it all out in about twenty thousand years."

"And the fact that we keep figuring out new things to do ourselves." She added easily. "The Jedi bag of tricks is _much_ larger now than it was in the beginning."

"Not likely to stop growing for a long time," he nodded, finishing his meal.

"No, it is not," she agreed quietly and finished the last of her milk. "So do you have a schedule you are keeping?"

"Not much of one yet," he admitted, "but I'm expected back at my quarters pretty soon," he chuckled.

"Ah," Demria rumbled in understanding. "I will not keep you then."

"Thank you, Master Demria," he smiled, standing and bowing politely. "I'll see you around?"

"Until I am sent on a mission," she inclined her head. "Have a good time."

"Thank you," he smiled, before turning to head back to his quarters and see what Jay had been up to for the past few hours.

He walked into the suite he shared with Jay and Master Essani to a face full of musky male arousal and semen-scent that definitely belonged to his lover, and no one else.

He grinned and walked into Jay's room, holstering his new Clawson-made lightsaber.

"So this is what you do when I'm off practicing, hmm?" He asked, looking at the naked and spent tom on their bed.

"Mmm, nice timing," Jay purred with a deep rumble. "Get that tail of yours over here. Shi sent a reply."

"Oh she did, hmm? Were you working on another one?" The Panther teased, slipping his robes off and sitting down next to Jay, nuzzling his neck and inhaling the musky scent that went straight to his own cock.

"Not yet," he chuckled and pulled Fenrik's head down for a heated kiss. "I had to wind down a bit."

"What did she put in that reply?" Fenrik asked once he had his lips back. He had an idea... but he really hadn't expected that Shi would do that, at least not on her own!

"Watch," he purred throatily as the projector turned on.

The Panther turned to do just that, guiding Jay's sticky fingers up to his lips and starting to lick his cum off them. He stopped when he saw Shi's image appear; slender, statuesque and completely naked in all her sky blue glory with long, thick, dark blue braids spread out around her.

"Whoa. I can _definitely_ see the appeal," he rumbled, turning to kiss Jay's cheek.

"Hi there you two," Shi said. "I'm guessing that Fen's going to watch this some time with you Jay, so I just want to say thanks for your last letter. I _really_ needed that," she said, ducking her head slightly.

"Wait until she _touches_ you," Jay breathed and claimed another kiss as his free hand slid between them to fondle Fenrik's balls and filling sheath, earning a soft moan from the Panther. "It's like nothing else."

"I'm guessing you've watched already?" Fen asked with a rumble, nuzzling Jay's neck before he turned his attention back to the holo. Shi was fondling her breasts lightly; and spread her legs to rub her slick, damp lips.

"Mmm ... I love the way your fur feels against me," she murmured, her eyes closed as she drew up the memories of the times she'd been with Jay. "It's soft and warm, spreads your touch out all along me. And your _tongue_." She moaned, spreading her sex and fondling her clit. "Gods, kat, the things you do to me with that tongue of yours...."

"Umm-hum," Jay murred and worked his lover to hardness before rolling them over so they could watch the holo, Fenrik upside down, and took the bigger tom into his mouth to tease him.

"Ooh, I know what she means about your tongue," Fenrik groaned. As he watched, Shivasta went into some detail about just what Jay _did_ do to her, and the younger tom demonstrated some of his other talents. 

"And I love the way your come feels on me," Shi said, clearly blushing from the way she ducked her head. "It's so hot it almost burns, but the way it tastes, the smell... gods Jay, it's so entirely _you_...." She gasped slightly, slipping a finger into her body and starting to work her sex slowly.

"Mmm ... she _definitely_ wishes you were there with her," Fenrik panted. "Damn, Jay, this isn't gonna take long...."

"Then I'll just have to move," Jay licked his whiskers and slid up Fenrik's body to straddle his hips. With a long, low groan he reached back and guided the Panther's thick, hot cock into his well-stretched and slick ass. "Because I love your come in me."

"Oh fuck," Fenrik groaned, his attention directed away from the video as he started to thrust up into Jay's body, gripping his hips to pull him back onto the barbed length.

"Oh Jay," Shi panted, fingering herself faster on the video, "I want you inside me... want you to be a part of me...." Fen closed one hand around Jay's shaft, stroking him, fingering his nubs as all three of them approached their orgasms.

Jay tightened his ass, drawing a potent roar from the tom under him even as he threw his own head back and cried out in the unabashed pleasure of pumping his seed across Fenrik's chest in time with Shivasta's cries of pleasure and spasms on the holo-vid and Fenrik's balls pulling up to his body, emptying their contents into his ass.

The Panther pulled him close for a heated kiss, rubbing his back and scratching it lightly.

"Damn that was intense," he purred, as Shivasta curled up onto her side on the bed in the video, trying to catch her breath and control of her body.

"Imagine what it could be like with her really here," Jay rumbled and kissed him solidly again. "Having her between us, or sinking into me when I'm in her."

"I know I can think of worse things to do," the Panther rumbled.

"Sweet dreams you two," Shi murmured, smiling into the camera, wrapping her arms around herself. "I know mine will be." The projection turned off as the two felines made out, largely oblivious to its silence.

"So," Fenrik asked when he could talk again, "when were you going to mention that new little toy of yours?" He asked, raising an eyebrow and glancing at the feline dildo on the floor, clearly used before he'd gotten there.

"Keep forgetting about it when you're here," he shrugged with a grin. "I like the real think too much."

"And who says you can't have both?" He asked with a smirk. "Or at least not have the real thing while I settle for your little friend, if you don't think you're up for going that wide."

"Both?" Jay looked down at him, it clearly written on his face how lost he was about Fenrik's suggestion.

"Don't worry," the Panther chuckled, shaking his head and kissing him deeply. "Probably wouldn't be up for that. Though it might be fun to use during a sixty-nine," he winked.

"Oh, yeah." Jay shuddered in anticipation of that idea, even as something mischievous flicked across his mind. "That's not the only think I keep in my sex drawer."

"I seem to remember noticing a few of your 'toys,'" the Panther grinned. "Question is, how to put them to use?"

"It's a pretty damn hot thought both ways." Jay licked his lips and lowered his body to kiss Fenrik slowly, passionately. "But I'd like to know what it feels like with you really in charge." He whispered with a throaty rumble.

"You sure?" Fenrik asked, rolling over on top of him. "I haven't really done anything like that before."

"Neither have I," Jay looked up and caressed his cheek. "But I do trust you."

He could tell that the statement meant more to Jay than the words suggested. He kissed the smaller tom tenderly, drawing out of his body with a groan.

"Just tell me if I do something you don't like."

"I will," he promised with an excited shudder.

"All right," Fenrik purred, kissing him again before moving to the drawer and pulling out the small box with Jay's toys to explore just what was in the bondage for beginners kit. Padded handcuffs, soft rope, blindfold and gag.

He glanced back at his lover to see Jay stretched out, his hands over his head and desire crystal clear across his entire body.

"Now where should we start," he rumbled, walking back over to the bed and pulling the cuffs out first. He straddled Jay's waist, leaning down to nuzzle his head as he cuffed him to the headboard.

"Just how creative do you want me to get?" He asked with a purr.

It earned him something of a curious look as Jay lightly tested the hold the cuffs hand on his wrists. "Just how creative can you get?" He grinned mischievously up.

"Shall we find out?" Fenrik asked with a grin, pulling some of the ropes out.

"Yes," Jay licked his whiskers with an excited shiver.

"I have _no_ idea if this is going to work," Fenrik admitted, blushing a bit as he tied the end of one of the ropes around Jay's thigh.

"We'll just find out, then," he purred reassuringly and tried his best to cooperate with the positioning.

Fenrik helped him lift his legs slightly, though not all the way yet. He tied the rope around the base of the barbed dildo, pressing the tip into Jay's ass.

"Mmm, nice start," Jay rumbled with a soft moan, curious where this was going.

Fenrik tied the other end of the rope around his other thigh, then tried moving his legs a bit, the rope moving the dildo inside him.

"How's that for a start?" He asked.

"Different," he moaned softly at the penetration. It wasn't as good as a real cock, but it was _good_.

"Good," the Panther purred, leaning forward to kiss Jay deeply, rubbing their shafts together a bit as he moved his legs to thrust the dildo up into his body in time with his movements to soft whimpers as his lover hardened again.

"Very good," Jay stretched up to claim a second kiss as heated as the first. "Oh, yeah."

Fenrik rumbled deeply, his tongue exploring Jay's mouth as he started to get into a pleasant, easy rhythm that they could keep up for a while. Each motion rubbed his short, stiff barb-hairs and the nubs below them against Jay's nubs, their cocks rock hard and slick with Jay's semen. He experimented a bit with different ways to move the dildo inside his lover's body.

Jay abruptly stiffened with a gasp, then whimpered as pre began to leak from his cock. 

Fenrik grinned, repeating the motion and leaning back a bit, looking down at his dark cock rubbing against Jay's lighter one, moaning deeply as he started moving a bit faster, practically transfixed by the display of male flesh. The soundtrack of pleasure Jay was providing only encouraged his own moans as the body below him began to tremble.

"Close ..." Jay gasped out, his head thrown back and his eyes closed as he panted.

Fenrik just panted, moving faster and rubbing himself against Jay's cock harder. He threw his head back with a roar, thrusting his hips up as his seed sprayed through the air in pearly arcs, the motion driving the dildo in Jay's ass deeper, up against his prostate and as deep as it had ever gone.

"Yesss!" Jay groaned and shuddered as his entire body tightened, around the dildo, around Fenrik's hips and against the restraints holding him down as the last of his seed pumped from his cock to join Fenrik's on his chest.

"Oh, gods." Jay panted softly, his eyes still closed as another soft moan escaped him.

"Fuck," Fenrik panted, letting Jay's legs down and snuggling up with him, reaching up to open the padded cuffs. "We are _so_ going to have to do that for one of your letters to Shi," he grinned a little loopily.

"Yeah," Jay shifted to untie the dildo and pulled it out before snuggling up close and kissing him with a slow, contented passion. "When it's not my fourth round in an hour."

"Mmm ... she _really_ got you wound up, didn't she?" The Panther chuckled, wrapping his arms around Jay tiredly. "Not that I don't approve," he winked.

"Yeah," he murmured softly. "She's beautiful; so exotic and soft and strong-willed."

"You've got it bad, kat," Fenrik chuckled, kissing him softly. "At least you two have your letters. I don't know _what_ I'd do with you if you couldn't get in touch with her for a few months."

"You'd get even more action than you do now," he snickered and kissed him back, snuggling in contentedly. "I hope things get under control soon. I miss her a lot."

"Shh, don't worry," Fenrik smiled, rubbing his back. "If there really is something weird behind it, then they'll figure out what it is, beat its ass, and be back as fast as the transports can travel."

"I know," Jay murmured and relaxed. "And she's doing something _important_ in the meantime." He smiled softly. "I'm just glad you're still here."

"Don't worry, I'm not about to leave," Fenrik smiled, closing his eyes a little sleepily. "Mmm ... when we get up, remind me to tell you how your new lightsaber worked."

"All right," Jay murmured and snuggled in with a content sound.

* * *

Doruth Parn approached the meditation chambers quietly, walking past numerous Jedi in quiet rooms, seeking one in particular. He found Master Essani stepping out of one of the rooms, ready for the meeting she'd called him for.

"Master Essani," he bowed politely. "You called for me?"

"* _Yes,_ *" she nodded her small head easily. "* _Come. Am I correct that you have a relatively open schedule right now?_ *"

"Unless the Council has a mission for me, I find a Padawan, or Tes goes into labor," he nodded, following her out towards the gardens. "Which, unless you're going to say something about the first, should mean I am for the next month or so."

"* _No, the Council does not have a mission for you,_ *" she chuckled warmly, easily keeping up with his much longer stride. "* _But I would like your assistance with my Padawan, or rather, with his mate._ *"

"Is Fenrik still having problems?" Doruth asked, looking down at her with concern in his expression. "From losing Master Kiris?"

"* _No more than is expected. Actually, he is doing much better than most do._ *" She assured him and found a flat, sun-drenched rock to sit on. "* _What concerns me is that they may be growing_ too _close, too quickly. It has not been three full months yet and they are literally inseparable. It has done wonders for Fenrik, but it is troubling as well. They will have to part company in a few months.*_

_"That is an issue," Doruth admitted. "And not one that either of them will want to deal with. I take it you'd like me to try and wean Fenrik off Jay?"_

_"* _While I work on helping Jay deal with him not always being there. It is very natural for Jay's society, so they will never have what most Jedi think of as a normal level of attachment, but they do need to learn to function without the other for more than a couple hours._ *" Essani cocked her head slightly. "* _I hoped you would conceder taking Fenrik camping for a few days. Somewhere nearby, but far enough that they aren't on the same world. The wilderness would likely do Fenrik some good._ *"_

_"I have a few possibilities," Doruth nodded. "Do we want to try and keep them from guessing why?"_

_"* _At least with Jay. He has a tendency to not learn well when he knows it's a lesson setup. Fenrik could know once you are gone if it seems like a good idea._ *"_

_"I could say Tes is getting nesty, and I'm looking to get out before I get buried under a comforter," the Panther mused with a slight chuckle. "Of course, the problem would be only taking Fen. I don't know if you're looking for the strain it might cause if you said Fen could go but Jay had to stay for his studies."_

_"* _True,_ *" she nodded. "However, if we work it correctly, it will be Jay who insists that Fenrik goes. He has lost a great deal of his study time recently and he needs to focus on it before he gets too far behind. Fenrik is not in such a position. I believe Jay would tell him to enjoy the trip. Or you could invite Fenrik for some 'quality Panther-only time' away from everything._*"

"And Fenrik _would_ likely offer to stay," Doruth nodded. "While Jay practically packed his bags for him," he chuckled. "So, should we try that?"

"* _Yes, and hope they do what we want._ *" She clicked her teeth.

"If they don't, there are other ways to get them apart for a little while, I'm sure," Doruth pointed out with a slight smile as he stood. "I'll go clear things up with Tes."

"* _I will see you later today then,_ *" Essani nodded and hopped down to go round up her charges for lunch.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Doruth waited by the door as he watched Jay and Fenrik practicing in their room. The device Jay was holding gradually shifted its colors in response to the younger tom's body temperature, pulse, breath rate, and other vital signs.

"And how are you keeping him from having the machine turn the color you want?" He asked Fenrik with a chuckle.

"I don't tell him," the younger Panther grinned up at the older one. "So unless he's giving them exactly the body rate he wants, he has to do it himself."

"And that'd be a lot faster than what we're seeing," Doruth nodded, somewhat impressed.

"Yep," Fenrik nodded. "Hey Jay, take five."

"Okay," he nodded and set the device down. When he rose to his feet it was instantly obvious that the body control exercises had drained him heavily.

"Whoa, relax," Fenrik said easily, helping him sit again.

"You're doing better from what I've heard," Doruth smiled.

"I'm actually getting some results," Jay nodded, looking up curiously. "What's up?"

"Tes is getting nesty," Doruth chuckled. "I was thinking of getting out for a few days so I didn't get buried under a comforter, wondering if you guys wanted to come along, if Master Essani didn't object."

"Sounds great," Jay grinned widely. "Camping's fun with you."

"And it'd be more fun with a second Panther around huh?" Doruth smirked slightly.

"Yeah, I get to play instead of just watch," Jay winked at him.

"Go talk to Master Essani you little scamp," Doruth smirked. "And just hope I don't go walking in on you two while we're gone."

"Maybe you'll learn something," Jay snickered and focused inside, to the bond he had with his Master and the only way he could talk to anyone silently. "* _Master?_ *"

"* _Yes, Jay?_ *" The kushiban replied.

"* _May we go camping with Doruth for a few days?_ *"

"* _I'm afraid you need to focus on your studies, Jay,_ *" she said. "* _Perhaps next time, but you have to catch up after the last few weeks._ *"

"* _I understand, Master._ *" His disappointment was evident, but so was his unquestioning acceptance of her decision. "I can't go," he told the two Panthers.

"Guess you'll have to go on your own then," Fenrik told Doruth apologetically.

"She said I couldn't go." Jay pointed out. "You're free to."

"If you want to come along you're welcome, Fenrik," Doruth offered.

"But...." He trailed off, looking at Jay, clearly torn. He knew how Jay was likely to handle being alone... and, beside that, he still wasn't honestly sure how _he_ would handle it, even with Doruth there.

"I've got Master Essani," Jay smiled reassuringly at him. "Go have fun. It's not like you'll be _that_ far away."

"All right," Fenrik said, leaning over to kiss Jay lightly before he stood up. "I'll get packed."

"I'll meet you at the Gurath," Doruth smiled. "And don't worry. He'll hold up for a few days."

"I'll be fine," Jay smiled at Fenrik before the Panther headed out and Jay started to stretch a body that had not appreciated his most recent studies.

* * *

Doruth grunted as he pulled himself up and onto the next ledge, panting a bit as he climbed back for a bit of a rest, waiting for Fenrik to catch up. He looked out over the ledge, over mountaintops and small forests thousands of feet below.

This had _definitely_ been a good idea.

He pulled his robes a bit tighter around him as a gust of wind went by. Between his robes, his fur, and his training, he was actually handling the cold remarkably well.

The look on Fenrik's face as he appeared over the edge agreed with Doruth. He was breathing a bit hard, but he was grinning ear to ear and probably wasn't even feeling the cold or thinner air as he pushed up with his arms and kicked off with his feet to make the ledge with a leap and settled next to Doruth.

"It's not the jungle," the older Panther grinned as he leaned back against a cold rock, "but you never get a view like this on a jungle world." They were in the 'tropics' of Mirrus Prime, an arctic world orbiting one of the tiny, unknown stars just a few hours travel from Coruscant. It was just far enough away that it qualified as a vacation but not so far that either kit, or Tes, would be concerned.

"No, it's not," Fenrik grinned at him and settled back. "You don't get climbing like this either."

"That you don't," Doruth agreed. "Though if you have to climb back up from the Shadowlands of Kashykk it's close enough," he chuckled. "Hell of a lot more dangerous too."

"True," he nodded and breathed deeply of the thin air. "And that's hardly camping for fun."

"Not for the sane," Doruth agreed, enjoying the fresh, clear scent. "So, how are things working out between you and Jay?"

"Good, I think." He smiled fondly for the small tom. "He's got it _bad_ for Shi, but he's seriously wired for polygamy."

"That's good," Doruth smiled. "It can _really_ suck to be interested in somebody who's monogamous and interested in somebody else."

"Yeah, but then I wouldn't have gotten to that first kiss, much less to where it was an issue."

"True," he nodded. "I'm glad you three managed to sort that all out with as little help as it took."

"Yeah," Fenrik smiled, a bit of a flush trying to show on his cheeks. "She was just caught off guard at a bad time, but her kind usually take more than one mate, and I doubt Jay ever thought about it, even as an abstract concept. He was born to his father's third lifemate. It's probably just how they do things."

"Probably," he nodded. "You're okay with it too, right? Not just playing along?"

"It's a little weird," he shrugged. "But that's honestly more from being involved with someone seriously. She's attractive to be sure."

"That's better," Doruth chuckled. "On both counts. She's a good kid, just like you and Jay both are."

"There aren't many at the Temple that aren't." Fenrik pointed out with a chuckle. "A few stellar exceptions, but they're _way_ easy to spot."

"By the time they're stellar exceptions, yeah," the older Panther admitted. "How are _you_ holding up?" He asked, looking over at Fenrik more seriously.

"Still off center," he admitted quietly, looking out over the open sky surrounding them. "How did you kill it?"

"The terentatek? Blaster fire. It probably would have killed one of the Custos with us, but Master Kareth had a tensor rifle she used to take its arm off before it could connect. If we'd all been armed with lightsabers it would have been a much closer battle."

"Does it really mean the Dark is coming back to hunt us?" He asked quietly, frightened despite not showing it.

"I doubt it," Doruth said, reaching over to squeeze his shoulder slightly. "It may mean that there is a force for the Dark Side rising, that the balance is shifting again, but the last time they rose in serious numbers was after two wars with the Sith. This was probably more of a fluke than anything else. Some rich idiot on Corellia who found one that had survived and let it get out of his zoo."

"I hope so," he murmured. "The last thing Jay needs is a recruiter for the Dark coming from the outside too."

"Definitely not," Doruth agreed. "He has enough trouble without any of them," he sighed. "It's always the darkness that doesn't _try_ to recruit that's the hardest to resist."

"You don't see it coming," he nodded, his voice low. "Have you ever come across a belief in inherent evil? That a group is born that way and they can't do more than break even?"

"Come across it? Yeah," he nodded. "Believed it myself?" He shook his head. "The Sith embrace the Dark Side willingly, they wallow in it. But even Sith can be redeemed. How can anybody be born irredeemable?"

"I don't know," Fenrik admitted. "But Jay thinks he is, his entire family is. I tried to tell him he's wrong, that what inside him isn't different from the rest of us, but there's something going on with him that's just not normal. I don't think there's a sensitive on Coruscant that didn't feel it when whatever it was happened to him a few weeks back. There is no way to be the center of that big a surge in the Dark and not _reek_ of it afterwards, but there wasn't a trace of it on him an hour later. _He_ was still pretty freaked out, but it look longer for the Dark to wash away after the fight the night before, and that was nothing in comparison for intensity."

"Then it's not him," Doruth said, shaking his head. He recognized what that sounded like; it was all too familiar. "That sounds more like a Dark Sider of power, one that knows what it's doing and how to hide it. A Sith or Dark Side Spirit maybe, but not somebody who _is_ evil, but doesn't know how to deal with it."

Honestly, he wasn't sure what disturbed him more.

"Then he's ... he's in a lot of danger, isn't he?" Fenrik looked over, half-hoping for a reassurance that he knew couldn't be given. "Or we are."

"No more than he already knew he was in," Doruth admitted. "From what I understand, that surge was the 'demon' he's mentioned. It's very powerful, but not something his family hasn't dealt with before. Not something he can't handle, given the support and reason to fight that he needs. Something that I think you and Shivasta can provide him," he said, looking over at the younger Panther.

"It's ... real?" He looked over, more than a little disturbed. "And the Masters haven't gotten it out of his head?"

"It may be real," Doruth admitted. "As for getting it out of his head ... I'm sure Master Essani would if it was possible. Unfortunately, it may simply be that this spirit can find him. Unless it manifests, there may not be a way to 'get it out.'"

"At least he handles separation reasonably well." Fenrik murmured. "I'm not likely to be stationed at the Temple all that often."

"I have a feeling he'll probably be with you or Shivasta at least most of the time once you're all Knights," Doruth said reassuringly. "You'll all have missions, but the Order doesn't exactly make it a point to split up mates when they can help it."

"Mostly he'll be with Shi, unless he changes his mind and goes warrior." Fenrik glanced over. "He's got the same feel as most warriors, even though he's denying it."

"He does," Doruth agreed. "But I think I know why he's avoiding it. You were with him, during that fight you two got into. When it's that easy to slip into the Dark Side, to let hate and anger take control, you don't want anything to do with it if you're smart. It can take the warrior right out of you, or at least the desire to be one. I should know," he chuckled slightly. "Took it out of me for a solid five, six years."

"It does put me pretty solidly in the 'occasional lover' category, though." He tried to sound like it didn't bother him. "This is the longest I've ever been in the Temple in six years, and I'm seriously looking forward to getting back into traveling again."

"You'll figure something out with him, I'm sure," Doruth said reassuringly. "He's not likely to let that get in the way, and he knows what it's like to have to travel."

"No," Fenrik had to chuckle. "I don't think he lets much of anything get in the way of getting what he wants, once he decides he wants something."

"It still bothers you though, doesn't it?" Doruth asked him softly.

"That I care this much about somebody's who seems to be on the top of the 'in danger of going Dark' list, yeah." He sighed. "That there's good odds I won't be within a week's journey when he really needs me with him ... a lot more." Fenrik admitted and let his arms drape across his raised knees. "There's enough to being a Jedi without worrying about someone else who won't even be around."

"For what it's worth, it's best if you worry about coming home. He has Shi, she won't let him turn if she can help it. And if he would turn ... I think he'd be the first to say that it'd be best if you were somewhere else, where you could find out safely."

"I don't know," Fenrik murmured. "It just means that much longer before I'd have to face him."

"You mind hearing something you might not particularly like?" Doruth asked, looking at him seriously.

"That usually means I need to hear it," he looked at the older Panther quietly.

"It also means you'll get the chance to hear about it," Doruth said softly. "He won't decide to take you out before you _can_ confront him. As hard as it is, it's better for somebody who cares about them to do it, if it gets that far. They have the best chance of turning them back... and they'll make it fast, if they can't."

Fenrik nodded slightly, mulling that over. Not just in context of Jay and the future, but in context of the tom telling him this; a Jedi who _had_ faced someone he cared about gone Dark.

"It's also kinda academic." Fenrik murmured. "It's not like I'm going to stay at the Temple much."

"True," Doruth nodded. "Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, we tend to keep busy unless we take teaching jobs."

"Or a mate who's expecting," he managed a bit of a teasing grin.

"That's an entirely different sort of busy," Doruth smirked. "Don't get me wrong, the pups'll be worth it, but there's a lot of work involved keeping her happy."

"How did she ever talk you into it?" Fenrik gratefully went after the new subject.

"Like I said," he chuckled, "they'll be worth it. Besides, she's wanted pups by a Wolf for a while. Her best odds were for now."

"Before she gets much older?" He took a hesitant guess. "Or did she find the perfect sire?"

"A bit of both," Doruth explained. "She's hardly old, but it was getting to the point where it was a good idea to have her first litter soon, and she hit it off with one of the Knights on Ambria."

Fenrik nodded, then considered the older Panther a bit. "Is she really getting nesty?"

"Perceptive, aren't you?" Doruth said, chuckling slightly. "She is, but I'll be honest with you, it's not the only reason we're out here. Master Essani was getting worried that Jay might _not_ take separation too well, when the time came for it, if he didn't get a little bit of it soon enough to start getting used to it."

"I didn't think he was that far behind in his studies," Fenrik chuckled softly. "It's probably a good idea. I don't think he ever sleeps alone when he's got a choice."

"Not that far behind, but it'd be better to get him started now, rather than when you're more than a few hours away," Doruth chuckled. "Hope you don't mind being kept in the dark."

"Nah, it's not like you could tell him." He nodded easily. "And the camping is a nice break from the Temple."

"That it is," Doruth chuckled, nodding. "So, want to see if we can make the peak before we have to head back to the ship?"

"Sounds good to me," he grinned and curled to his feet easily.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Jay was on his way home from The Power of The Panther, wishing Fenrik had been there to watch it with him and just as sure he was having a blast with Doruth. With his studies only fractionally heavier than before, he was very suspicious that his Master had actually masterminded getting them some time alone to bond. They had so much in common, Doruth would make a perfect Master for Fenrik in a few months when they were both ready. It was a sneaky plan perfectly executed. He loved it.

He was just getting ready to hail a cab back to the Temple when he heard somebody shouting around the corner. The desperate, frightened tone drew his attention and he didn't even question his choice to track it down.

He rounded the corner just in time to see a short, powerfully built Rodian force a brown-furred Rabbit fem up against the wall.

"Shut up, female," it said in rough Basic. "You should have used the money you paid to get here to pay off the Hutts." It pressed its thick forearm against her throat, shifting its hand and taking a short, familiar metal rod from its sleeve.

What was a Rodian bounty hunter doing with a lightsaber?

A low growl rumbled from Jay's throat as it clicked the only way it would have one was from a dead Jedi.

"How about picking on someone who can actually use one?" He called out to the Rodian with a sneer in his tone even as he advanced, his newly built 'saber lit a brilliant sea blue that gave no indication it was at all unusual, much less than it had a mate still hidden in a concealed sheath under his off-hand sleeve.

The Rodian looked over at him, looking him up and down before stepping back from the terrified woman. She looked between the two of them, then bolted into a nearby alley while the Rodian was distracted.

"Any suggestions where to find someone like that?" The Rodian shot back, its own 'saber igniting much to Jay's irritation with a deep, blood-red tone that no true Jedi would have used, not even a fallen one. Only those who completely embraced the Dark used that particular crystal. The Rodian slipped into a combat stance easily, holding its 'saber at ready.

"Obviously not in front of me, katchutak." Jay sneered in almost flawless Rodian. Part of him knew he shouldn't be doing this, that he should call for his Master, or at the very least not bait this fighter a rank or two above him by Jedi standards, but his hatred for the scaled pig overrode it all.

"Little fuzz ball has a death wish," the Rodian growled as Jay matched his stance with a more aggressive one ill suited for the Jedi public image. "I'll be sure to send your daddy's lightsaber back to the Temple after I've carved you up."

"Maybe yours should have taught you how to build a _real_ one," Jay shot back, his ears flat and body calm even as he felt the warm rush of rage that clarified everything into perfect focus and stilled his nerves to a level most Knights would be respectful of.

"Oh it's real enough," the Rodian sneered. "Let me show you!" He lunged forward, his 'saber flashing towards Jay's.

The kit didn't even blink as he side-stepped and blocked the strike, his entire existence a pool of smooth flowing heat very much like how most Jedi described it when they were in tune with the Force, but founded in hatred and rage. Only his smile was chilling. He had a kill in sight and he relished it.

The Rodian ignored his expression, shifting the force he was putting on his 'saber and forcing Jay's hands to the side long enough to plant a sturdy fist in his stomach. It drew a grunt from Jay, though the kit refused to double over even as a smirk crossed his face.

The unique hum of a lightsaber activating joined the fray to mark the second blade of his primary 'saber flaring to life and the fractional shift it took for Jay to send it across the forearm impacting him.

The dark warrior's hand drew back sharply, but not fast enough to keep it from cutting into his scaly flesh. 

Jay felt a satisfied glow inside him as he heard the snarl of pain, though he would have preferred it to be accompanied by the thump of his attacker's hand. His 'saber crackled as the Rodian slashed at him, catching the blue blade and forcing him to return his full attention to defense.

He took a step back, trying for a little breathing room and found himself pressed all that much harder. He gritted his teeth and ducked a strike, dancing around his opponent to put some distance between them and went on the offensive, using his natural speed and agility to counter the strength across from him.

Before long, that wasn't enough. The Rodian started turning the tables, his attacks becoming more aggressive and forcing him onto the defensive. Suddenly his feet were yanked out from under him, sending him sprawling onto the ground. He suppressed the startled yelp and rolled to one side to avoid the incoming strike, but he couldn't stop the visible signs that he was tiring.

"* _I will protect you._ *" A low, male voice promised soothingly from deep in his mind.

Jay tried to ignore it as he scrambled to his feet and dodged the next attack with only a fraction of an inch to spare, the ozone of the blade that close to his fur lingering in his nose as he started to conceder a retreat no matter how much it galled him.

Before he could consider it too strongly, his lightsaber was knocked from his hand, going out as it rolled along the walk. A spark of panic flared white hot, shattering the focused calm of his rage. His coordination dropped and he lost all appearance of training for a moment before regaining some semi-balance of it with his second 'saber in his hand from it's hidden sheath under the loose sleeve of his off-arm.

He barely managed to block the next attack. Their eyes met through crossed 'sabers and both knew who was going to win. 

The Rodian grinned, pressing his advantage with a flurry of attacks that Jay only barely managed to dodge or parry even as the kit worked his way back to his other lightsaber.

"* _You will win._ *" The Demon promised even as a fresh wave of calming hate flowed forward, this time laced with power and knowledge far beyond Jay's. "* _I won't let you die._ *"

It instantly settled the kit's heart and nerves as he threw a blast of Force, knocking his opponent back ... and, seemingly, evaporated him. Suddenly there was no indicator, sensory or otherwise, that the Rodian was there, or ever had been; just Jay's lightsaber sitting on the ground, the metallic walkway scored where the blade had landed.

"Stand down, Padawan," a firm voice said as the Rabbit stepped out of the alley, her bearing nothing like the frightened woman she had been minutes before. The tone, and her bearing, spoke to training that he had little inclination to disobey, even coming from a stranger.

Still, she saw in his eyes, in the hesitation before he complied, that he had suspicions that had nothing to do with the Darkness not wishing to leave his mind even as it began to drain away. Despite the uncertainty about her and the Dark-drenched combat high she could feel in him, he never considered attacking her. It was only moment before he settled to look at her with a bit of confusion, extinguished his secondary saber and stepped back to claim his other without taking his eyes off her.

"It's over," she told him firmly. "Come," she added, signaling a sky car, "we have to get you back to the Temple and your Master."

"* _Master?_ *" He sent a querying thought along their bond, his natural paranoia and having his mind mucked with so intimately making her agreement needed.

"* _Come back with her,_ *" Essani told him. "* _I was aware of this. She is Knight Winda,_ *" the kushiban added.

"* _I understand, Master._ *" He murmured silently and stepped inside the sky car with the Knight. Most of his mind was relieved beyond words that they now had a real understanding of what was happening to him so it could be stopped, or at least controlled. If they'd gone to all this trouble, it was being taken seriously and would be _dealt_ with.

"I'm sorry for the deception," the Rabbit said, folding her ears down as they climbed into the sky car. "It was necessary that you believed it was real for us to determine what was really happening," she explained.

"I understand Knight Winda." Jay inclined his head to her easily. "I am looking forward to having better control over it."

"That is the idea," she smiled. "To the Temple Spire," she told the driver, settling in as the car lifted off and sped towards the massive ziggurat, it's occupants in easily silence.

Winda passed the trip thinking about what she had seen, how the young feline had responded to her illusions. Much of it was disturbing ... but, to her, the most disturbing part was the sense of something _other_ that was there, guiding his reactions gently.

He wasn't receiving all his training from the Order; that much she was certain of.

As the car touched down, Master Essani was waiting for them. Winda stepped out, looking across to see if Jay was aware enough to realize they'd landed and found him completely in touch with the here and now as he slid out after her to bow to his Master. She bowed to the older Jedi as well, standing up as Essani nodded to both of them.

"* _Knight Winda, would you please accompany us?_ *" She asked.

"Yes, Master Essani," the Rabbit nodded.

"* _Jay, if you would come with me to the Council chambers? We have much to discuss._ *"

"Yes, Master." He agreed, his voice soft and cooperative as they followed the kushiban to a nearby lift, the trio traveling in silence as they rode up to the uppermost levels of the gleaming white tower. Jay was certain that Essani and Winda were discussing what had happened, but he couldn't tell what they thought about it so he remained silently in the background as they continued out of the lift to the Council chamber that Master Essani spent so much time in.

The similarities between this visit and his first one weren't lost on him. The entire Council had gathered, and except for a few year's more grey fur they were practically identical, right down to the expressions most of them wore.

Essani took her seat, leaving Winda and Jay standing to face the twelve Jedi Masters.

"Padawan Clawson," Master Shan said evenly. "In previous discussions with this Council, you have talked about something your family calls 'the Demon.' You haven't gone into much detail regarding _how_ it has helped your family to use its abilities. Can you do so now?"

"Yes, Master Shan," he bowed politely to the Council leader, though it wasn't lost on any of them that the kit had always been willing to.

"It guards the door, the path, to an ability to warp reality with machines and enhancements to our natural genius that my family has used for six generations." He began easily. "To access that power and ability, we have to open the door to it. That allows the Demon access to our mind, but also gives us access to the full Gift that is our birthright. They come from the same place, but are not the same thing.

"What it did today, while I recognize the effect from recent years, is not anything in family lore. It may be something about me that is different, or it may be the fact that I am actually training to use the Force as well as my natural Gifts. Force abilities as you know them are not something I know from family lore."

"So it would be fair to say that your family, those who have chosen to pursue the full Gift, has been trained in how to use its gifts to their fullest by this Demon?" The Dobie asked.

"No, Master Shan." Jay said respectfully but very firmly. "All I know says that we learn on our own, sometimes with help kin who have already been through it. We have to fight to keep the Demon out from the moment we accept the full Gift. It is possible the Demon teaches those who are insane and have turned against the family, their lives are not well recorded in that way, but it does not do more than attack and tempt the rest of us."

"* _However, you do agree that it is acting differently towards you than it has towards the rest of your kin, to the best of your knowledge,_ *" Master Essani said.

"Yes, Master Essani." Jay inclined his head to her.

"Knight Winda, when Padawan Clawson was fighting your illusion, what did you feel?" Master Kareth asked softly.

"There was something else there," the Rabbit said easily. "I don't know if it was this 'Demon,' but there was another being involved in the way things played out. Not simply an anthropomorphication of the Dark Side, but a conscious entity. It also believed that the illusions were real, and interfered in the fight shortly before I ended it."

While Jay did not speak, he nodded in agreement with her words.

"* _You described the Dark Side as feeling warm, comfortable, after your last battle, Padawan,_ *" Essani said. "* _Did it feel the same this time?_ *"

"Yes, Master. The rage and hate brought more clarity and focus than I have ever managed calmly." He nodded, honestly a bit disturbed by actually speaking what he knew. "It is like a lagoon of flowing lava that orders and claims everything in its path to protect me."

"Is it possible that the Demon was influencing your perceptions of it?" Master Noloth asked. "We have never heard such a description of the Dark from those who have been exposed to it. However, we have heard similar descriptions of the minds of those who wield it."

"It is likely, Master Noloth." Jay bowed to the ancient Frilled Lizard. "We do not know what its goal is, but we do know it tries to turn us ... Dark." He said for lack of a better word, though the gathered Masters could tell what it was in his mind, _Omega_ , and it meant something much more specific than the simple label: violent, insane, megalomaniac, betrayer, destroyer, _Evil_. "And it uses any means it can come up with to do so.

"From what I have read of the Dark Side, it is not something any of us would accept easily or not question. The cold ..." he paused, struggling to put to words something he just inherently knew and feared. "My kind are sun-cats, from the desert tropics of a warm world. Cold is a bad thing, something instinctively avoided, even feared. It is death and bad meat." He stopped himself before he got wound up again in how incredibly _wrong_ everything about the Dark was. "It is not something any of us would willingly go or stay near without incredible desperation or insanity already festering."

"Where the warmth is seductive and welcoming," the Lizard nodded. "Did you feel that same presence during the surge you felt at the temple you visited?"

Jay had think about that, comparing the incredible differences in how the two kinds of events felt before he nodded in agreement that the essence behind all three times, both fights and when the Demon nearly grabbed him directly, was the same. "I believe so, Master Noloth. Two very different approaches, but the essence behind it is similar if not the same."

"I would suggest that it is possible that your apparent comfort with the Dark Side is, instead, the Demon attempting to _make_ you comfortable with it," Master Surool said. "Would you agree?"

"It does make sense," he agreed with the pink-skinned twi'lek, though he wasn't completely sure where it was going.

"* _Why would such an obviously powerful entity waste its time trying to turn somebody who was inherently evil, evil?_ *" Master Essani asked him, visibly startling the kit.

Jay snapped his mouth shut to stop the reflexive statement that she didn't understand, even as he was fully aware she 'heard' it perfectly well and wasn't going to let it drop without an explanation that satisfied her.

"Inherent in that it was there before I was born, and I can't get rid of it, Master." He spoke softly, his eyes downcast. "It may be a separate entity, something you do not see as part of me, but you can not take the Demon out of my family. It is a major part of what we are, who and what I am. I have seen what happens to those who chose to refuse their Gift to avoid dealing with the Demon. They are ... incomplete. Even they can feel it. They exist, but they do not truly live. It almost hurts to be around them, to be near that ... emptiness ... the lack of life ... that was kin."

"* _However, you are not evil in that you, yourself, are a creature of the Dark Side. The Demon may be, and you have to deal with it. However, members of your family are not born evil. They still choose whether or not they want to face it... and whether or not they want to fight it._ *"

"Yes, Master." He met her eyes briefly, accepting her statement as fact even though he couldn't internalize it yet.

"It still leaves us with the question of how to handle this," Master Shan pointed out. "Do you believe that you can learn to resist what it offers? The power and clarity may be comforting, but if you begin to rely on them... it can be dangerous in the long run. The anger may not leave _everything_ clear, when it suits the Demon's purposes."

"Yes, Master Shan," he focused on the Dobie without any doubt in his mind. "Knowledge is the Demon's downfall. It may not be as quickly as any of us would like, but as I learn to stand on my own in a given subject, it will have less and less ability to influence me without my acceptance."

"Which subjects do you feel you need to learn to stand in the most then?" He asked. "Combat, clearly, but are there any others?"

Jay stilled, seeking to answer as completely and honestly as he could.

"Accepting that I live here," he began softly, knowing it was the true way the Demon had into his mind in a real, permanent way. "That I will die here." He added, the pain of that idea a sharp, tearing ripple in the Force around him before he settled a moment later.

"Acceptance that it is not my place to fix everything." Jay continued, his eyes solidly on the floor as he exposed part of himself to the Council that not even his Master had had privy too. "Acceptance of ... loss." He added simply, the multitude of its meanings, from the loss of a fight to the loss of a lifemate, clear in the intent.

"* _Acceptance of the ugly parts of life,_ *" Master Essani offered, her mental presence reassuring and gentle.

"Yes, Master." He nodded, his exterior flawlessly controlled despite the turmoil just under the surface that they could all see. "It's best way in is to be ready when I want something bad enough to _make_ it happen, the laws of reality be damned."

"How is it that your mates help you to fight this?" Master Noloth asked. "In general."

"They are a reason to resist, Master Noloth." He tried to explain something he was only beginning to translate from imperial knowledge to practical understanding. "It is something inherent in my family. We do not cope with being alone well. It will gradually drive a Clawson insane to be without that connection to the living world. Once insane, the Dark is embraced as the only warmth available."

"* _It is also a part of his people's culture,_ *" Master Essani said, giving an explanation that made much more sense to the old-fashioned Lizard. "* _Padawan, I want to work with you to develop some way of training you to handle the things you have discussed. We have to deal with this now, rather than once you have accepted your full Gift._ *"

"Yes, Master." He inclined his head to her, relived even as it scared him.

"* _We should get started then,_ *" she said, standing. "* _Thank you for your assistance, Knight Winda._ *"

"You're welcome, Master Essani. If either of you feel that working on non-lethal ways of handling fights would help, feel free to seek me out," the Rabbit said, looking at Jay in particular.

"Thank you, Knight Winda." He inclined his head to her, though he wasn't quite settled enough to think that far ahead. He made one last bow to the gathered Masters and followed his Master out.

* * *

"Master Ursal? You called me?" Shivasta asked softly, walking into the Bear's quarters. She was plainly exhausted, mentally and physically, the extra-long shifts in the infirmaries taking their toll. Even so she saw the shift in her Master's manner as she came in the room. The old Bear locked a calculating gaze on her, the kind usually reserved for patients being too stubborn.

"Yes, cub, I did." She nodded. "You are pushing yourself far too hard."

To be fair, Shivasta had been expecting this talk for a while now.

"Master, there are a couple hundred of us to a system with hundreds of thousands of patients. If we're going to make a difference in the end, we have to keep pushing ourselves."

"A Healer can make no difference if they push themselves too hard." Master Ursal pointed out firmly. "You can not help anyone if you can not focus."

"Very well, Master," Shivasta sighed slightly. "I'll cut back to single shifts again, at least for a time."

The old Bear leveled her gaze on her Padawan; a bit surprised she had acquiesced so quickly, then nodded. "Good. Now you should get some rest."

"Thank you, Master. How are you and the others doing at finding the source?" She asked.

"We are close to pinpointing it's origin point, and have confirmed that it is most likely a natural pathogen mutated by exposure to a concentration of the Dark Side." She said with a slight smile.

"Naturally, or did somebody do this intentionally?"

"We do not know yet," Master Ursal admitted. "While such concentrations of Dark outside of a person are rare, they do exist."

"I understand," the young Ice Walker nodded. "I should go rest... I'll see you later, yes?"

"Yes, cub," she smiled easily. "Go rest now."

"Thank you, Master." Shivasta turned and started walking out, leaning heavily against the wall next to the door as soon as it had closed behind her. For a few minutes, she closed her eyes and focused on summoning the strength to make it back to her quarters. A pained look crossed her young face as she felt a twisting in her stomach.

She'd been working too hard, that was all... she just had to make it back to her quarters, get something to eat, maybe see if Jay had sent a message. She hadn't had the time to reply to his last one yet... maybe she could do that before she went to sleep. Just a quick letter, let him know everything was okay. She stood up and started back towards her room, focusing on each step, trying to stay steady on her feet. The last thing anybody needed right now was for her to pass out, get sent to medical and taken off all her shifts.

"Shivasta." Her Master's deep rumble came from behind her even as strong arms scooped her up. "That is not simple exhaustion."

"I'll be fine," she protested softly. 

It was strange. Part of her mind was looking at everything that was happening and agreeing with her Master. Another part of it seemed completely unable to accept the simple truth of it. Maybe it wasn't _simple_ exhaustion; she'd been pushing her endurance and her training to its limits for almost a week now. But she didn't seem to be able to make herself accept that something might be wrong that a good night's sleep wouldn't fix.

The debate was ended briefly by another twisting pain in her stomach. She curled up in her Master's arms slightly as Ursal carried her towards Medical. One of her braids shifted slightly, revealing a small black mark that quickened the Bear's step.

"You will be fine." Ursal rumbled with a fierce determination. "But you will not be taking your shifts for a while."

"Just working too hard," Shivasta insisted weakly. What was wrong? She could tell that something had happened, but not what. "What's wrong?"

"You have contracted the plague." Her Master informed her quietly as they entered the barely organized bedlam of the medical area.

"No I h-nngh...." Shivasta bit her lip to stifle her groan. Her healer's training seemed to go to work on the problem immediately once she'd been told that, getting past the stubbornness that felt obligated to keep working. She _knew_ the symptoms, and knew that the stomach cramps were a sign that it had progressed beyond the stage where it would be treated easily. She hadn't seen any of the marks or lesions that usually preceded them, but knew too well from seeing too many advanced patients that it was possible to miss them unless you checked for them routinely and rigorously.

She hadn't been taking that sort of time lately.

Any more protests she had were stopped by the possibility that continuing to work could end up making things worse, rather than better. If she infected a patient, or somebody near them who'd dodged it so far....

"Master Ursal," one of the Healers said, a young twi'lek. "Your Padawan too?" She asked, looking at Shivasta.

Too?

"Too?" The old she-bear's rumble held a hint of surprise and a great deal of worry to any who knew how to read her.

"Yes," the twi'lek nodded, her own expression much more clearly worried. "Since the last shift started, we've had more and more of the Healers reporting in. Mostly Padawans but one or two of the Knights... it's like something flipped a switch," she admitted, turning around and starting through the crowded rooms. "Follow me, we should still have a clear medical bed."

Ursal nodded and set her mind to finding the cause of this. If it was affecting Healers now, it was far more than a planet at risk. Such a disease could not be stopped if it got out. And, in the back of her mind, she was more certain than ever that this was not a natural accident of pathology.

* * *

Doruth and Fenrik walked down to the training rooms shortly after the Gurath had set down on Coruscant again. Master Essani had met them and said that Jay was practicing with his new lightsabers, so they went to greet him when he was done.

Doruth whistled lowly as they approached and he looked through the gathered crowd to see what Jay had done with the basic lightsaber design. It was incredibly ambitious for a Master to make that radical a shift; for a Padawan not even two years into his training it was almost unthinkable.

Which did make it perfect for this particular kit.

"I'm glad he didn't try that with mine," Fenrik murmured as they took in the extremely basic kata Jay was working on to get used to a lightsaber with its hilt in the center.

Even at this level, it was fairly clear that he felt more at ease with the design that he ever had with the two-handed sword style almost all Jedi used.

"I have a feeling he might've worked with similar weapons before," Doruth murmured, watching him. "It'll be impressive as all hell once he's got the kinks worked out."

"Y'think Master Essani knows about this?" Fenrik asked.

"I'm wondering if Master _Yamari_ does yet," the older Panther chuckled slightly. "She'll be the one helping him perfect it, most likely."

"I do," the small, blue-furred Mouse informed him with a slight smile. "He has shifted his focus significantly in the past few days."

"What happened?" Fenrik asked, looking down at the Jedi not a third his height with a concerned expression.

"He should be the one to tell you," she declined. "He, and the Council, understand his particular situation much better now."

"All right," he acquiesced. It was good to hear that, though he had a feeling that finding out had been awkward at best.

Maybe it had been best that he'd been gone for a few days.

"So, how long has he been at it?" Doruth asked the older Master.

"Only forty minutes," she said easily. "He should stop after this kata."

"All right," He nodded. "It's definitely something else to watch. You teach him the basics, or did he come up with this on his own?"

"These are his moves," she acknowledged. "I merely formalized and smoothed them out."

"And to think, he's planning on being a scholar," the older Panther mused. "Probably be one of the best in a fight in a long time."

"That was not something he ever contested would happen if he became a warrior," the Mouse informed him as Jay came to a central, open stance with his sabers pointed to the floor in line with his arms before they were extinguished. "That choice was not about his potential, but about his wishes for his life."

"Just odd for somebody who isn't interested in being a warrior to develop a new style," he clarified, "particularly one that dramatically different."

"Let's just go meet him when he's done," Fenrik smiled, his tail twitching in eager anticipation as the crowd began to disperse.

"Hi guys!" Jay's grin was ear to ear as he moved as swiftly as he could with any kind of dignity left to embrace Fenrik tightly.

"Oof! Mmm ... what'll you do when I have to go for a couple months?" Fenrik asked with a chuckle, despite hugging Jay back just as tightly.

"Drag you back to our quarters, _fast_." He rumbled hotly with a kiss that was bordering on indecent that Fenrik returned hungrily.

"Speaking of which, you two might want to get to them pretty soon," Doruth smirked. "Before he jumps you half-way there."

"I'm not _that_ bad," Jay smirked back from where he was quite happily tuck in Fenrik's arms. "But you should get back to Tes before she hunts you down." He snickered.

"I _did_ call to tell her I'd be there as soon as I'd checked on you," Doruth pointed out with a smirk. "Which, having done, I'll be on my way back. Master Yamari, Padawans, good evenings to all of you," he said politely, bowing to the much smaller Mouse before he left and she drifted elsewhere to give the kits some privacy.

"Have fun," Jay grinned at him, then nuzzled Fenrik. "But his idea of getting to our room is good."

"Agreed," the Panther rumbled, kissing him quickly. "C'mon, I've missed a warm bed."

"I bet," he snickered, easily keeping up as they headed back to the small room that they'd claimed as their own. "Did you have fun, though?"

"Oh yeah," Fenrik grinned. "Mountain climbing on Mirrus Prime, mostly. Sounds like things were a little more introspective for you here," he observed, looking down at his boyfriend, who ducked his head.

"And explosive," he nodded, but held otherwise silent until they got to the quarters they shared with Master Essani and the door shut behind them. "We got a pretty solid look at the Demon, and what it's doing."

"Safe explosive, with a good result?" Fenrik asked with a worried tone, holding Jay close and rubbing his back.

"Controlled at least," he nodded and rumbled happily for the close contact. "Results ... at least hopeful. We've got a better idea how to take its tools away now."

"Good," Fenrik rumbled, nuzzling Jay lightly. "Mmm ... I've missed you."

"Good," Jay licked his nose and tugged Fenrik lightly to their bedroom. "Master just gave me the afternoon off."

"Good," Fenrik grinned, following him into their room easily and turning him back against the door with a hungry kiss. "Send that new message off to Shi while I was gone?"

"Mmm, yes." Jay purred and slid his hands inside Fenrik's robes before he got a little more serious and kissed him softly. "Slow and gentle?" He whispered softly.

"With pleasure," the Panther rumbled, returning the kiss and starting to work Jay's robes off. "No reply yet?"

"Not yet," he breathed as his neck was kissed, relishing the emotional warmth that was so much better than what the Demon offered.

"Mmm ... then I'll have to keep you occupied until one gets here," Fenrik grinned, licking his neck as Jay's robes fell to the ground. "Or until you have to go study again."

"Such a hardship for my Panther," Jay couldn't help but snicker between moans at the loving touch.

"Well, something's hard at least," Fenrik grinned, pressing him back to the bed. "Or will be soon enough," he added with a rumble, kneeling and nuzzling the younger kat's sheath.

"Ohh, yeah," he moaned and relaxed, giving the moment over to his lover.

* * *

* * *

* * *

A few hours later, the two of them were snuggled up in bed, happy for the familiarity of a warm, welcome body to press up against.

"So what did happen?" Fenrik asked Jay softly, kissing his forehead.

"One of the Knights caught me in an illusion," he murmured. "One designed to trigger a violent response, to get me to call on the Dark like I did before. She did a good job too, even the Demon believed it. It interfered, showed itself when the Masters were watching and a Knight was in my head. That's why I'm learning to fight as well as any warrior. It's the most likely way it has in right now; offering protection when I'm out of my depth."

"So they have a better idea of what it's doing to you?" Fenrik asked, rubbing his back. "And how?"

"Yeah, and how to slow it's progress ... to give me better than a fighting chance to stay on this side of the Force."

"That's good though, isn't it?" The Panther asked, scratching his back lightly as Jay purred and continued his gradual journey to muscle-jello.

"A very good thing," Jay smiled and nuzzled him happily. "I'm curious that they aren't looking at destroying it, but focusing on survival skills is good."

"They're probably not sure how they'd reach it to do the job," Fenrik pointed out. "So, if that's a good thing, what are you doin' giving off those 'horrible things I don't want to talk about happened today' vibes?" He teased, tickling the younger tom's side.

"It was just _really_ stressful." Jay nuzzled him even as he squirmed a bit at the tickling. "They didn't exactly let me in on this experiment until the Knight made it vanish and ordered me to stand down. We weren't even in the Temple." He sighed. "It's just ... not pleasant to have my nose rubbed in my weaknesses that blatantly. I understand why, but it's ... kinda unnerving."

"You'll find a way around it so they can't do it again," Fenrik promised him, licking his cheek and got a nuzzle for it. "So, what's up with those new 'sabers of yours? I think you even impressed Doruth."

"I'm not completely sure, honestly." He chuckled sheepishly. "There as much as I could get them to do right now. Mostly it was for the surprise factor, they do work as a normal one," he rolled over to pick one up, "and they look normal unless you get close. The fighting style ... that only came about after the mind-game fight. And just for reference, don't even joke about Rodian Sith bounty hunters." He shuddered.

"What, did they age Navik for the fight?" Fenrik asked, raising an eyebrow. "Sounds like that's about the only button they _didn't_ press with that one."

"No, but it was damn close." He pressed close, the memories of the previous night still sharp. "I _really_ need to work on that too," he sighed. "I knew I was outclassed and I still walked right into that fight, even after his target was safe."

"Doruth mentioned that he wanted to introduce you to somebody while we were out camping," Fenrik said, rubbing his back softly. "Think you'd mind meeting a Rodian techie who doesn't even like to argue with people seriously?"

"Sure," he looked up, curious that such a creature could exist.

"Think you've got a field trip coming up some time soon then," the Panther smiled. "I'll probably have to stay here, but it'll do you some good."

"And you won't have to suffer through eye-glazing chatter between two geeks," Jay snickered and kissed him.

"Mmm ... just promise you won't come back with a lightsaber that cuts through force fields as easily as they do through doors," the Panther smirked, kissing him back.

"I refuse to promise _that_ on principle," Jay snickered, but behind the grin was a very real attempt to figure out how.

"You do and I'm never sparring with you again," Fenrik muttered good-naturedly. "I don't _want_ to know what happens when you breach a lightsaber."

"It turns off," he said simply with an easy confidence. "No different than hitting cortosis."

"Yeah, it _probably_ does," Fenrik admitted, "but do _you_ want to be the guy holding one when you find out differently?"

Jay looked at him dubiously. "You do realize the reason I told you not to spar with your 'saber at full power is because it _can_ cut through another 'saber with a good hit?"

"Glad I'm not one of those contrary cats then," he murmured, kissing Jay lightly. "Hope you're right."

"I am," he nuzzled him reassuringly. "I wouldn't have given you something likely to hurt you. Besides, Tes has had one for almost three years now and no problems."

"Good," he smiled, kissing him a little more playfully. "Gotta watch out for you mad inventors though," he smirked.

"Welcome to the family," Jay winked and snuggled in. "We're all like that."

"Mmm ... if they're all like you, I think I could live with a family like that," Fenrik purred, snuggling up and pulling the sheets up over them.

* * *

Doruth watched his class practicing with their lightsabers, moving down the line. Most of them had mastered the basic moves he was demonstrating, each one had progressed past the point where simply wielding the lightsaber was dangerous to themselves. None of them were Padawans yet, but most of them were candidates ... which, to be fair, was about half the reason he was teaching the class. It gave him a chance to see several potential Padawans at work, see if he would connect with any of them.

"Keep your hands closer on the grip, Ellis," he told the young Beagle at the end of the row. "You'll be able to react faster when the pivot is shorter." He demonstrated what he meant; nodding approvingly when the Beagle went through the kata they were practicing almost flawlessly.

"Don't stiffen up so much, Quoon," Fenrik said in the back of the room, helping the twi'lek to loosen her stance enough to be able to react properly. Doruth smiled as he walked up to the front of the room, looking over the dozen or so students he was working with and nodding as he saw them perform the kata perfectly. He couldn't honestly imagine what it must be like to train the younger students; this was far enough down the scale that he was content to stay here for now.

"All right," he said, as Fenrik walked up from the back. "You've all just about mastered the basics. From here, we'll move on to basic dueling and sparring techniques. Everybody pair off. Padawan Aren, if you would help me demonstrate?" Fenrik bowed easily as the students split off into pairs.

"We'll be starting with basic blocks and strikes for now," Doruth explained. "Students on the left of the pair, assume stance Alpha-1, partners assume stance Delta-1." He slipped into the basic attack stance easily, igniting his lightsaber as Fenrik assumed the matching defensive position. The two Panthers demonstrated a simple dueling exchange, Doruth making some light, probing strikes that Fenrik blocked with ease, returning with a few counter-strikes of his own.

Each moved into the end stance, then turned off their 'sabers before bowing to each other respectfully. They turned back to the class, their training 'sabers glowing a variety of colors.

"Now," Doruth said, "practice what we showed you. Don't try to get fancy; don't try to 'beat' your partner. This isn't a duel, you're simply practicing the forms." He nodded to Fenrik as the students started working, more slowly than they had, and the two of them split up to give pointers and corrections as they noticed the need for them.

After about five minutes and four switches between aggressor and defender, Doruth checked his chronometer and saw that class was scheduled to end shortly.

"Assume end-stance," he ordered the gathered students, each obeying him quickly. "Turn off your 'sabers and bow, then class is dismissed. I'll see you the day after tomorrow at the same time." He bowed slightly to the class as they returned the gesture, then leaned back against a desk as they started to filter out of the room.

"The last few weeks have given me an entirely new respect for the Teachers," Doruth chuckled, shaking his head as he looked at Fenrik, the younger Panther nodding in agreement.

"Yeah. But it's worth it to see them when they _get_ it," he grinned back. 

Doruth chuckled and nodded, standing up and moving over to put a hand on his shoulder. "Yeah, it is. Well, I'm going to go check on Tes. See you tomorrow for our alternate class?"

"You bet," Fenrik grinned. He was getting to enjoy working with Doruth on this. It gave him something to do besides his private studies and coaching Jay, which was definitely welcome. And, he had to admit, working with Doruth felt good. Not quite the same as it had when he had been working with Master Kiris, but similar.

"Knight Parn," a young Civet in Healer's robes, his hair not even bearing a Padawan braid yet, bowed deeply as Fenrik left. "Custos Tes' labor has begun."

"Is she in Medical, or on the way?" He asked, starting towards the infirmary quickly.

"She is in Medical," the kit confirmed, following him more slowly.

"Good," he nodded. "How long ago did it start?" It couldn't have been long if they were just telling him now.

"Twenty minutes, Knight."

"Twenty -" He turned around, then shook his head slightly, walking a little faster, grabbing a lift that was just about to close. Of course they wouldn't have wanted to interrupt his class. He hoped Tes wouldn't be upset about it.

It took most of his self-control not to pace as the lift moved far too slow for him, but eventually it deposited him outside of the section of Medical devoted to birthing and the very young.

He tried not to run over, but anybody watching could see that he was in a hurry. He stopped at the entry desk, hoping the student there would be ready soon.

"Doruth Parn, my mate came in about twenty minutes ago, in labor," he explained once he looked up at him.

"Yes," the young Tigress nodded easily. "Healer Jameric is with her now in the birthing room. Please sit. It will be at least another two hours before they are all born."

"I can't go in to see her?" He asked, raising an eyebrow slightly at the fractional look of surprise she gave him. That wasn't normal, as far as he was aware. "Is everything all right?"

"Yes, everything is going quite well." She looked at him almost apologetically. "You are not invited to see her until the pups are at least dry."

"According to who?" He asked, keeping his reactions in check.

"Wolf culture," she informed him gently. "Not even other Healers are welcome to attend."

He calmed down slightly internally, nodding. It would have been nice if somebody had told him about that. Of course, Tes probably hadn't thought about it. He certainly hadn't thought to bring it up.

"All right," he nodded, moving to take a seat and wait.

The next few hours passed much, much more slowly than he liked. Occasionally one of the younger students would come in with a minor burn or feeling sick, but this part of medical was usually quiet. There weren't too many children _in_ the temple who were young enough to go here instead of elsewhere.

All in all, it left Doruth with very little to distract himself from the nervous anticipation. Would everything go well? It had sounded like everything was fine so far, but he couldn't help wondering about the things that might happen, to Tes or the pups.

About the last question that occurred to him, just as Jameric stepped into the outer room, was how the four pups would work out gender-wise.

"Doruth," the old she-Bear rumbled softly, a smile on her face. "Tes has calmed down enough you can meet them now."

"She's healthy, along with all the pups?" He asked, standing up and starting towards the door.

"Yes, it went well," she nodded and guided him towards the back, beyond the space where minor injuries were tended. "Three females, one male, all strong in the Force and suckling well. Tes is tired and sore, but she has nursed them and bonded as she should. She is likely to be a bit touchy about space until their eyes open in about two weeks, after that is when socialization typically starts."

"So I should expect to spend a lot of time keeping myself busy for a couple weeks?" He asked, just to be sure he understood as he followed her back.

"It would be good," she nodded sympathetically. "It is a real testament to how much she trusts you that you are going to have any contact with them before then. She is the first shewolf to do so that I have cared for."

"I understand," he nodded. He did too, when he thought about it. They were incredibly vulnerable. He remembered something his father had told him once, about not being allowed to see him for about a month.

Of course, he'd thought the reason was entirely different at the time.

"Any idea how much contact with them she'll accept at this point? I don't want to upset her, after all."

"I'm not sure," the Healer admitted, pausing at the door. "She isn't either. I would advise not trying to touch, however."

"Understood," he nodded. "I'll make sure to check with her before I do anything that might go too far."

"And you're in the right place to be patched up if she changes her mind." Jameric chuckled and opened the door, poking her head in to make sure Tes hadn't done just that already. "All right, come in." She stepped inside the sizeable room and to one side so he could follow.

Doruth walked in, looking at his mate curled up on her side, watching him with cautious, deep brown eyes. The bed she was on was thick and fluffy, and contrasted greatly from most of the beds in the medical bay. He smiled at the site of four small, dark balls of fur suckling at her lower tits.

He moved a little closer, still leaving plenty of space and being careful to stay up towards the part of the room that the kits weren't in.

"How're you doing?" He asked her softly.

"Worn out," she smiled wearily at him, but it was impossible to miss the warmth there despite the shift in her arms to cover her pups a bit more. "They're doing well too."

"Good," he smiled and crouched down to be more on her level; not moving any closer without knowing it was all right. "So, I hear I should look at staying on the ship for the next couple weeks?" There was no missing the good-natured tone to the question, serious though it was.

"Yeah," Tes blinked in surprise. "I figured you knew that."

"I forgot to double-check what the rules were for living with a Wolf who just had pups," he chuckled slightly. "Don't worry, it'll be fine."

"Thanks," she said warmly and started to stand to hug him, until the whine of a puppy dislodged from it's tit stopped her and settled her back on the bed for it to latch back on. "Obviously I'm not going anywhere for a while."

"Not if they have their way," he smiled. "You mind if I come down to give you that hug?"

Tes froze, the internal struggle clear on her face before she shook her head. "Not a good idea." She apologized.

"It's okay," he nodded. "You're taking care of our pups, I can wait a couple weeks to give you that hug. You'd just better be willing to take a kiss along with it then," he smiled.

"I'll be expecting a lot more than that after two weeks," she snickered and winked. "I'm not going to be sore that long."

"Careful or we'll have you back in here in another year or so," he teased, winking at her. "I'll let you and the pups rest up."

"Can't think of a better way," she rumbled even as Jameric glared at her to calm down.

"I think it's time to go before her libido overcomes maternal instincts for a few minutes." The Healer commented and took Doruth's arm to show him out.

"Yes ma'am," Doruth chuckled, following the Bear out of the room. "You'll let me know if anything out of the ordinary happens?" He asked her more seriously as the door closed behind them.

"Of course," she nodded easily. "You should also be prepared for a _lot_ of attention from the Wolves around. What she got while pregnant will be nothing compared to the pups once they can crawl. I wouldn't be surprised to have some of them already checking them out as potential Padawans."

"Pack animals," he chuckled tolerantly, shaking his head. "Thank you for the warning though, Healer Jameric. Tes probably wouldn't have mentioned it until I asked why there were eight Wolves wanting in to pup-sit at odd hours of the morning."

"I can send you the summaries and important notes of Wolf culture at the Temple if you'd like. You will probably find them useful to avoid moments like that."

"If you wouldn't mind?" He asked with a smile. "There's a lot there to cover, and I'm lousy at just picking out the important tidbits."

"Of course," she chuckled. "You are not the first to take a mate outside your species. I'll send you the packet when she's asleep."

"Thank you," he smiled. "Send it to the Gurath though, I'll be moving there once I've finished packing up for the stay."

"No problem," she nodded and watched him walk out before turning back to care for Tes.

* * *

Doruth paused by the door, a small pack with the clothes he'd been wearing for the past couple weeks over his shoulder, and looked at the panel. He smiled a bit as he saw the door was open. Tes _had_ told him it was time for him to come home and meet the pups, but he still felt better after making sure.

He opened the door, glancing down just in case the pups were growing up faster than he expected them to.

He glanced back up just in time to find his mouth completely claimed by his mate as he was pulled inside enough for the door to close.

He wrapped his arms around her and returned the kiss without really thinking about it, purring at the welcome warmth of his mate's body.

"Mmm... _damn_ I've missed you," he grinned as their lips parted.

"Me too," Tes nuzzled him with a contented sigh. "Long two weeks."

"Yeah," he purred, pressing his muzzle against her neck and inhaling her scent, different than what he'd gotten used to during the last few months. "How're you and the pups doing?"

" _I've_ been missing my mate," she licked his face playfully. "The pups are strong, always hungry and now have sharp little teeth that hurt."

"Sounds like they're healthy enough," he chuckled. "And you're not the only one," he rumbled, kissing her. "Just hope we have a little time to get ... reacquainted ... before I get called off somewhere." He rubbed her back with his powerful hands, scratching her lightly. "Love you, Tes," he purred.

"I love you too," she nuzzled him back, then stiffened at a small sound from the bedroom. "Feeding time. Again." She chuckled ruefully and stepped back, stripping her loose blouse off to reveal the three half-cup bras that supported her swollen breasts.

"Any way I can help?" He asked her, focusing on the task at hand for the time being.

"Tell me a story?" She looked at him hopefully as she settled on the large padded bed on the floor to be assaulted by four waddling bundles of thick fur with stubby legs as they sought her tits and the thick milk they produced.

"What about?" He asked with a smile, watching her pups move to feed.

Their pups, he corrected himself. They weren't his by blood, but in all the ways that would matter, they'd be his too.

"Anything," Tes chuckled and tried to relax. "They'll be at this for a couple hours before I can get up."

He moved to sit down behind her on the padded bed, pressing close to her back.

"Well, how about you tell me their names, then I'll give you a story I know you haven't heard before?" He suggested with a smile.

Tes chuckled and stretched back to nuzzle him. "The boy is Badru," she scritched a dark furred one with a rich gray mask and paws. "It means 'born at full moon'. He was the first to come out."

"And the first to get over here to eat," Doruth observed with a chuckle, reaching down to pet the pup's dark head gently. "Eager little guy."

"Mother says that boys are like that," she chuckled. "Never can get enough tits."

"I'd be offended, but I happen to resemble that remark," Doruth chuckled. "How about the girls?"

"Yes, you do," she reached back to ruffle his scruff, giving him an excellent view of her breasts in the process. "Karina is a sweet girl," she smiled and gently stroked a creamy grey pup suckling eagerly. "And takes gruff from no one. It means 'pure' and she'll be a healer or great leader."

"Your impressions?" He asked her, scratching the other pup's head gently. "Or one of the healers'?"

"Mine," she chuckled a bit sheepishly. "Just Wolf lore, not Force predictions."

"Wolf lore?" He asked curiously. "And believe me love, I trust your impressions too."

"Yes," she smiled softly. "Sweet natured and strong willed pups tend to grow up to be healers, teachers, peacekeepers and great leaders."

"She'll have a chance to be any of the four she wants, I'm sure," he smiled, nuzzling Tes lightly.

"Cadhla is going to be a great heartbreaker when she comes into her tits." Tes smiled. "Her name means beautiful, and these markings," she ghosted her fingers along what was nearly a tiger-stripe pattern of black among her dark grays and browns, "and the white star on her chest are very desirable. She is perfectly formed too. Likely one of the most exquisite examples of a Wolf bitch to be born this generation."

"I might be biased, but I think her Mother wins out in the beauty contest," Doruth smiled, though he _did_ have to admit that she was going to fit her name when she grew up.

"Just wait till she's older," Tes chuckled. "And be grateful you're a top duelist. You'll have your work cut out for you in keeping the suitors at bay."

"Just wait 'til she's older," Tes chuckled. "And be grateful you're a top duelist. You'll have your work cut out for you in keeping the suitors at bay."

"Just remind me when I cross over from 'protective' to 'anal,'" he chuckled.

"If I don't, she will." Tes smirked and shifted to kiss him, only to yelp and settle back with a tolerant glare for the richly pattered tri-color pup. "And that would be the warrior of the lot. Aitana, or 'glory'."

"Lemme guess," he smiled, running a finger down the pup's spine, "she's learning to use her teeth faster than the others?"

"And which tit is the most sensitive to those teeth," she sighed and tried to relax as the pups nursed. "And exactly how to nip for best effect. She'll be a terror."

"Wonder which parent she got that from," Doruth teased playfully, licking Tes' neck.

"I would think you," she smirked and brought her tail up to tease him.

"I'd agree if she'd known me for more than just a couple minutes," he smirked, stroking her tail with his hand.

"Now, you promised me a story?" She rumbled softly, her eyes closing in contentment at having her mate at her back and her pups suckling at her breasts.

"That I did," he agreed, kissing her neck softly. "Though it's a little less story than history, if you don't mind hearing a bit about me before Temrys fell."

"Not at all," she smiled at him softly, recognizing how rare an offer this was.

"I already told you that I grew up in the slums of Nar Shaddaa," he explained softly, holding her close. "My family'd been in the Refugee Sector since the Jedi Civil War. Don't honestly know if I had that much family, outside my Mom and my old man. You don't really get the chance to follow family lines too well in there. Either they get out as fast as they can, or they're just as willing to gut you as anybody else if they think it'll leave them any better off."

Tes shuddered, the idea a difficult one for her to swallow, but she knew it was true too many places.

"I never really had the chance to know my Mom," Doruth admitted. "She died not long after I'd been weaned. Don't know if it's just wishful thinking, but I remember she was a good person, gentle and caring. Deserved better than who she ended up with." He closed his eyes, pausing for a few moments to get the old pain back under control. "Don't know if my old man was the one who killed her or not but... I always figured he was the one, but if he was it was the one thing he never 'fessed up to. I just know that one day she was gone."

"It's not something he should have expected to live through if he had," she murmured, wishing she could turn and hold him.

"He didn't last too much longer," Doruth pointed out with a grim chuckle. "He brought me up for about four years ... taught me how to gamble and how to fight, though he didn't mean to do either of 'em. Never slow to say how much he'd make from the Hutts or the Exchange for selling me to 'em either. Drank himself to death before he decided selling me would be worth more than what he made off me with con jobs."

Tes really had no idea how to respond to this. It meshed so poorly with her mate that it was hard to wrap her mind around.

"Believe it or not," he admitted, "that's when things started getting better. Nar Shaddaa might not be the bright spot of the galaxy, but if you lay low and stick to low-stakes gambling and the occasional con job, the Exchange leaves you alone and you can make something resembling a living. Didn't hurt that I was pretty good at fixing chance cubes or guessing the outcome of a hand of pazaak. Then I made the mistake of trying to rig a game of chance cubes with this old Wolf who looked like an easy mark," he chuckled slightly.

"Only he was a Jedi," she barely had to guess.

"Master Temrys," he nodded. "He could tell I was a sensitive, and when his mission was done he brought me back to Coruscant, took me on as his third Padawan."

"Over the objections of some of the Council, I expect." She murmured, knowing he must have been far too old to begin his training.

"Master Noloth, among others," Doruth nodded. "Master Essani too, believe it or not, though she changed her mind after a private talk with Temrys. Not that I knew any of this at the time, of course. I just knew I was finally warm during winter and could actually count on my belly being full without having somebody wanting my hide for it the next day.

"When I started training, I had the chance to do something different. Master Temrys was giving me the chance not just to improve my lot in life, but to give other people the same chance to life better lives. You wouldn't believe some of the dreams I had," he chuckled slightly. "I was such an idealist back then; thought a Jedi could solve anything."

"It's not a bad dream to have," she smiled fondly and raised an arm to scritch his jaw. "And you never quit giving other people a chance, even when you were playing at being a drifter."

"I tried," he admitted with a smile, nuzzling her neck. "And maybe not, though I know now that there's only so much that can be done without causing more harm than good."

"That's just part of growing up," she said softly. "Most pups think they can solve the universe's problems. The trick is to realize you can't and still keep doing what you can."

"True," he nodded. "And I do... even against my better judgment sometimes," he chuckled. "Like saving this smuggler I've never seen before who was being attacked by a Hutt's troopers."

"And just look where _that_ got you," she grinned up at him.

"Mmm... a lovely mate and partner, and the start of a wonderful family," he purred, shifting to kiss her gently. "I keep getting results like that, and I'll forget that there was a reason I used to try and keep my conscience from overriding my common sense," he smirked.

"And then there is Jay," she nuzzled him as best she could. "He's going to be a force to contend with when he gets a little better with those 'sabers."

"I know," he nodded, rubbing her sides and returning the nuzzle more easily. "And he got me back here," he added with a smile. "Mmm ... so, want a somewhat more cheerful story until the pups are full?"

"Yes," Tes smiled easily.

"Mmm ... how about the legend of Master Par'tah and the battle for Telos?" He asked, bringing the story to mind. "It started just a few years after the Jedi Civil War had ended...."

* * *

Master Essani trotted through the Gurath purposefully as it traveled through hyperspace, waiting outside the quarters Jay and Fenrik shared and mentally 'knocking.'

"* _May I come in?_ *" she asked, more to give them time to dress if necessary than because she thought she wouldn't be welcome.

"* _Yes, Master,_ *" Jay replied easily, his state surprisingly calm given he was clearly in close proximity to the tom that could make his blood burn.

She waited for the doors to open after brushing against the pad with the Force and stepped in to see her Padawan snuggled up in Fenrik's arms with a datapad held so they could both read it.

"* _How are you two doing?_ *" She asked as she jumped up onto the chair in the room.

"Good, I think." Jay smiled at her. "Kinda nervous." He admitted. "No one's ever counted on me for their life before."

"He was born for this," Fenrik added with a knowing grin. "Not half as nervous as I was, and has a lot more reason."

"* _He's also used to visiting strange planets,_ *" Essani pointed out with a mental chuckle. "* _You'll be fine, Jay. We will need your gift with machines to ensure we can get inside, but any combat that's necessary will likely be something that Knight Parn and I can handle without either of you having to draw your lightsabers._ *"

"I think she's trying to be reassuring," Fenrik chuckled, hugging Jay. "Just don't go using that gift of yours to turn anything on unless you have to, okay? If this thing's right," he said, indicating the datapad, "* _most_ of the defense droids should be deactivated."

"I can control the ones that aren't, or blow them up." Jay said simply, not the least bit concerned with the defenses. "It's the ghosts that I don't want to meet."

"* _Those we deal with,_ *" Essani said simply. "* _Though if they worry you greatly, we can work on some techniques to help deal with them once your studies progress further. Those are advanced, rare skills._ *"

"It's mostly just going to a world with so many of the Dark kind," Jay admitted. "My bio-skills are pretty weak."

"Which should help keep them from really getting through to you," Fenrik pointed out, nuzzling him reassuringly. "You'll be fine."

"It didn't stop Winda." He countered quietly.

"* _Remember Jay,_ *" Essani told him. "* _A Dark Side spirit is incapable of affecting you the same way a living Sith would be. They cannot touch the living, and their Force abilities are mostly focused on sustaining their own existence. They're much more likely to focus on the two of us, rather than you two. Even with as many as there are on this world, if we encountered more than one at a time I'd be surprised. The Sith are not renowned for working together well in life, let alone in death._ *"

"How do they attack then?" He looked at her curiously.

"* _The most powerful ones have some Force skills that they can summon,_ *" she admitted. "* _Most of them, however, 'attack' through the creatures and plants their presence corrupts. Or through cults dedicated to their worship. The greatest power a spirit of the Dark Side has is the power to turn the mind, but they do so the same way any Dark Sider does - by talking. You simply can't force a spirit to be quiet the same way you can a living opponent._ *"

"Not without a lot of effort at least." Fenrik nodded. "It'll be okay." He nuzzled Jay.

"I know; it's just pre-mission jitters." Jay nuzzled him back. "I can hardly doubt the quality of my team."

"Thanks," Fenrik chuckled. "I'd be more grateful, but I know I'm the least of the people in that list."

"* _Don't underestimate yourself, Fenrik,_ *" Essani cautioned him, though her mental tone was amused.

"Everyone has their own specialty," Jay smiled with a low chuckle. "And their own reason for being here."

"* _I think I'll go make sure our landing zone is cleared,_ *" Master Essani chuckled, standing from her seat. "* _I'll see you two when we've set down, yes?_ *"

"Yes, Master." Jay nodded easily and uncurled from his place in Fenrik's arms to get his equipment ready and double-checked.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Jay looked in the abandoned campsite with a casual sweep of his eyes that moved on to the tombs cared into the mountainside that the archeologist had been exploring. There wasn't much to it, but he was quickly drawn to the primary piece of technology there: an almost working protocol droid.

"Did you find something?" Doruth called to him, the older Panther still working with Fenrik to search the site for any sign of the scientists who were supposed to be there. The buildings had been damaged badly, some of the duracrete structures apparently carved apart. He frowned mentally; some of this damage looked like it had been made by lightsabers.

"Their droid." Jay called back as he followed the 'pain' of the badly damaged droid into a structure.

It wasn't hard to find it - what was going to be difficult was finding all the pieces. It looked like somebody had practically taken the C3PO unit apart at each joint, and not gently. Looking around briefly, he found the gold-colored head buried beneath the rust-red Korriban dust.

It was damaged, but he could still feel the delicate droid brain inside. It could function, with a little coaxing.

Essani, Doruth, and Fenrik all followed him inside as he focused his attention on the intricate unit and coaxed it back to functioning, half it's circuits fried or not.

Languages were the first thing to be recovered. Languages and scraps of cultural information from more societies than he'd known _existed_. They weren't what he was looking for though; they were simply the part of the droid's functionality that was the most resilient.

The scary part was that he _knew_ there were billions more that hadn't been recovered by the time the recent data stores were online. The droid's vocabulator was next, though he knew it would take some time to recover its personality. He could still get it to replay its last recordings.

"Master Chano," the droid's modulated voice complained. "We have been unable to contact the ship for days. All I am saying is that we should take the shuttle back briefly to see if there is anything wrong with the communications array. What would happen if a dust storm were to hit?"

"You worry too much," a deep, gravelly voice replied easily. "I'm sure Duril is simply tied up in a translation. If any of us could understand the Sith writings on Pall's tomb," he chuckled, "we'd probably have left you back there to help him."

"I rather wish you had," the droid muttered, at least as much as a protocol droid could. "At least then I'd be able to - what was that?"

"What was what?" The deep voice, presumably Chano, asked. There was a distant sound, shouting.

"I do say, I think something has hap-" The droid was cut off by the distinctive sound of a lightsaber hacking through the door.

"Oh my!" 

Jay almost had to chuckle. Almost. The droid's fearful protest cut off a moment later as, presumably, the head was separated from the body, ending the recording as the power shut down to preserve what was left of the brain.

"That doesn't sound good," Doruth said, frowning as the four of them listened to the end of the recording. "Not at all."

"It answers quite a bit about the who and how," Jay nodded and silently promised to recover the droid after the mission was finished and he had time to do it right. "Just not the why."

"* _If there are living Dark Siders here, then they likely want to keep their presence a secret,_ *" Essani observed. "* _The archaeologists would be a threat to that._ *"

"But why take them with them?" Fenrik asked. "Why not just kill them and be done with it?"

"Because, for whatever reason, they want them alive," Doruth observed. "There's no sign that the violence here was directed at the scientists beyond what was necessary to get them to come along without putting up a struggle. They might not even be Dark Siders."

"If not, somebody went to a fair amount of trouble to make it seem so," Fenrik pointed out. "Lightsabers are not exactly a common way to cut through a door."

"* _There are people besides Jedi and Sith who use lightsabers, Fenrik,_ *" Master Essani pointed out quietly.

"Potentiates?" Doruth suggested.

"* _It's possible,_ *" the kushiban agreed. "* _It would explain the lack of violence against the living, and the apparent use of lightsabers._ *"

"Potentiates?" Fenrik asked, looking at the older Panther.

"A heretical group of Force wielders," Doruth explained. "Many of whom were Jedi-trained before they left the Order. They believe the Light Side and Dark Side are just different words for the same thing, that the Force as we understand it is wrong. Unfortunately, they also believe that in order to truly understand the Force, you have to delve into _both_ paths. Deeply."

"* _Korriban would be an excellent starting point for a group of Potentiates seeking to study Sith philosophies and techniques, compare them against the Jedi,_ *" Essani nodded. "* _Jay, can you get any more information from the droid without having to repair it completely?_ *"

The teen nodded and slid his mind along the electrical paths of droid memory. "What do you want me to look for? There is a _lot_ in here."

"* _Anything that might suggest where they went,_ *" Essani explained. "* _If they felt there was something particularly interesting about one or another of the tombs, they might have stumbled across something that made whoever attacked this camp decide they had to act to silence Doctor Chano and the rest of his team._ *"

He nodded and started searing for 'tomb' first, then 'Ajunta Pall' and 'Tulak Hord' and the variants as he found the names.

Both tombs had had relatively fresh bodies in them, compared to the rest of the artifacts ... both with Sith uniforms, according to the data. They hadn't managed to fully explore Tulak Hord's tomb yet, but the droid had been brought into Ajunta Pall's to help translate some ancient Sith writings they had found on some of the artifacts.

"They had finished with Pall's tomb." Jay said as he unwound his mind, now full of more information on both tombs than any of the archeologists that he was still working through. "And were working on Hord's, though one of the team was very insistent about going back to Pall's to look at the swords Chano wouldn't let them remove, and Chano kept refusing to let him go."

"Why wouldn't they have taken the swords?" Fenrik asked, cocking his head slightly. "I thought the whole idea was to find artifacts and bring them back."

"According to Jedi records, Ajunta Pall's spirit threatened to kill anybody attempting to remove a sword that wasn't his from the tomb," Doruth explained. "If Chano wasn't sure which one was the right blade, then it makes sense that he wouldn't risk it."

"* _Those same records also said that Tulak Hord's tomb had never been fully explored,_ *" Master Essani said. "* _It may be that they were making too much progress. I feel we should look for them there first._ *"

"We'd better get started then; it'll be a bit of a hike according to our maps of the area."

"It's not that far," Jay commented as he stood, his mind and body still a touch disconnected until he was fully on his feet and had gotten feedback from his entire body. "We shouldn't have to hunt them either once there."

"What do you mean?" Doruth asked.

"The tombs are constructs, not much different than any other building," the he explained. "I can just ask at the entrance if anyone's in there, how many, where they are and anything else you want to know."

"* _The tombs have been influenced by the Dark Side for millennia, Jay,_ *" Essani pointed out to him, though he could tell it was privately. "* _The structures may not want to tell you everything, given they were built to keep people like us out of them._ *"

"Well, unless there's anything back here we're looking for yet, we should start walking," Doruth said, looking down at the kushiban.

"* _No,_ *" she said, shaking her head. "* _Let's get started._ *"

She paused to look back at her Padawan when Jay stopped at the damaged door to run his fingers along the cut edge, and his eyes went wide in surprise.

"This isn't lightsaber damage." He murmured, and then moved to follow them.

The others were all left to ponder that statement, and what _could_ have done the damage. They walked towards the ancient tomb quietly, Essani and Doruth occasionally pausing to check their map against the local features, mostly weather-worn spires and columns that remained after over twenty-thousand years of exposure.

They found the tomb open, ventilation units placed by the archaeologists as they'd made their way into the ancient structure.

"Fenrik, you watch the rear, I'll stay in point," Doruth said softly, the quartet rearranging themselves so they'd be ready for any attack that might come.

Contrary to Master Essani's concerns, the ruins proved surprisingly talkative. Each time they had to stop and regain their bearings, the walls and corridors would nearly overwhelm Jay with information. Clearly they were tired of not having anybody to 'talk' to. They did occasionally leave out a 'minor' detail, like the field of poisonous puff-balls half-way to the tomb proper, but the delay was dealt with quickly, the fungus receding as Essani took the lead briefly, using her skills to encourage the plant-life to leave them alone.

Going was a little slower after that, the corridors occasionally blocked by rubble that had to be cleared away, but after what felt like hours of searching, they reached a sealed stone door.

"* _They're beyond that door,_ *" Essani said softly. "* _Jay, would you come here?_ *"

"Yes, Master." He took the few steps up to join her and Doruth in the lead.

"* _I want you to calm your mind, your senses. Block out what's here, and stretch out with your unconscious senses,_ *" she explained. "* _Tell me what you feel, what you sense._ *"

He nodded, apologizing to the tomb for briefly blocking it out before he closed his mind to the patterns and input that came to him naturally and seeking out the Force-senses that even after almost four years among the Jedi did not come to him easily.

It wasn't hard to sense Master Essani's presence; she was almost like a beacon of warmth, light, and life, especially against the backdrop of the tomb. He 'felt' Doruth next, then Fenrik... then, as he began to focus more, he sensed something else, something cold. It felt like an icy finger being drawn down his spine.

He shivered, physically, and it took most of his will not to scramble away from it on pure instinct.

And, as alien and _wrong_ as it felt, he could feel the appeal it had for the Demon in the back of his mind, still shut behind the mental door that kept it at bay. It excited the creature, made it restless and keenly focused on the one of its progeny that was close enough to _taste_ the Darkness.

This was the Dark Side, practically distilled in its essence. Hatred and rage, not fiery and hot, but cold and calculating. It was everything he instinctively feared put into a form he couldn't fight but could feel. The survivor in him rumbled hotly in rebuttal, a growl that came out in the physical world; a warning that unstoppable or not, the Cold would pay dearly for him.

He knew he should have been able to feel more, get more detail out of it, but his Force senses weren't strong enough to 'see' any more without being overwhelmed, and he wasn't particularly inclined to try. He knew his enemy.

"* _Our foes will be at an advantage in case of a fight,_ *" Essani said softly as he began to pull back into himself. "* _Knight Parn, Padawan Aren, be especially careful if it gets to that point. The Dark Side is strong here, and it could prove lethal if you're distracted by it at the wrong moment._ *"

"I understand, Master." Fenrik nodded, by far the most uneasy of the four but not giving any hint of that on the outside.

"* _Jay, can you open the door?_ *" Essani asked, the lightsaber she wore strapped to her side shifting slightly. "* _I would like to keep this peaceful as long as possible._ *"

He nodded and reached out with his natural Gift to ask it to open for them. It did so easily, sliding open with the familiar hiss to reveal a half-dozen different robed figures all standing in the next room, gathered around a stone coffin... or an altar, to judge by the nude Skunk who was bound to it remarkably well. The leader, wearing dark black robes that stood out when compared to the brown and red ones his followers wore, turned to the newcomers.

"Well. I'm surprised it took you all this long to get here," he said condescendingly. "Did you get lost on the way? Or perhaps you simply couldn't move fast enough?" He asked, looking down to the kushiban who stepped forward, her fur an icy blue.

"* _If you wanted to see us sooner, you should have been waiting at the entrance. Of course, you never believed in focusing on one goal at a time, did you Meskin?_ *" 

The leader threw his hood back, revealing the dark-furred face of a Badger male. "I'd hoped you would be the one to come here, Essani."

"* _I'd hoped you would see the error of your ways after you were exiled from the Order,_ *" the kushiban said regretfully. "* _I can see we were wrong. What are you doing here?_ *"

"What I always said I would, Essani," Meskin chuckled. "Or have you forgotten so soon?"

"* _You said that you would study the Potentium, gain an understanding of Light and Dark alike. I fail to see how this furthers your goals._ *" The other robed figures turned to watch the discussion, their hands straying towards their hips, and what looked like the lightsabers they all wore. Oddly enough, only the Badger didn't seem to be wearing one, instead carrying a slender, gleaming sword at his hip.

Jay could tell that the 'lightsabers' they were wearing were little more than the training 'sabers he'd practiced with early on. If a real fight started, the only way they'd pose much of one would be through numbers. Fortunately, with them distracted by the two opposed masters, he was able to deactivate the mechanical restraints holding the Skunk to the tomb, though he remained bound by ropes that Jay's Gift wasn't able to manipulate as well.

"There is no better way to study the Potentium than to study at the feet of those who have mastered its elements," Meskin explained easily. "That is how I have gathered my followers. It is how I studied the Jedi ways, before you and the Council exiled me and that damnable Lizard tried to strip me of my powers. And it is how I will master the Sith ways, after restoring Tulak Hord's spirit to its full power."

"* _The 'sabers are only training ones._ *" Jay whispered to his Master to pass on silently to the others, so their opponents would not know they knew. "* _And deactivated,_ *" he added before focusing on the metal saber the Badger wore, sure it must have something interesting about it for a fallen Jedi to carry it.

He quickly realized that the sword was _much_ more 'aware' than most similar items, even compared to a vibroblade. At the same time, it was also intensely violent, bombarding him with threats and promises of a slow, painful death for all of them.

 _Definitely_ not a normal weapon. It felt _almost_ like a true lightsaber, though one that was violent, dark, and twisted.

"Raising Tulak Hord?" Doruth asked incredulously. "That's impossible. Not even a Sith's spirit can be raised once it ceases to exist."

"* _Master, that sword is_ Death _._ *" Jay whispered, a little louder than before but still private. "* _Not tech. Never felt anything like it, but it's likely a match for our 'sabers._ *"

"Trust a self-exiled fool to think he knows better than anybody else," Meskin observed dismissively. "Tulak Hord is still exists _quite_ well. He simply needs power to restore his strength. Chessa is a mild sensitive," he explained, indicating the Skunk. "When we kill him here, his death will empower the spirit of Tulak Hord to give us what we seek."

"* _He will give you nothing but death, Meskin,_ *" Essani warned the Badger. "* _Think about what you are doing. You're not exploring the Dark Side of the Force; you're committing cold-blooded murder of an innocent person. Remember your own philosophy; are you still studying the Dark Side to learn the truth of the Potentium, or are you simply diving into it for its own sake?_ *"

"Perhaps if Master Noloth hadn't attempted to cut me off from the Force at all, I wouldn't have to resort to such measures," the Badger shot back. "After all, if I could study as I once did, then there would be no need for the Sith spirits. As it is ... they have taught me well."

Despite their master's bravado, his followers did start looking between each other. Essani's words seemed to be having the effect she was hoping for, on them if nobody else.

"* _You know why he did what he did,_ *" Essani said, her voice carrying no trace of regret. "* _Your crimes were severe enough that we had no choice but to attempt to sever your tie to the Force. You had proven you were willing to use it against the Temple's defenders to gain access to forbidden artifacts and writings._ *"

"* _I have warned them,_ *" she told Jay privately over their bond.

"Enough," Meskin said sharply. "If you will not leave, then prepare to fight us. Your lives will be a welcome addition to Tulak Hord's power."

"* _Fenrik, Jay, you two focus on freeing the sacrifice,_ *" Essani told the younger felines. "* _Doruth and I will deal with Meskin._ *"

"* _Yes, Master._ *" The pair replied easily, a glance and subtle shifts in body and tail settled their strategy as five lightsabers flared to life, Jay's bright blue next to Fenrik's blazing white blade. Doruth's own lighter electric blue blade flared to life a moment later as he moved next to Essani, watching the Badger's followers.

They drew their own 'lightsabers,' preparing for the battle that was about to follow ... only to find that Jay's sabotage had shut them down.

"Good trick," Meskin scowled. "Let's see if it works against this!" He drew his sword, lunging forward as Essani's own lightsaber flew into the air, its yellow blade flaring to life to block the Badger's attack even as Doruth entered the fray to give Meskin two Jedi to worry about.

Fenrik and Jay each took off in a different direction, trying to make their way around the battle between the Master, Knight, and heretic. The cultists split up, moving to stop them by whatever means they could. Three closed on Fenrik, wary of his lightsaber as they focused their efforts on crippling him with fear. He tried to resist them, but as he raised his lightsaber, it was clear that fighting them was going to be difficult.

The other two moved towards Jay, reaching out with their own powers to try and stop him before he got close enough for his twin 'sabers to go to work against them, assaulting his mind with a sense of helplessness and cold fear.

They met a mind, warped by upbringing, experience and some would say genetics, that simply didn't process helplessness.

Fear he understood though, the coldness of this kind triggering fierce determination and rage from deep in his soul. Rage that his personal demon fed as much as it dared with the Master so close. Not only make the fire that overcame the coldness burn brighter, but to take advantage of how easily it broke down the kit's learned discipline to avoid its offerings.

Later, many would be surprised that the Dark did not surge in him when he lunged forward, the four blades of his twin 'sabers aiming for a crippling shots even as the two cultists cried out in pain and tried to get out of his way when their 'sabers exploded at their sides.

He reached the tomb, quickly cutting through the tight binding ropes holding the nude Skunk to the table and helping him up. The cultists Fenrik was facing quickly decided that they stood no chance against two Jedi with working lightsabers, even young ones, and ran for a passage along the side of the chamber.

Meanwhile, Meskin was proving himself an able opponent. Despite facing two full Jedi, one a Master wielding her weapon from afar, he was holding his own.

Still - Doruth and Essani both knew that he was slowly tiring. His Sith sword was heavier than a lightsaber, even altered as it was to move just as quickly and strike just as hard. The Badger snarled as Essani's yellow blade broke through an opening in his defenses and scored a glancing blow on his side.

He whirled about in a great, sweeping blow, knocking Doruth back a step before he stabbed out at the kushiban with the power of the Force. She braced herself for the impact, her fur ruffling as the gust washed over her. Doruth brought his lightsaber up in a blinding arc and Meskin screamed in pain as his hand fell to the ground with a sickening thud.

For a moment it seemed as though the Badger was going to launch into a full blood-frenzy, but his Jedi training overcame his instinct, and he went on the defensive, trying to fight his way back towards the escape tunnel his followers had used.

His surprise was evident when he reached the door and it refused to open for him; surprise that quickly turned to rage when he saw the smug grin on Jay's face. 

Essani and Doruth were close behind him, along with the two younger Jedi. He brought his sword up with one hand, hacking through the heavy stone with all the ease of a lightsaber, blowing the weakened rock out of the way with his powers and bolting for freedom with Doruth and Fenrik on his heals.

"* _Stop,_ *" Essani ordered them mentally as the Badger made his way deeper into the catacombs. "* _We have to find the archaeologists._ *" Her blade faded, returning to the strap on her side as she walked over to the Skunk and Jay, who was helping him get up and make sure he could still move well before he draped his outer robe over Chessa's shoulders.

"* _Chessa,_ *" she said gently, "* _do you know where the others are?_ *"

"D-down that hall," the Skunk nodded, pointing towards the escape tunnel. "It's not far."

Doruth stopped in his backtrack to the alter room and looked around. "I've got the door here," he called to them and lifted his lightsaber to cut through it.

"No!" Jay yelled at him, making a run for the Panthers.

Doruth stopped, looking at Jay with his 'saber ignited.

"What's wrong?" He asked, lowering his hand.

"Damnit, Doruth, the tomb is _not_ the enemy here." Jay growled at him, rather exasperated as his keyed up mind and body sought an outlet. "At least be polite enough to try to open the door first." He added as he ghosted his fingers across the smooth stone with the request.

Doruth blinked, extinguishing his lightsaber, slightly taken aback.

"* _I'm still working on his tact,_ *" Essani chuckled slightly. "* _I think the danger's over now; Meskin and his people are all leaving, and I can sense Dr. Chano and the others are in good health._ *"

"I'd rather not have the tomb pissed off at us while we're still in here," Jay pointed out as the door slid open. "It _was_ designed to kill intruders after all. It can still decide to."

"Point taken," Doruth nodded. "Not used to having somebody around who can open locks any way but cutting through them."

"Ever think of using the control panel?" Jay looked at him dubiously with a motion to the artfully integrated controls.

"They didn't have any power to them," Doruth pointed out, to an even more dubious look, then sigh.

"I guess that's why they did it." Jay murmured as he looked a little more closely at the panel that was blatantly alive to him. "It only looks dead."

"* _Let's worry about the people inside the room, shall we?_ *" Essani suggested, trotting between the two of them into the open room with the bound scientists.

"Friends of yours?" A Duros asked as his gag came off.

"* _They get a little distracted,_ *" Essani said. "* _Chano, are you and the others all right?_ *"

"They took Chessa, but the rest of us are fine."

"And we stopped them before they hurt Chessa," Doruth said, feeling a little sheepish about not realizing Jay had opened the door.

"Fenrik's with him now," Jay added, doing a quick head and face count to confirm everyone was accounted for.

"And what about the Bantha-brains who left us here?" Chano asked.

"* _They got away,_ *" Essani admitted. "* _Did they take anything?_ *"

"Only everything important in this tomb. They'd better hope I never find them again or I'll...." The Duros muttered and ranted while Essani and Doruth went about making sure everybody was fine. All in all, as they heard again and again, each of the scientists with them had had the sense to surrender when faced with what looked like a Sith warrior. The only one who had faced any real hardship aside from being tossed into the side room was Chessa.

"That can't be good," Jay murmured as he listened to enough of the ranting to have a decent idea of just what had been lost. All in all, it sounded like a pair of gloves, a mask, some general grave goods ... nothing too critical, until you thought about _why_ those items and nothing else.

"C'mon," Doruth said, heading back out to meet Fenrik and Chessa along with the others. "Let's get everybody back to their respective ships, we'll figure out what to do about Meskin and the others then."

* * *

* * *

* * *

Doruth leaned against the Gurath's bulkhead, watching Fenrik as he meditated on what had happened during the mission. The white blade of his lightsaber withdrew into the hilt as he realized Doruth was there, and he turned to him with a bow.

"Still a little shaken by what those Adepts tried?" Doruth asked understandingly.

"Yes, Doruth." He admitted, knowing full well that the older Panther could tell just by looking at him that it was at the center of his struggles.

"What part of it is bothering you?" Doruth asked him. "What they brought out, or that they managed to do it?"

"That I froze," he answered easily, for all it still riled him. "Jay or the hostage could have been killed because they stopped me."

"We wouldn't have let that happen," Doruth said reassuringly. "But I know what you mean. Not much worse than that feeling, without somebody getting killed. There's a technique I can teach you, that might help you if you face something like that in the future," he offered. "Shouldn't take too long."

"I would appreciate that," he bowed a little more to the Knight-turned-teacher for the added respect the position gave him, even if it was only for a few hours.

"Don't need to get formal, Fenrik," Doruth chuckled. "Trust me, this won't be. Take a seat," he said, motioning to one of the crates. "Do you play pazaak?"

"Not really," he admitted, curious and confused by the leap in subjects. "I can almost fake knowing the basics on a good day."

"You're going to learn," Doruth chuckled, pulling a deck out of his robes. "Believe it or not, I haven't changed subjects. How easy is it to get past somebody's surface thoughts?" He asked, setting the cards on one of the crates.

"Depends on their training and shields," he answered easily and came over to take a seat so the crate with the cards became a table of sorts. "Jedi aren't very easy, most of the general population is."

"Most of it," Doruth nodded. "Unless they're focusing on something. Most mental powers we have, whether our mind trick, telepathy, or that fear-projection the Adepts used on you, function on the level of surface thoughts, maybe a bit lower than that. If you think about something simple, repetitive, maybe a little distracting, you can protect yourself against that. It fills your surface thoughts, making it harder to get through to manipulate you.

"Pazaak's a good example. We'll skip the side decks for now," he explained, playing a card out in front of himself, a six, and one for Fenrik, an eight. "Now, think about it. At this point there's not much to think about; you need another card to get anywhere close. But...." He played another set of cards out, a pair of sevens. "Now you have a fifteen, against my thirteen. What happens now?"

"Without cheating and finding out what the next couple cards _are_ ," he cracked a bit of s smirk, "stand."

"You're thinking like I do," Doruth smirked, playing off the next card, a seven. "Twenty for me, but it would've busted you, so not bad. Of course, if side-decks were involved, it'd work out differently. But the point is this. While you were thinking about it, what do you think it would've been like for somebody trying to manipulate your mind?"

"A _lot_ harder," he nodded in understanding. "It's too full of other focused thoughts to get into easily."

"Exactly," Doruth nodded. "It can be other things. Just focusing on a single strong emotion, counting the clicks in the hyperspace couplings, anything like that can throw up a level of shielding beyond sheer will. With practice, it can even help you focus on what you're doing."

"Kind of like meditating, only from the opposite end of the spectrum. Focusing on something rather than clearing your mind of everything."

"Exactly," Doruth nodded with an approving smile. "It's ironic, but if you fill your mind, it's easier to not think about what you're doing, and let the Force guide you."

"Unless you're like Jay and function on a level of multitasking that's just scary." He chuckled softly, bemusing memories of watching his lover do a dozen or more things at once with no loss of efficiency coming too mind a bit too easily. "I can see it working well for me though."

"That's the important part," Doruth chuckled. "Honestly, I think Jay doesn't think a little _too_ easily sometimes."

"At least about possible consequences." Fenrik smirked a bit. "He's got good intentions, just not much by way of planning instincts past the current event."

"Honestly, I'm kinda glad Essani took him on as her Padawan," Doruth chuckled slightly. "I would _definitely_ have my hands full working with him. So, want me to let you practice this for a bit, or maybe help you learn to play better, in your head and out of it?"

"Learning sounds good," he smiled a bit and settled in, reviewing the rules in his head again. "Tactics only, no Force-usage." He set down the ground rules he wanted to play with.

"How I always play when it's not a serious situation," Doruth nodded. "Senate rules, of course," he chuckled, pulling his side-deck cards out of his pocket and spread them out. "Pick your ten, I'll take mine from what's left."

"Senate rules?" Fenrik asked, raising an eyebrow as he picked out the cards.

"Professional slang for a recreational game," Doruth chuckled. "Neither of us wants to lose anything so we just swap cards, waste time, and try to keep ourselves entertained until the audience gets bored and leaves. Senate rules," he winked.

"It _does_ sound familiar," Fenrik grinned, setting his side deck off to the side, letting the older Panther select his and put the extra away before they started playing.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Jay carefully cleaned some fresh dust out of the damaged C3P0's casing before going back to work on the still-damaged brain. He'd finished most of the repairs already; all he had to do yet was restore and re-calibrate the personality routines before it would be working without any significant data loss....

"Don't shoot!" The eyes lit up a bright orange and gave Jay just enough warning to leap back before the droid's arms flew up in surrender.

"Oh my...." It said, looking around. "I do believe I missed something...."

"Yeah, you've been out for about three weeks." Jay informed him easily.

"Oh dear - do you know what happened to Master Chano? The last thing I remember was a large, hirsute fellow cutting through the door and attacking with some sort of strange vibroblade."

"Everyone is fine," Jay smiled slightly. "We rescued them."

"Oh thank the Maker," the droid 'sighed.' "I really was rather worried that this was going to be the end of Master Chano's lucky streak." Just then, Jay felt something off towards the east... a presence that seemed vaguely familiar.

"Nope, not this time." He shook his head and stood. "I'll be back." He added and reached out to check on his Master, uneasy about everything on this world.

"* _Jay? Is there something wrong?_ *" The Kushiban asked him as she felt him reaching out towards her.

"* _I'm ... sensing something ... east. Familiar. A person._ *" He explained as he made a cautious path towards the target. "* _I can't do that._ *"

"* _It might be something familiar to you... or something particularly powerful. Do you want me to join you?_ *" She asked him, as he thought he could make out a dark figure against the columns, approaching one of the tombs.

"* _You, and a Panther if one's conscious. We have an intruder heading for the tomb._ *"

"* _Doruth is helping them ferry replacement parts back to their main ship and Fenrik will have to guard the camp,_ *" Essani said. "* _I'll be there as soon as I can._ *"

It didn't take long either. It was almost comical to those watching her, but for something as small as she was she could _move_ when she felt the need to. She rushed out to meet him, making a small greyish blur against the red dust.

"* _Can you still see it?_ *" She asked him, looking around as they followed.

"* _Yes, near the entrance to Pall's,_ *" he looked down, surprised that she couldn't see it, or at least sense it. "* _It's doing ... something._ *"

"* _Must be trying to hide itself,_ *" she frowned. "* _I can't sense anything there except the tomb itself... what does it feel like, Jay? Light side, Dark... other?_ *"

The figure stood, turning as if it was looking back at them....

Back at _him_. Whatever this intruder was, it wasn't interested in Essani.

Jay froze, looking for the answer for his Master and struck that this person looked at him over a Jedi Master, even one that looked like a rabbit. He was sure there was power there, a fair amount of it. Intimately familiar power to him.

"* _Demon-Dark._ *" He told her.

The kushiban looked up at him, her grey color deepening. "* _Jay, are you _absolutely sure_ that you see this intruder, and sense that from it? That it's there now, not a memory or impression of this world's history?_ *"

"* _As sure as I am that you are here._ *" He nodded as they got closer; he wanted to find its race. "* _Those are _very_ different sensations._ *"

As they got closer Jay could sense Essani's concern through their bond, though he couldn't tell what exactly was the cause of it. Then, before he could make out any details, the figure drew and ignited a pair of lightsabers, one blood-red, the other glowing black ... and both in the distinctive style of his own 'sabers; only a full-length blade protruded from each end of the hilt to mark the increased skill of the welder; a level Jay was unlikely to see for several years yet.

"Crud," Jay whispered low in his throat even as he froze, his eyes wide as he realized what he was looking at.

Essani stopped next to him, looking towards the tomb and not seeing anything. She closed her eyes and sat, more convinced now that Jay wasn't seeing what he'd thought he was. Now that she wasn't looking for a person she could feel it; a tremor in the Force, a vision trickling down from a possible future.

"* _What happened, Jay?_ *"

"* _The Demon has a body,_ *" he shuddered, real fear in his soul despite not showing it.

"* _It's not real,_ *" she told him firmly. "* _What you're seeing is a vision, not a person. The person you see doesn't exist._ *"

The raw terror, much more intense than even what fighting the Demon had incited, that lashed through his entire self before he controlled it was not the reaction she'd been expecting, nor that he would control it by a flat denial of her words.

It was enough that she searched for the reason why, and managed to come up with one thing. He was connecting the vision he was having with being insane.

She felt the tremor shift slightly, something in the vision change.

In Jay's eyes, the figure extinguished one of his 'sabers and reached up, pulling back its hood to reveal a disturbingly familiar face.

His own.

A solid forty years older, a metal plate covering part of the battle-scarred visage that stared at him.

It made him wonder what kin had been sent here before him, his momentary recognition of his older self refused as impossible.

"* _Jay,_ *" Essani told him, "* _listen to me. This is a vision you're having through the Force, something that might happen. You're not crazy, but whatever you're seeing isn't really happening. The Force is simply giving you a warning. Come back to the ship with me._ *"

"* _Y-yes, Master._ *" He murmured, only just trusting her over his senses. Even before he could turn away, the Dark Sider literally evaporated into so much smoke, blowing away in the hot winds of Korriban.

Jay shuddered, the terror at hallucinating striking home again even as he move to follow his Master and tried to think his way out of the stark reality of what hallucinating meant.

* * *

* * *

* * *

"* _Fenrik?_ *" Essani trotted into the new structure where the Panther was meditating. "* _I have a favor I need to ask you._ *"

"Yes, Master Essani?" He asked, coming out of his meditation and looking down at her.

"* _Jay had a vision, that was what called me away a few minutes ago,_ *" she explained. "* _Unfortunately, learning that it was a vision has disturbed him greatly. He associates it with hallucinations and other signs of insanity. I've tried to explain it to him on the way back, but...._ *" She shrugged a little mentally. "* _I can only get so far. I'm hoping you might be able to help... or, at least, calm him down enough that he can rest and realize that there isn't anything wrong with him._ *"

"I can do that," Fenrik nodded. "Is he on the ship?"

"* _Yes,_ *" she nodded. "* _He should be in your quarters._ *"

"I'll go talk to him," Fenrik nodded, bowing politely. "I'll let you know how it goes later."

"* _Thank you,_ *" she said gratefully. "* _I'll take up the watch._ *"

Fenrik left the small building, making the short walk back to the Gurath and searching for Jay, not quite sure what he'd find. He was a bit relieved to find him where Master Essani said he would be and sitting calmly on their bed. At first he seemed to be meditating, and maybe he was, just not in the Jedi sense of the thing.

"Hi," Jay tried to smile as he opened his eyes, to present a face that wouldn't worry his lover, but even not knowing why he was here, it wasn't anything that would fool the Panther.

"Hi," Fenrik smiled, sitting down next to him. "Hear you ran into something out by the tombs," he said neutrally and didn't react to the way Jay's eyes went wide for a second.

"Master Essani wanted you to talk some sense into me?" He only half asked.

"She wanted me to try and help you calm down," Fenrik corrected him. "Though talking some sense into you usually makes that a bit easier," he teased lightly. "So, what happened? From your end of it."

"I saw something that wasn't there," he murmured, his chin on upraised knees. "Something that could have gotten an innocent killed if I'd acted instead of staring."

"How could it have gotten somebody killed?" Fenrik asked. "Essani said there wasn't anybody else out there."

"I saw a Clawson turned Sith," he shuddered and glanced over. "If anyone had actually been there when I pulled myself together enough to fight, they'd have gotten killed. I can't sense things in the Force like you do, not reliably enough to trust in a fight. I'd never know the difference."

"* _If_ anyone had been," Fenrik pointed out. "Besides Essani, of course - I think she would've been able to stop you. Jay, visions work that way. They seem real, but they don't happen in a time and place where they actually hurt anybody."

"How can you trust it that blindly?" Jay asked quietly, trying hard to find a reason to believe. "Know it's actually a vision?"

"Essani said it was one," Fenrik explained. "When a vision is happening, it creates a minor tremor in the Force, because the Force itself is acting to tell somebody something. She'd have checked for that before she said it was a vision. There are too many ways a real person could hide to just say so blindly."

Jay nodded. It made sense. Not just in that his Master _would_ have done that, but in the how she knew if this really was part of the Force challenging him.

"And when she's not there? How do you tell?" He looked over, a little lost and more than a little scared.

"In part, you learn to recognize it," Fenrik explained. "They don't happen too often, but most Jedi have them from time to time. Beyond that, you teach yourself to recognize that tremor. A hallucination doesn't register in the Force," he added, rubbing Jay's back reassuringly.

"That didn't look like a good vision then." He murmured softly. "If that really was a future me."

"They're also not fixed," Fenrik pointed out. "Look up some of the visions in the histories of the Jedi. They're often warnings that come in time to change things.

"I know," he smiled shakily. "Family history is full of it. We just usually take an actual trip up the time stream and back to change the future."

"Well in this case the time stream made the trip for you," Fenrik chuckled, kissing him lightly. "It was telling you what could happen, so you could keep it from happening."

"Can't be that simple," he murmured. "I'm hardly planning on going Dark."

"How polite do you want me to be?" Fenrik asked, nuzzling him lightly and got a curious look for the question.

"Can't be any worse than what's I've come up with."

"You're already prone to lashing out when you're scared or angry," Fenrik explained. "And we both know just how much love you've got for Rodians. It could be that something in the future could go wrong, and you have to choose between the Demon and between facing a galaxy you really don't want to anymore."

He nodded. "There are a lot of ways for it to happen too." He said simply with a sigh. "Most centered around losing you, or a threat so grave to the galaxy that I don't see another way to stop it. We aren't exactly renowned for our forethought." He chuckled weakly.

"So maybe something was trying to give you the forethought before you need it," Fenrik suggested.

"Then here is hoping someone can make more sense of it than I can, because I don't get it." Jay muttered and lay back to stare at the ceiling. "Whatever happened to him, I still haven't a clue about it."

"Probably something you're supposed to figure out when it's time," he admitted, lying back next to him. "Want me to leave you alone to meditate for a while?"

"Not really," Jay said quietly. "I'd rather not think much more about just how much damage he's done with my Gift."

"He hasn't done it yet... he doesn't _exist_ yet," he pointed out, rolling over to kiss him gently. "Though if you want, I can try to distract you for a while."

"I'm not going to object," Jay purred sultrily, more hungry for the contact than he realized as Fenrik indulged him eagerly.

* * *

Doruth Parn shifted his pack on his shoulder as he approached the door to the quarters he's barely seen the inside of in the month and a half since their pups had been born and wondered what kind of mood she'd be in to see him, and just how much Wolf pups grew in the month since he'd seen them.

He smiled as he thought about them, crawling around, their eyes open and bright. They were _definitely_ cute pups, no doubting that.

A part of his mind wondered if Tes would be in the same mood she'd been in last time. It _had_ been another month now, and the last time had only been a couple weeks... _damn_ was she wound up after that.

Altogether, he was _definitely_ looking forward to spending a few weeks with his mate that didn't involve late night packing to get ready for a mission.

He checked the door panel to make sure there weren't any 'do not disturb' warnings on it, then opened it up, stepping into their quarters.

His nose told him she'd had no lack of canine company while he'd been gone, though he doubted any of it had shared her bed. Every canine Jedi in the Temple had a distinct interest in the pups already, and part of that meant making nice with their highly protective mother.

He didn't hear any puppy sounds, only Tes' humming in their bedroom. A tune he remembered from the Wolven marriage ceremony they'd had months before. He smiled as he walked into their room, seeing her lying on the bed, running her hands through her fur.

If she _wasn't_ in the same mood as the last time he'd come home, she was _certainly_ doing a good job of faking it. She was wearing a short top over her topmost breasts, and a short skirt that he was _certain_ was the only thing covering her nether regions.

"Mmm ... honey, I'm home," he rumbled, starting into the room, looking her up and down hungrily even as she rolled to her feet, giving him a good look at the body she'd gotten back into fighting trim since he'd left.

Damn it had been too long since they'd really had time to be together. And it probably wasn't going to get much better any time soon.

"So I see," she rumbled seductively. "Did my mighty hunter bring me back anything?"

"Mmm ... I'll show you later," he rumbled, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her deeply as her body melted submissively against his. "Though mostly no bad news, and your mighty hunter."

"I finally got the clear to play for real," she shivered in anticipation, her voice deep and seductive as she worked his robes off his powerful shoulders.

"Now that's good news," he rumbled, shrugging his robes off and rubbing her back. "How're the pups doing?"

"Very good, and with a sitter." She grinned up at him. "It's just us tonight."

"Mmm ... which leaves us with just one question to ask," he rumbled, pressing her back towards the bed and licking her neck.

"How hard you can fuck me?" She shuddered in excitement, moaning at his touch.

"Just as hard as you want," he rumbled deeply. "Unless you'd like to try something a little new for the foreplay?" He nipped her neck lightly, but possessively, knowing long ago that she was in one of her more submissive moods.

"As long as you _do_ fuck me raw tonight." She breathed with a soft whimper, her hands rubbing down his chest until she cupped his balls.

"Oh I will," he promised, purring deeply as he peeled her top off, fondling her breasts with one hand as the short top came off and he went to work on her skirt. "Want to feel my barbs, or keep the healers happy tonight?"

"I want to feel you," she moaned and stretched her arms up; giving her long, muscular body over to his attentions. He threw her skirt to the side, running his hands up and down her body, kissing down her chest to her top breasts. He licked one hard nipple with his rough tongue, then stood up again.

"I'm going to get you a few things," he purred even as she whimpered at the loss of contact. She made no effort to move or shift though, and simply watched him move away.

He hurried out to the front room, opening his pack and pulling out some of the things he'd picked up on the trip back.

"Mind playing dress up?" He asked, bringing in a small case.

"Not at all," she looked over at him, her curiosity clear in her upright ears.

"Mmm... first, your presents," he smiled, opening up the case and revealing a silver bracelet with small cut sapphires around the outside. A matching pair of earrings was setting above it as he offered them to her.

"Ohhh," Tes murred in appreciation as she sat up to accept them and skillfully slipped them on. "Thank you." She smiled and leaned forward to kiss him.

"Mmm ... I know you like pretty things," he rumbled, returning the kiss and licking her lips as he leaned back a bit. "And after everything that's happened, I figured you deserved a few. Though you're not the only one who likes pretty things," he winked, opening up the case to reveal a second layer under the padding, containing her 'costume,' such as it was.

"Oh, my kitty is getting kinky." She rumbled with a grin and accepted the translucent blue silks that concealed very little and were cut to not be damaged when he did take her.

"I have my moments," he grinned. "Want some help getting those on?"

"If My Master wishes," she lowered her eyes submissively, her voice sensually inviting as she easily slipped into the role of a very willing harem slave.

"He does," Doruth purred, setting the case down and pulling out the top, moving around behind her to kiss the back of her neck. "You may put the rest on, pet," he rumbled deeply as he placed the translucent silk bra and tied it into place, leaving the still swollen lower pair loose.

Tes stepped forward with the grace of a natural leader and Custos turned to sensual intent before she slipped into the matching set of light blue harem pants and made a slow, graceful twirl for her master.

"Very nice," he rumbled, leaning back on the bed to watch her, as a mischievous grin quirked the corner of his mouth. "Mmm ... very nice indeed," he purred. "Now ... convince me to take you the way you want me to." He demanded, his body betraying how easy that would be.

She smiled slyly and stepped through a slow, erotic dance for him. Her tail moving constantly to conceal what was between her legs from him as her hands played down her body, starting with her nose, down her throat and across her shoulders to cup and fondle each set of breasts in turn, making sure each nipple was hard and dribbling milk before she moved lower.

It wasn't long before he reached out and grabbed her wrist, interrupting her dance to pull her back to the bed. He shifted to pin her under his powerfully built body as she half-rolled onto her back, licking her sex from the bottom of her wet slit to her clit, then continuing up her body, cleaning the milk from each teat on his way up to kiss her heatedly

She squirmed and moaned and cried out for more, shamelessly begging for more, for him to take her, to sate his body in hers.

He took his time, rubbing his body against hers, his barbed cock playing along her slick lips as he teased her and savored her moans. Finally, he shifted to spear her body with his shaft, groaning into her mouth as he sank deeply into her hot, welcoming sex and started to pound into her. 

Her legs opened even further, her body clamping down around him, relishing every prick and scrape that came along with his unlubed cock and the thick fur that crashed against her clit with each thrust. She whimpered into his mouth as he pinned her hands to the bed and she came hard.

Doruth groaned deeply into her mouth, pumping his seed deep into her spasming sex, pressing himself as far into her as he could while she continued to milk his cock and cry for more.

Instead, he pulled out of her, purring deeply as he stood and reached down to take some of their mingled juices on his fingers.

"Roll over," he ordered her, licking one finger clean, enjoying the taste and scent of their mating as she obeyed. Her rump high, her legs still spread and her head resting by her hands on the bed as she trembled in anticipation, her tail waving over her back in invitation.

He reached down, brushing the mix of their juices on her sensitive nose before he went to open one of their drawers, pulling out some silk ropes and an odd muzzle before coming back to the bed under her watchful gaze, her eyes nearly black with desire and her entire body trembling as he took his time binding her feet to the bed. She made no resistance to the muzzle; one she knew could have a gag added to it. It was nearly enough to make her come without him touching her again.

"Such a pretty she-wolf, all tied up and eager for her Master," he rumbled, moving her hands and tying them behind her back, pressing against her body from behind and nipping at her shoulder. 

"Yes," she whimpered, her breath heavy and hot, her knees shifting to open her sex even more.

"You want me inside you again, don't you?" He asked rhetorically.

"Yes, Master." Tes moaned, looking over her shoulder at him with pleading eyes.

"Mmm ... you still talk a little too well through that muzzle," he rumbled, moving around in front of her. "I suppose we'll have to find something to plug you up with, hmm?" He pressed the tip of his cock to her lips, reaching down to rub her ears and shoulders possessively as she eagerly shifted forward as much as she could to take him into her mouth and work his barbs with her soft tongue.

He purred loudly as he slid forward, pressing his shaft into her mouth and leaning his head back with a deep, lusty groan. He started to thrust into her mouth, not going nearly as quickly as he could, but letting her work at his length with her tongue and teeth. She had enough skill, and knew him well enough, to make it a delight to allow her to pleasure him even when he was dominating her.

Besides, there was something about the sight of his strong-willed mate bound helplessly and gagged by his cock that was _very_ enjoyable.

After all, she'd put him in similar positions often enough the past couple years.

His breath quickened along with his thrusts as he felt his balls beginning to twitch, ready to spill their contents into her hungry muzzle.

It didn't go unnoticed, and Tes eagerly began to suck on him, adding pressure to her efforts to draw him out again.

It was more than enough; he let out a roar that felt like it rattled the walls of their room as he sprayed his seed into her mouth, his fingers tightening in the thick fur on her back as he emptied himself into her mouth has he had into her sex. She took it easily, swallowing what she could and letting the rest dribble out the sides of her muzzle while she continued to caress him with her tongue and mouth.

After a few moments, he pulled out, still breathing hard as a few drops of his seed fell onto the sheets.

"Good girl," he rumbled as he got off the bed, picking up the gag that went with the muzzle. "Now, I'll just put this in ... then we'll see about plugging up the other end, hmm?"

She made an eager sound, the gag limiting it to a rumbling mumble, but her wagging tail conveyed what little her body didn't. He chuckled, climbing onto the bed behind her and pressing his body against hers, taking her scruff in his teeth possessively as he slid himself into her stretched sex, quickly getting back to the punishing rhythm they both enjoyed so much when she was like this.

* * *

"Mmm... Tes? You awake?" Doruth asked the next morning, nuzzling his mate affectionately.

"Mostly," she rumbled and turned her head to nuzzle him back.

"Mmm... I think we'll keep this outfit around," he rumbled, ghosting a hand over a silk-clad thigh. "Though I do have a question for you, before we get distracted again.

"Good," she rolled over to kiss him, rubbing her entire body along his. "The question?"

 "Mmm... any objections to letting Fen and Jay meet the pups later?" He asked her, purring as he rubbed her back as she gently pushed him to his back to straddle his hips and rubbed her sex along his balls and sheath.

"Nope," she leaned forward to kiss him as she ran her hands up her broad chest. "* _After_ I'm done with you."

"No arguments there," he rumbled deeply, returning the kiss and pulling her close.

* * *

* * *

* * *

"Master, may Fenrik and I have the free time to go on one of the White Star cruises?" Jay asked Essani politely as the pair ate dinner while Fenrik meditated with his lightsaber.

"* _White Star?_ *" Essani asked him, briefly trying to remember the name. It was a fairly high-end line of pleasure cruises, she remembered. "* _I assume you're planning on paying yourself?_ *"

"Yes, Master." He nodded easily.

"This will only take a week, yes? An in-system cruise for the most part?"

"Easily kept to that," he nodded agreeably.

"* _The week I could see,_ *" she nodded. "* _I have to catch up on the dealings of the Council during my absence, and file the appropriate reports to get a team sent out to look for Meskin. I will expect you to be ready to resume your studies the day after you return, of course._ *"

"Thank you Master," he smiled with a nod and began to review the options with the White Star computer net.

"* _You're welcome, Jay,_ *" she nodded. "* _Just let me know which cruise you're planning on taking once you and Fenrik have decided._ *"

"I will, Master." He grinned and ate a little faster, eager to surprise his lover with the trip after a rough mission.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Fenrik walked back to his room about an hour later, his steps more confident than they'd been in a long, long time. He opened the door to the quarters he was sharing with Jay, moving back to their bedroom as he realized there wasn't anybody in the front room.

"Jay?" He called, opening the door. "Now what are you up to?" He asked with a chuckle, recognizing the mischievous look on the younger tom's face as Jay walked up and kissed him.

"What do you think of a little vacation?" Jay purred.

"Mmm... I suppose it depends on what we're doing to get this vacation," Fenrik chuckled. "After all, the last one ended up being a little awkward."

"A one-week White Star cruse with just the two of us."

Fenrik's response was obviously surprised. "You're kidding, right?"

"Nope," Jay's grin widened. "Just have to choose which one."

"C'mon, Jay," the Panther frowned slightly, "you can't be serious. Even if Essani would let you off for a week, how would we pay for something like that?"

"You know I mess around with equipment, right?" He nuzzled his boyfriend and urged him to sit down at the desk as the computer brought up their choices.

"Well yeah," Fenrik nodded. "Jay... you didn't mess around with a credchip or something, did you?"

"No," he rolled his eyes. "I only do that if I'm desperate. The Temple lets me keep a percentage of what my inventions bring in as incentive to keep it up. My patents are making them a small fortune already."

"And you've got enough to pay for a cruise?" Fenrik asked a little dubiously. "Just how much do your inventions bring in?"

"My cut is up to almost two thousand a month, and I've been earning something since I got here." He explained with a gentle smile and kissed his cheek. "It's a little early, but it's a nice six month anniversary event."

"Mmm... are you sure you want this?" Fenrik asked, turning to kiss Jay lightly. "After all, I won't be able to kick anything in to help with it."

"What else do I have to spend it on?" He scritched Fenrik's chin. "There're toys and there's you."

"You'll spoil me at this rate," the Panther muttered good- naturedly. "Mmm... so," he continued, drawing Jay onto his lap to look at the screen with him. "Which of these look good to you?"

"All of them," he chuckled a bit and leaned back against Fenrik's powerful chest with a content sound. "It's not like there is a bad choice in the lot."

"True," Fenrik chuckled. "Mmm... so, I suppose the question is if we want to go somewhere with nice sites to see, or somewhere we won't miss much if we spend most of the trip in our quarters," he winked.

"Or this one," Jay brought up a simple five-day cruse who's main note involved 'clothing optional adults only'. "Assuming Master Essani wouldn't glare until it went away." He snickered.

"Uhm... Jay?" Fenrik raised an eyebrow and tapped the holo-display where the words 'adults only' were displayed. "I don't know about you, but last I checked neither of us qualified."

The statement actually made Jay blink in surprise as its truth sunk in. "Hadn't thought of that, really. I don't usually have trouble with it."

"You usually have Tes along with you when you're going somewhere in the real world," Fenrik pointed out with a nuzzle, "and when you're shopping on the hypernet, they usually assume you're old enough if you have your own money. As much as it'd be a blast," he smiled, "we probably don't want to take that sort of chance."

"And Master Noloth would probably have a coronary if he found out a couple Padawans were on _that_ kind of pleasure cruse." Jay snickered. "How about this one?"

"Might get him to take a vacation of his own," Fenrik smirked, nuzzling Jay's neck. "And that looks good to me. Enough sightseeing for us to enjoy, and a little pampering on top of it."

* * *

* * *

* * *

"How is Jay's combat training progressing?" Essani asked, keying in her move. One of her pawns stepped forward on the dejaarik board between her and the blue-furred Mouse sitting across from her, and she looked up at Master Yamari.

"Very well," she nodded and countered with a knight. "It is amazing how much easier he takes to training now that he has weapons that he has a natural feel for. He would have become proficient with a lightsaber in reasonable time, but he is advancing much more quickly, even though it is far more complicated."

"* _I'm beginning to think that's normal for him,_ *" the kushiban chirped. "* _He really does look at things in different ways._ *" One of her own knights moved up and out of the way, a sequence of moves Yamari recognized from numerous games with the older Master.

"Which generally seems to work to his advantage," she considered her next move carefully. "How is he doing in other fields?"

"* _Not as well, I'm afraid,_ *" Essani admitted. "* _His telekinetic skills are almost dangerously advanced at times. I'm sure you remember the flying incident. Unfortunately, his more subtle senses are all but blind for now. It took him time and meditation to be able to feel the presence of the Dark Side in the very heart of Tulak Hord's tomb, just as a brief example._ *"

"That is quite serious," Yamari murmured. "Quite unusual as well. Is it possible this will change as he reaches maturity?"

"* _Possibly, certainly,_ *" Essani agreed. "* _From the sound of it, his family's gifts are strongly tied to the 'Demon' and dealing with it. It's possible that, when he accepts his full technological gift, his gifts with the rest of the Force will follow. It may also be,_ *" she admitted, "* _that he isn't necessarily full Jedi material in the long run._ *"

"That would not be a conversation I would wish to be anywhere near," she said softly. "As hard as it is to send them away young ... it is so much worse when they fail the Trials."

"* _I intend to broach the possibility _before_ that happens,_ *" Essani said softly. "He seems to have the spirit, and most of the skills. Truth be told, with the gifts he _does_ have mastery of, I would say he would be a fine Jedi... if being a Jedi only meant being skillful and having useful gifts."

"There would be many more Jedi if that was the standard." Yamari shook her head. "Do you really think he wouldn't take the Trials he could even if he didn't meet all the requirements?"

"* _If he did I'd want to have medical make sure it really was him,_ *" the kushiban chirped, her fur turning a light pink with amusement. "* _However, I would want him to know that not qualifying for all the Trials, or at least to pass them, is not a mark of shame, or of actual failure. He would be a fine addition to any of a number of fields; it's not like we only work with Jedi scholars, after all. Your move, dear._ *"

"Very true," she nodded and moved a pawn. "Particularly when it is the innate ability that is lacking, not his dedication to his studies."

"* _No,_ *" Essani agreed. "* _Though I'm glad to say I have _never_ had to caution him not to work too hard on them. He actually requested a week off to go on a White Star cruise, if you'll believe it,_ *" she chuckled. She cocked her head slightly, looking at the holographic board. "* _I'm getting predictable,_ *" she mused, keying in a move that broke the sequence Yamari's last move had made too risky. A second pawn stepped out, defending the knight she had moved before.

"White Star?" She raised a slender blue eyebrow before focusing on the board and her options. "I didn't realize he was doing so well. With Fenrik, I presume?"

"* _Yes,_ *" Essani nodded. "* _And I did check on that; he's been saving up for some time apparently, and they _did_ pick one of the less expensive flights. Though I have to say I wasn't surprised by some of their alternatives,_ *" she chuckled.

"Let me guess, ones that involve an age restriction for boarding," Yamari chuckled with a shake of her head.

"* _And that they were both far too young for,_ *" Essani chuckled, cocking her head slightly as another of Yamari's pawns stepped towards the center of the board. "* _You've been practicing,_ *" she said approvingly. "* _At any rate, I arranged to have an eye kept on them. Turns out that the Razor Sisters were also on the passenger manifest, so I called in an old favor._ *"

"Hopefully they won't end up getting too involved." The blue Mouse chuckled softly. "Fenrik at least is getting to that age he might notice."

"* _Those two on a pleasure cruise?_ *" Essani chuckled, her fur shifting to a brighter pink. "* _I don't think so._ *" She stepped her knight up into the open, threatening some of Yamari's pieces, but easy pickings for her queen. "* _If I'd thought there was a need for somebody to get actively involved, I wouldn't have asked two twi'leks like as not to be attached at the hip for half the journey._ *"

"As if the boys aren't likely to be as well," Yamari cracked a grin. "The temperature goes up in any room those two are in."

"* _A good match then, yes?_ *" Essani pointed out with a mental chuckle. Yamari's queen strode out to take down the offending knight, and Essani sprang the trap she'd been setting, her own queen avenging the fallen knight and laying in a position that would likely make the next move costly whatever it was. "* _Though I doubt White Star would allow any trouble on one of their cruises. They _do_ have a reputation to keep up, after all. Even the bounty hunters wait until their quarry is planetside._ *"

"Which is saying something for the security on those ships." She nodded and studied the board carefully. "Not a bad place for two Padawans to stay out of trouble for a week."

"* _Or for them to relax and recover after events that have been troubling for both,_ *" Essani agreed, her fur rippling with a mildly irritated red as one of Yamari's bishops moved to check her king. The next few moves progressed more quickly than the previous ones, the kushiban having little choice but to play into the Mouse's trap and try to repair what damage she could.

The game was going to prove somewhat longer than she'd thought.

* * *

"Wow," Fenrik breathed as he took in their 'room' for the week long cruise. "This is as big as Master Essani's entire quarters!"

"It's not like we'll get to do this often, might as well do it the best we can," Jay smiled warmly at his lover's reaction and let his pack slide from his shoulder and made for the separate bedroom.

"Gods know you've got that part down pat," Fenrik grinned, looking around the living room before he followed Jay to the bedroom."Y'know," he said, looking into the bathroom, "I think you could fit our bedroom in here...."

"Close at least," Jay purred from where he was happily sprawled out on the huge, plush bed. "It's real water too."

"I have a feeling you'll be spending a lot of time in here," Fenrik grinned, slipping his own pack off and stripping off the jacket he was wearing so he wouldn't stand out as much among the other passengers.

"With pools, hot tubs, really good food and a spa that will relax you in ways you didn't think possible? Not a chance." He grinned back. "Unless you're in here with me, of course."

"You are _so_ going to spoil me," Fenrik grinned, pouncing on Jay and kissing him deeply as Jay wrapped his arms around his lover and kissed back with everything he had.

"That's the point, handsome." He purred and pulled Fenrik down against his body before claiming another heated kiss.

"Mmm... I'll have to figure out _some_ way to thank you properly," the Panther grinned, shifting to lick Jay's neck.

"I'm sure you'll manage," Jay chuckled, then moaned softly as his shirt was opened and his lover moved down his throat to his shoulders, then upper chest.

"I'll certainly try," the Panther purred, licking one of Jay's nipples as he worked his shirt off and gave as much assistance to Jay's efforts to undress him as he could without breaking his efforts to make his lover whimper and squirm.

"I love that sound," he rumbled, nuzzling his way down Jay's body and starting to undo his belt and pants to let the erection he could smell inside loose.

"Me too," Jay breathed as he rubbed Fenrik's ears and moaned at the sensations of being nuzzled before he gasped at a rough tongue working the nubs that now existed to a quarter of the way down the hard length.

"Then let's find new ways to make you make it, hmm?" Fenrik grinned up at him, rubbing the side of his muzzle up Jay's shaft before he took the musky member into his mouth hungrily.

"Yesss!" He groaned, focusing on pleasuring his lover so he didn't come almost immediately. "69?" He gasped out.

"Works for me," the Panther grinned, removing the rest of his clothes quickly. He shifted to his side as Jay did the same with a nuzzle to his groin and took Jay's cock back in his mouth. It caused a rumbling pleasure that vibrated down Jay's throat to encompass the sensitive cock in his mouth as the pair raced to see who could be pushed over the edge first.

* * *

Master Zaian waited outside Master Demria's classroom patiently, waiting for the younger Panthress' class to finish. Before long, young students of various species started to filter out, discussing their progress in the basic Force techniques they were being taught.

Master Zaian stepped into the room, looking at Demria as she sat down to work on her reports for the day.

"So, how's the class doing?" She asked conversationally.

"Quite well, overall," she looked up from her papers.

"And your work with Padawan Aren?" the older Panthress asked, taking a seat nearby.

"Less so," she admitted easily. "He and Knight Parn are a pair." She shook her head. "Watch them in class or a sparring ring for five minutes and it is obvious Parn will be his Master."

"I've noticed it," Master Zaian admitted. "They just have to realize it yet. I think it would be best for both of them if they did so soon."

"Agreed," Demria nodded. "They are both very stubborn, even for Panthers. It may not be so easy to get them to."

"I wouldn't discount it entirely. Knight Parn is searching for a Padawan now. He could do worse than to take on one who is already partially trained, and I think he knows it. Fenrik... once he is ready, I believe he will see it as well. He is already fond of Knight Parn, I believe. He simply isn't ready to accept another Master yet."

"Not a surprise," she nodded easily. "It has only been a few weeks. Most are not ready for several months, though most do not have the close support Fenrik does either."

"No," Master Zaian agreed. "As... unorthodox... as the relationship is, his partnership with Padawan Clawson has helped him greatly through this."

"Yes, it is," Demria nodded. "Watching them, it is debatable which is benefiting more from the other. They make a strange pair, though they are strong. I expect to see impressive things from them as paired Knights."

"Agreed," Zaian chuckled. "Though they may be a while getting there. They'll be an impressive pair when they are though. And likely moreso if their pair becomes a trio. Definitely an unusual group."

"A Warrior, an Inventor-Warrior and a Healer," she chuckled softly. "A most unusual group to be sure, but a potent one indeed."

"One which hasn't been seen in a long, long time," Master Zaian nodded. "Though I hope it works out better than the last did."

"It would be hard for it not to," Demria considered. "I would also hope that living in a less dangerous time than a Great Hunt increases their survival rate."

"Consider how Master Kiris met his end, Demria," Zaian pointed out quietly. "Times might not be that much less dangerous by the time they are Knights."

"One must hope for the best, when one can not affect things directly," she countered. "It could be a random event. They have appeared before without signaling a rise in the Dark Side."

"They have," Zaian granted. "Still, hope must not be held to in the face of evidence to the contrary. Better to act to change things than to deny an unpleasant truth. We'll have to see how things develop. It has certainly made things... interesting."

"That I have no doubt of," she raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "Have you had a vision regarding the Dark rising?"

"You know that it's hard to see such things," Zaian said, shaking her head. "But I was at Pelgrin before hearing of Master Kiris' death. What I saw was... disturbing... if I interpreted it correctly. Which, of course, is always the greatest difficulty with the Oracle's visions. You can see things that no other seer could, but nine times out of ten you don't realize what they mean until after the critical points have all been reached."

"Quite true," Demria nodded. "What did you see?"

"A warm world, like home," Zaian said, leaning back and closing her eyes as she drew the vision in question to mind. "All trees and heat and oceans. It was a peaceful place, safe, but the people had gained their safety at the cost of their power to protect themselves. A great storm gathered on the horizon, but they had seen such things before, and paid it no heed. The storms would always blow away, or fade away before they had reached the secret villages.

"But this storm was unlike the ones they had seen before. It was no monsoon, no tropical rain and wind. It was a hurricane the likes of which could devour entire worlds. And, in the end, it did. When it met the jungle, ancient trees that had stood for millennia were ripped up by their very roots and cast aside. In the end, the storm did blow itself out, but not before it had laid waste to everything the people had created, everything they had been.

"The last thing I saw before the vision ended was a tiny lizard, crawling out from between some of the fallen trees, skittering off to look for a new place to live. There were more details, but that is what I recall now. I would have to review the notes I left with the seers at Pelgrin for the rest."

"At least something survived the disaster," Demria murmured, no more sure of it's meaning than the other Master.

"New life from the end of the old," Zaian nodded. "The most humble life surviving despite the death of the proudest. Unfortunately, it could be any of a number of things. All I am sure of is that the Republic is going to face something that would be charitably described as a cataclysm. It may be within our lifetimes, or ten thousand years or more away."

"If I would have to say, I expect it soon," Demria said quietly. "With all that is happening ... the terentatek appearing, a triad forming that is likely more powerful than the last, that we are training a Jedi who has a powerful Dark Side beast inside him somewhere ... something is building here."

"Agreed," Zaian nodded. "Though this would not be the first time Pelgrin's visions have proven misleading. Let's hope that this is such an occasion, until we have more proof, hmm?"

"Agreed," she nodded seriously.

"Agreed," Doruth murmured quietly outside the room. He'd been walking by after leaving his own class when he overheard the two Masters discussing Fenrik. Eavesdropping... well, technically it wasn't something he was supposed to be doing, but it was an old habit.

A bad one, to be sure, but so was pazaak.

He started walking towards the meditation chambers, planning on taking a little while to think about what they'd said... about Zaian's vision, and about his potential with Fenrik.

* * *

"You can do more than look," Jay commented off handedly as they pulled themselves out of the warm main pool to 'sunbathe' their fur dry.

"Huh?" Fenrik looked over at him, laying down next to the rusty-furred tom, honestly looking like he didn't know what he meant.

"You've been staring at her since we came out here," he chuckled softly and nodded to a striking Tigress a couple years older than them who's bathing suit left very little to the imagination.

Fenrik blushed beneath his dark fur; he had no need to look over to know who Jay was talking about, and he knew that if he did it wouldn't help his case any.

"Well, she _is_ attractive," he pointed out, about to add a comment about her bikini, but thinking better of it. The pattern was almost a perfect match to her fur, making it look like she was almost naked except for the parts that were concealed to keep it legal on the cruise.

"Yes, she is," Jay agreed easily. "I don't mind if you play around with her."

"Jay, c'mon," Fenrik said, blushing more deeply. "Even if she was interested, where would we go? I doubt her folks would be too thrilled with it."

"We have a room too, you know." He said easily and relaxed into the rather dry heat with a sigh of contentment.

"You'd be okay with that?" Fenrik asked seriously, looking up at the artificial lighting of the ship. "I mean, it's _our_ room after all; not that fair for me to kick you out of it."

"Okay, so I'm assuming she won't spend the night." He admitted easily. "That's my time. You could do a lost worse for your first female, and she _is_ interested."

"And how do you know that?" Fenrik asked him, raising an eyebrow slightly.

"She's been staring back." He shrugged. "Since dinner last night."

"Okay, even if you're right... how would I approach her, hmm?"

"You seemed to have it down pretty well when _we_ met." Jay raised at eyebrow at him.

"There wasn't anybody else around then," Fenrik pointed out, blushing beneath his fur.

"So get her somewhere deserted," he rolled his eyes. "Or stop drooling over her."

"Just remember this was your idea if it goes badly," Fenrik said, blushing as he got up and started back towards the pool.

"I'll be around to kiss everything better if it does," he promised with a seductive promise in his voice.

"Tease," Fenrik smirked back at him, turning to approach the Tigress sitting in the lounge chairs near the edge of the pool.

"Hi," he said, trying to control his nerves and remind himself that this shouldn't be any different from talking to a guy.

"Hi there," she smiled back and dropped her shades to look him over without a hint of pretence in her rich green eyes.

He recognized the look she was giving him, a little reassured by the fact that she _was_ interested in him too, at least for now.

"Mind if I have a seat?" He asked her, nodding towards the chair next to her.

"Not at all," she smiled slyly, her eyes lingering on what his swimming trunks concealed. "Fenrik, right?"

"You have me at a disadvantage," he smiled and sat down easily, firm muscle shifting under his fur. She wasn't as muscular as most fems he knew, though that wasn't too surprising. After all, most of the fems he knew were Jedi in training or full Jedi. Still this one had a smooth, rounded body that was definitely pleasing to his eyes, and other parts he was trying to keep from commenting.

"Tesra Myshyne," she extended a hand graciously.

"A pleasure to meet you," he smiled, accepting the handshake and nodding his hand towards her with a smile.

"So what brings you over here, away from that cute tom that's watching?" She asked with conversational ease.

"That cute tom telling me I should quit staring at the gorgeous Tigress and say something," he admitted, blushing a bit beneath his rich black fur.

"Really," she raised a slender black eyebrow curiously. "I take it you are not a closed pairing."

"No," he answered easily. "Not that I take advantage of that too often," he chuckled slightly, "as you've probably guessed by now."

"Somehow, I doubt you have the time to," she chuckled softly. "He looks rather energetic."

"Let's put it this way," Fenrik chuckled, "he usually keeps up _just_ fine despite having a girlfriend too. She's just been away for a while, or she'd probably be over there with him now," he smiled.

"A girlfriend?" Her eyebrow raised a good deal higher as she regarded Jay a good deal more carefully. "He looks a good bit young for that."

"It's complicated," Fenrik chuckled. "She's not a feline, for one thing, and for another, I think they're just about the poster children for the idea of soul-mates."

"Ah, yes, that can mangle all the usual rules," she nodded and relaxed back in her chair to give Fenrik a good view of her full breasts and flat belly. "So he wouldn't be game for a threesome then."

"I doubt it," Fenrik said, blushing a bit again. "They've got an agreement about checking with each other first. Though there's still plenty that two can do," he winked over at her, relaxing a bit more.

"Very true," she rumbled agreeably. "But it's usually a necessary concession with boyfriends."

"Doesn't have to be this time," he chuckled. "Especially not since he's the one who got me to quit being nervous and get my tail over here," he added with a grin.

"Now I will just have to find a way to thank him," Tesra murred. "I don't suppose he also offered your room?"

"Mmm... as long as you're not planning on an overnight stay," Fenrik rumbled.

"My folks would have a coronary if I tried," she rolled her eyes behind her shades and languidly stood. "Care to show me what he's taught you about endurance?"

"Are they going to come hunting for you any time soon?" He grinned, standing up and looking back over his shoulder at her as she gracefully followed his steps.

"Not unless I fail to show for dinner."

"We've got some time then," he rumbled softly, stepping to the side slightly and offering his hand to her. "Follow me?"

"My pleasure," her voice was silken as they moved off to find the suite of rooms that he shared with Jay.

"* _Thank you,_ *" he said silently to the younger tom, leading the way and trying to act reasonably casual about it. He wasn't sure if he was succeeding, but he could _feel_ the heat of arousal increasing for Tesra as they maneuvered through the halls until he unlocked the door to his quarters with a simple palm-swipe.

"Here ..." His voice was cut off with a grunt as she pressed him against the wall just inside the door as it closed and kissed him within an inch of his life, her soft, warm body against his hard one. Her hands worked down his body systematically, taking in every conture of hard muscle under thick fur before one came to rest cupping his groin threw his swim-trunks.

He groaned into her mouth, his own hands exploring her supple curves, so very different from any of the males he'd been with. He pressed into her hand as she rubbed and fondled him threw the silky cloth, encouraging his body to hardness quickly.

"Take it off," Tesra all but growled her pleasure when his hands got to her full breasts and kneaded them gently.

"With pleasure," he purred, reaching around her back to undo her top, setting it aside as his hands returned to exploring her breasts, his dark-furred fingers working her nipples dark-furred fingers working her nipples soft pink nipples to hardness while she claimed his mouth again.

Her hand briefly left his groin, only to return with exquisitely soft heat a moment later as she slid her hand inside his shorts to tease the barbs around the tip of his quickly filling erection.

"Mmm...." He groaned deeply into her mouth, working a hand down to caress the soft curves of her ass, moving around to the inside of her thigh.

"Can this come off yet?" He asked with a rumble, running his fingers along the line of her bottom.

"As long as yours do too," she rumbled with a playful nip to his jaw as she kissed down his throat.

"Any time you want," he purred, shifting to nuzzle her neck as she kissed the base of his. He hooked his fingers under the bottom of her bikini, pulling it down, inhaling her scent deeply.

He shuddered as his musky arousal mingled with hers when she pushed his shorts off his hips and let them fall to the ground.

"Now, where to start?" Tesra rumbled as she stepped back a bit to regard him with hungry green eyes.

"How about here?" He rumbled, reaching out to hold her hips, slowly kneeling, licking her breasts and nuzzling his way down to her fragrant sex.

"That works," she purred throatily and leaned back against the opposite wall she'd had him pinned against to spread her leg for his exploration.

He spread her white-furred pussy lips, nuzzling her clit and inhaling the scent of her arousal, feeling his cock twitch as he licked at the hardening nub experimentally with the bottom of his tongue.

"Ohhhh, yes," she moaned with a low shudder and slid her hands down to rub his ears. It was more than enough to encourage him to explore more, rubbing her legs and running his finger around the tight, hot, wet entrance to her body, so similar and so different from the toms he was used to. Not needing lube because her body provided more than enough was the biggest difference. As long as she was turned on, prep was hardly necessary.

And she was definitely turned on. But for now, he was going to wait to take advantage of that. He shifted to press his tongue into her, thinking of the things Jay had described in fantasies about Shi. He felt the instant she knew, rather than suspected, that he hadn't been with a female before. The heat and rush it brought to her moans and the touch along his head.

He started to lick her out, enjoying the differences in scent and taste and texture, trying to find things he could do that would make her moans louder, more pleasant. It wasn't difficult; she was an even more cooperative lover than Jay. At least until she tugged his head up and a searing kiss that tasted as much of her as him.

"Bed."

"Yes ma'am," he rumbled, moving towards the bed and pulling her down on top of him for a kiss no less heated than the last one and much more pelvic when she spread her legs and spread her slick juices along his cock as she rubbed against him.

"Mmm ... want to stay up there?" He asked her, cupping her breasts in his hands and fondling them eagerly.

"Yes," she grinned down and shifted forward as she reached back to guide him smoothly into her body with the ease of a fair amount of practice.

"Oh fuck," he groaned, his hips moving up to meet her body instinctively. This part he knew how to do; it wasn't that different from being with a guy, except for the slickness and musculature he felt around him.

And the smell that was driving him to thrust up into her as deeply as she'd let him.

Then she tightened her body around his shaft as she lifted up, plucking every single barb-hair he had with an exquisitely tight pressure around the rest.

"Ooooh...." He groaned deeply, gripping her hips, his balls twitching as he approached an orgasm. He shuddered as she picked up the pace, keeping the timing of her tightening to when she lifted up for greatest effect. He could feel how much it turned her on, the newness of these sensations to him.

It wasn't long before he let those new sensations carry him over the edge, his hot, thick seed shooting up into her sex as he roared and pulled her back tightly against him. He groaned and whimpered as she continued to milk him well past when his seed was gone and lifted her body up again. He couldn't help the way his breath hitched when she began to work her muscles in a pattern; first along the sides of his cock, then the top and bottom, then a ripple from top to bottom and back up. Even though she barely moved, it kept him hard and pushed him towards another orgasm.

This time, he was determined to make it last. He gripped her buttocks, kneading them and holding her as he started to thrust again, focusing a little attention on keeping the pleasure in check long enough to make sure she got off at least once before he did again.

He shifted his thrusts slightly, his barbs raking her insides as he tried to find her g-spot. He felt her shift as his intent did, a deep, shuddering groan escaping her throat when she got in the right position to make every shift and thrust an intense rush of pleasure that made quick work of pushing her right to the edge.

He rolled over on top of her to a bit of initial resistance from surprise. Then she wrapped her legs along his as he kissed her hotly and braced himself to start thrusting into her with his full strength, taking control and trying to push her over the edge as quickly as he could.

She ran her hands down his back, leaving deep furrows in his black fur before they came to rest on his ass to add a little more force to his thrusts. He drank in her pleasure as her self-control began to slip to a moaning shudder as she clamped down around him, her body fluttered around him with an unrestrained roar.

He rumbled deeply, enjoying the feel of her body spasming around his, but at the same time focusing on holding his own off. As her orgasm ended, he started thrusting again, nuzzling her neck, determined to prove just how good his endurance could be in the time they had.

* * *

"Mmm ... Tes?" Doruth asked, snuggled up with his mate, their pups sleeping in their padded mattress bed nearby. "What do you think of Fenrik?" He asked her softly, hoping not to disturb the pups.

"In what context?" She looked over her shoulder curiously, fairly sure he wasn't looking at the teen for a mate, which was the only context she could think of at the moment.

"In general," Doruth said, nuzzling her shoulder. "If you think you'd be okay with him being around more, that sort of thing. Want to know what you think before you're thinking about why."

"He's a good kit; you seem to get along with him very well. You have a lot in common too and I think you can help each other, either as Master and Padawan or just friends. He's younger than I'm comfortable with if you're thinking a male mate, but when he's a Knight, you'd make a great pair." She considered all the angles she had an opinion about and ran them down. "I'd have to see him around the pups to be sure about that, but I'd be surprised if it was a problem."

"He's younger than _I'd_ be comfortable with if I was thinking of a male mate," Doruth pointed out, licking her neck. "I was thinking along the Padawan angle. I overheard a couple of the other Masters discussing it earlier... guess I've been considering it since the funeral, just never really thinking about it."

"It's probably scored you some points." She pointed out with an easy chuckle. "You're probably the only unattached potential Master that hasn't been _trying_ to attract his attention."

"Mmm... so is that approval?" Doruth asked with a chuckle, nuzzling her neck.

"Yes, that's approval." She rolled over and snuggled against him. "Just be careful when you have to start coming between him and Jay. That's an explosive situation to walk into."

"Believe me, I've taken that into account," Doruth nodded, pulling her close. "Though it will have to happen sooner or later. With any luck, it won't go too badly."

"That it is you, may help it go better," she nodded. "Jay does care about you; he's more likely to accept your choices."

"Especially given that I'm not likely to make that particular choice without a good reason," Doruth agreed. "I'm not exactly one to talk about not having a mate, after all," he chuckled, kissing Tes lightly.

"True," she grinned and kissed him a little more solidly and rubbed against his solid body. "And one that will be coming with you on most missions too."

"Mmm... once I'm on missions again," Doruth agreed. "I'll talk with him once he's back. In the meantime...." He licked her neck, rubbing her back. "Think we can get away with moving the crib out for a bit without waking the pups?"

"I'm sure, since you want to." She rumbled and ran her hands down his body. "I think you're going to like it when they move out."

"Only when it comes to the sex," he rumbled softly, the crib rolling just outside the bedroom door silently. "I'm just not entirely comfortable with the audience," he admitted.

"I know, love," she reached up to embrace him with a soft, lingering kiss. "It's just still a little strange to me."

"Mmm ... one of us is gonna have to get used to it," he rumbled, kissing her back. "Or find a half-way point."

"I think that would be me," she chuckled easily and nuzzled him. "Up for a little subbiness?" She grinned and rolled on top of him.

"Mmm... it's a good thing that 'alpha' question was only a formality when it comes to the bedroom," he grinned, stretching his hands up above his head. "Right, 'Mistress'?" He winked.

"Right," she grinned and locked his wrists to the bed with an application of Force that worked for her this time.

"That's new," he observed with a grin. "Have you been practicing without telling me?"

"I had to have _something_ to do while I was stuck in quarters." She smirked and began kissing down his chest as his ankles were also secured.

"Mmm... and just _whom_ were you practicing this with?" He asked with a playful rumble, his breath catching a bit as her lower breasts rubbed against his shaft.

"Myself," she snickered and shifted to repeat to contact. "Pity you weren't around to take advantage of it, but such is life.

"Mmm ... and I have a feeling we're going to be making up for it for a long time," he grinned down at her.

* * *

"I take it went well." Jay's voice was a bit smug as he leaned against the bathroom door while Fenrik washed off the worst evidence of the past few hours.

"Like you don't know already," Fenrik grinned, showering off, their quarters still carrying the noticeable, and alien, scent of female arousal mixed with the male.

"Yeah, but I want to hear you say it." He snickered. "And _details_ lover. You got to hear all of mine."

"And how do I know you didn't get to _watch_ all of mine?" Fenrik teased, coming out of the bathroom and wrapping a towel around his waist, kissing Jay hungrily. "I still remember what you did with that camera last time...."

"There are no cameras in here," he pointed out as his hands roamed over the shower-hot fur. "Or you can just show me." He purred.

"Mmm ... later," Fenrik winked. "I'll tease you first," he grinned, turning and walking away, starting to set out a change of clothes, his swaying tail parting the towel and revealing the firm planes of his ass. "Would you believe she pinned me against the wall as soon as we were in here?" He asked.

"A taste of your own style," Jay snickered and watched his lover with hungry eyes.

"Mmhmm," the Panther rumbled, nodding and moving to put on just enough of a show for Jay to keep him well and truly interested. "We made out for a bit, undressed each other... damn she was eager," he chuckled. "Hot as anything too," he grinned back over his shoulder, "not that she was hiding too much when she was dressed."

"Which got her exactly the kind of attention she wanted." Jay chuckled and slid up behind his lover to run his hands down the Panther's broad chest and press his own eager body against his back and ass.

"Mmm... yep," Fenrik grinned. "I really do have to thank you properly for pushing me towards her," he rumbled, raising his tail between them. "I started to eat her out, but she stopped me. What she had in mind instead _more_ than made up for it though," he winked back at the younger tom behind him.

"About what you have in mind to be on the receiving end of." He rumbled back and ran his hands down to tease the top of the towel.

"Mmm... well, I _have_ been on top for the past couple hours," Fenrik grinned, rubbing back against Jay in a way that left no illusions about what he wanted. "Though I could still be mean and make you wait until after dinner," he winked.

"Somehow, I think that'd be nearly as hard on you." He snickered and stretched up to claim a kiss with both his hands cupping and controlling Fenrik's face.

"Mmm... true," the Panther grinned. "But I _did_ get some lately," he winked. "Mmm... while we're out here away from everything, you want to try somethin' new?"

"As long as it involves you, me and sex." Jay rumbled and kissed him again, taking on a hungry dominance that was as rare in him as the desire to bottom and submit to another was in his mate.

"Mmm ... we have dinner delivered," Fenrik purred, turning in Jay's arms. "Then, once we've ordered, you have your very own pet Panther for the rest of the night...."

"I like," he grinned and licked his way into Fenrik's mouth as he claimed a kiss that gave no doubt he was willing and able to take on such a challenge. "But I think an appetizer is in order," he grinned mischievously. "After all, they'll deliver to the outer room, not in here."

"Oh I'd figured you'd go get it when it got here, I'd be waiting all nice and decked out for you," Fen grinned. "Maybe even replace the table for some of it," he winked.

"Oh you _are_ in a playful mood." Jay couldn't help but giggle, though the idea was _definitely_ appealing. "Any requests for the menu?"

"Mmm ... how about those Ryl shrimp I said you shouldn't eat the first night, for a start," Fenrik grinned playfully and felt his lover's heart rate spike. "From there, it's up to you, though you know my policy on meat."

"Yes, I do." Jay licked his whiskers back with a shudder of desire and pulled Fenrik back onto the bed for a tumbling kiss than ended with the smaller tom on top of his lover. "Order's placed. It'll be a bit."

"Mmm ... plenty of time for you to get started," Fenrik grinned, stretching his hands up above his head and tilting his head to expose his throat in complete submission to the tom straddling his hips.

"Yes, it is." Jay kissed his way down that thick expanse of exposed black fur with an occasional nip. He shifted to sit up and look down at his mate when the serving droid came in almost silently with a tray of objects, including a pair of cuffs that were soon secured to the headboard and Fenrik's wrists.

"Now _when_ did you teach the droids to do _that_?" Fenrik asked with a grin and a purr, stretching out languidly on the bed to display his body to best effect.

"It's what I do," Jay chuckled and ran his hands down Fenrik's broad, muscular chest before he leaned forward to kiss him with a lingering passion. "And tonight, you are going to be what I do." He rumbled hotly.

"Mmm ... over, and over, and over again, I hope," Fenrik grinned, returning the kiss hungrily, sucking on Jay's tongue as they dueled and Jay rubbed their hard cocks together.

"I think that can be arranged." He rumbled and shifted down the Panther's body to lift his legs with a lingering touch along his thighs before a finger slid to circle his ass. "Play rough?" He half offered, half asked.

"Mmm ... as rough as you want, lover," Fenrik rumbled. "Though I want to be on my knees, cuffed, and sucking your cock before you let me go in the morning," he winked even as he felt a slicked cock press into his tight ass, opening him up without prep but with an intense rush of pleasure from Jay.

"Oh fuck," the Panther groaned, his ass twitching at the penetration. He strained against the cuffs, whimpering a bit as Jay's conical shaft spread him wide open in a single smooth motion. His lover growled in the rare pleasure and began to thrust, not taking a care for how quickly he came.

Fenrik squeezed down around his lover's shaft, his tight anus dragging along the sensitive nubs of Jay's length. He relished in the moaning shudders he drew from his lover, and even more the pleasure pouring off of him as Jay's control began to slip and he thrust faster, pounding into Fenrik's ass with abandon.

"Yes!" Fenrik cried out lustily, pressing back into Jay's thrusts, mentally begging him for his seed that came a moment later with a roar to fill his body with spurt after spurt Jay's hot come.

"Ohhh," Jay could only pant and grunt with each shift of their bodies that sent another jolt of pleasure along his cock.

"Mmm...." Fenrik panted, grinning up at him. "So... you've had your appetizer...." He winked, squeezing down along Jay's length.

"Yes ...." Jay moaned again and shifted so he could reach down to close his hand around Fenrik's full cock to stroke it as he began to thrust again, his lover's ass well-lubed by his come.

"Mmnh ... oh Jay," Fenrik groaned, thrusting up into Jay's hand, then back onto the younger tom's cock. "Please," he panted, his lover's fingers tweaking his barbs, "make me come!"

"Until you can't take it any more," he promised hotly and shifted until he found that spot inside that Fenrik had used against him so many times.

"Yeeeagh!" Fenrik threw his head back with a lusty cry as Jay hit his prostate, almost literally driving the seed out of his body, the thick, white juices staining his dark pelt in ribbons of pearly cream that stopped long before Jay was willing to.

Fenrik could only whimper in his helpless pleasure as his cock was stroked in time with the continued thrusts of his lover that were unlikely to take more than a momentary break for dinner's arrival.

* * *

* * *

* * *

The next evening, the Jay and Fenrik were standing on the observation deck as the cruiser's ion drives carried the ship back towards Coruscant. The stars were visible through the viewing windows, bright and clear in the black sky as long as they were looking away from Coruscant's own sun.

"Bet you're used to this view," Fenrik observed quietly, his arms wrapped around Jay from behind as the smaller tom snuggled back against him contentedly.

"Hu?" He sort of looked up at him. "Not in a long time."

"You miss it?" Fenrik asked him. "Being off-planet most of the time?"

"Sometimes," he admitted, his gaze getting a bit distant to see an entirely different set of starts. "Life's pretty good here. I try not to think about it too much."

"I was just thinking about it a bit. It seemed a little odd that you'd rather stay in the Temple, given that you grew up exploring the stars."

"That has more to do with avoiding temping fate by giving the Demon any more openings than I have to." He sighed and closed his eyes. "Being a warrior, an explorer and fixer is what I am; it's just very dangerous for the universe."

"You ever think of teaming up?" Fenrik asked him, nuzzling his neck lightly. "There can be a lot of exploring for scholars. You wouldn't have to travel alone, or face battle too often."

"Even if I never left the Temple, I would," he chuckled weakly. "My kind aren't meant to be solo. It's the one sure-fire way to have the Demon really win."

"A full partner, or just a mate?" Fenrik asked him, having thought it was the latter.

"Something in between, at least." Jay tried to find the words to explain something he knew by instinct and never really figured out how to explain to someone who hadn't been raised with the idea. "It's partners ... almost like what you think of it ... but as much as you've been trained to control emotions ... that's what lets us keep the Demon in check. A tie to the world so strong that nothing is worth loosing it."

"I think that's why we're usually supposed to avoid it," he admitted. "Because of the way a tie like that can control you... for your people, it's what you need. For most of us, it's a risk, especially the pain it creates when the bond is lost. But I'm willing to run that risk," he murmured, kissing Jay's neck lightly.

"We don't stick around past the last bond." He relaxed slightly into his lover's embrace. "And it doesn't have to be both ways." He added softly. "Just that I feel it. We don't have bonds the way you do."

"Maybe not," he admitted, "but there's enough of one there that I'd say Noloth would already be having kittens if it weren't for your circumstances."

"Probably," he squeezed Fenrik's arms. "Not that there is much to be done about it now."

"Nope," the Panther agreed, hugging him against his chest. "Mmm... wish Shi could be here too," he observed quietly, looking out at the stars.

"She'll see it sometime," he rubbed his cheek against Fenrik's chest. "This won't be our only downtime together."

"I hope not," he smiled. "Just wonder how she's doing out there, when she'll be back. You miss her more than you say," he chuckled slightly.

"I don't think I _could_ say how much I miss her," Jay admitted with a sigh. "But it doesn't do much good worrying about her either. She'll make it back, or she won't. There's not much I can do from here."

"I'm sure she'll make it back, Jay," Fenrik murmured. "She wouldn't have it be any other way," he smiled.

* * *

Shivasta dropped back onto her bed exhaustedly, curling up into a blue ball on her new mattress. She'd just been released from medical, the Plague having run its course. She still hurt, her muscles tired and sore from weeks of convulsions and spasms. She'd insisted on walking back to her room; the staff that was still healthy was overloaded with cases of the Plague now that it was affecting the Healers as well. If they didn't manage to find out what was causing it soon....

She didn't want to think about that. Right now, all she wanted to do was curl up and go to sleep, forget about the agonizing pain, the scars she'd carry for life....

The fact that she'd gotten off easy, compared to some of the people who'd 'left' before she had.

She turned over in her bed. It didn't feel right. Everything had been replaced while she was out, everything that couldn't be sanitized properly at least. She turned on her holo-player, hoping there'd be a message from Jay. She could use one about now.

There were three waiting for her. There was an attachment on the first one and she smiled slightly, knowing what it probably was. She opened the message, fairly sure that she'd want to save the attachment for another night.

"Hi Shi. I hope things are going well for you." Jay's familiar voice and body appeared, dressed in his Jedi inner robes. "Doruth and Fenrik are off doing the male-Panther-bonding thing. I'm pretty sure it was set up to 'encourage' them to realize they're a good Master-Padawan match. They're already teaching classes together and everything. It's blindingly obvious to everyone but them. Even the other Panthers have accepted it from the gossip.

"Anyway, the movie's a bit long." He blushed visibly. "I didn't realize I'd turned the recorder on when I first played your last message, so you've got two unscripted solo rounds and two with Fenrik and me. He's probably not going to let me forget that anytime soon either, but I hope you enjoy the unplanned reactions.

"I hope to see you soon."

"Mmm ... I hope he doesn't let you forget," Shivasta chuckled slightly, bringing up the second message. She wished she was better able to comment on Doruth and Fenrik, but she didn't know either of them too well yet.

"Hi Shi," Jay greeted her with an expression somewhere between excited and scared. "Just a quick note to let you know I might not be very fast on the replies for a while. I got assigned to find out what happened to a group of lost archeologists with Master Essani, Doruth and Fenrik. She's saying it'll probably be a month or two before we're back at the Temple _if_ it goes well."

There was one more message waiting she opened it up, hoping it would include the results of his first field mission.

"Hi Shi," Jay looked a bit wiped out but glad all the same. "I hope you're okay. I miss hearing from you. We're back, everyone's safe and whole and the mission was a success. I'll send you a message with an update on everything in a day or two when I've settled enough to cover it in some kind of sense. It's been a _long_ couple months." He dropped his eyes briefly before looking back up at her. "I love you Shi, and I _miss_ you. Be well."

Shivasta reached up, turning the player off. She'd record a reply tomorrow... maybe there'd be another reply by then. She wondered what he thought, after this long without a word from her. The first messages had arrived the day after she'd nearly passed out in the halls. Months now without word from her... he probably just thought she was busy. He couldn't have seen the list of Jedi who were infected; if he had, he would have mentioned it in the last message... wouldn't he?

She shook her head, forcing the thought out of her mind. That had been the worst part of the Plague... the hallucinations that seemed to prey on every doubt, every sensitive subject.... For a little while, she'd been afraid that if she didn't die, she'd go crazy instead. Neither had happened, of course, but she didn't want to think about anything like what had occupied her mind during her illness.

She crossed her arms against her chest, squeezing her eyes shut and trying to get comfortable in her new bed. One finger idly traced one of the angry white rings that marked her arm, a physical reminder of how this mission had changed her. She'd have to wear her robes more often now.

"I love you too, Jay," she murmured softly. "Hopefully I'll be able to tell you in person soon."

With that thought, she pulled the covers up over herself, feeling a slight chill as she tried to fall asleep.

* * *

"Something's changed," Jay murmured softly as he snuggled with his mate early on the fourth day of their cruise.

"Hmm? Like what?" Fenrik asked, rubbing his back lightly.

"You," he said easily. "You're more confident, at ease ... even more than when we first met. Like something that's been haunting you for months has finally let go."

"I guess it has," the Panther murmured as Jay traced lazy patterns in his black fur. "I've been thinking about when we get back a bit."

"Like what?" He nuzzled him affectionately.

"About getting back to my studies ... finding a new Master ...." He traced Jay's dim rosettes lightly with his fingertip.

"It wouldn't be a bad thing," Jay smiled softly and kissed his cheek. "I think you felt more at home on the mission than at the Temple."

"I'll probably still be at the Temple for a bit," Fenrik chuckled. "At least if this goes the way I think it will. I'd been thinking about it before we headed out here, honestly," he admitted.

"It'll be good for you to get back on track," he kissed him gently. "For all the break's been enjoyable."

"Mmm... which leaves the question of who to take as my new Master," he murmured, returning the kiss.

"I'm sure you'll choose the right one when it comes time to say it," Jay smiled slightly. "You're heart already has after all."

"Mmm... you think Doruth would be a decent possibility?" Fenrik asked him, kissing his neck.

"Yeah," Jay shivered and purred softly. "You've got so much in common, and face it; you work great together in the field and in classes. Even the other Panthers have noticed."

"Now I just have to hope he's still looking for a Padawan once we're back," Fenrik smiled. "In the mean time...." He grinned, licking Jay's neck suggestively.

"We have two days left here," he rumbled eagerly and ran his hands down Fenrik's hard body. "And nothing important to do."

* * *

"Party's over," Jay chuckled softly as he got out of the cab that delivered them to the Jedi Temple and he spotted Master Essani, her fur lightly golden in pleasure to see them.

"Yeah, but it's good to be back," Fenrik smiled, following Jay out as the kushiban trotted over to greet them.

"* _Welcome back,_ *" she said pleasantly. "* _I trust you both enjoyed yourselves?_ *"

"Yes, Master." Jay bowed politely to her, his pleasure audible and more centered and calm self a warm caress in the Force around him. "It is good to be back too."

"* _Ready to get back to your studies?_ *" She asked him with a mental smile.

"Both of us," Fenrik nodded with a smile.

"* _That is _very_ good to hear,_ *" Essani agreed, her gold color deepening along with Jay's smile as he leaned against his mate with intense approval and pleasure that had nothing to do with their physical relationship.

"Yes," Jay all but purred. "It was a very good experience for both of us."

"* _That's very good,_ *" Essani said approvingly. "* _You'll be glad to hear that they're close to finding a solution to the problems in Necropolis,_ *" she added privately to Jay.

"* _Excellent_ *" he answered privately, though how much he brightened got him a very curious look from Fenrik until the information was passed on.

"* _There is some information I have to discuss with Jay, once we're back in our quarters,_ *" Essani told him, opening the band enough to let Fenrik know.

"I understand," the teens answered in unison, neither happy about the exclusion, but both accepting without question as they worked their way back to their quarters.

"* _You may tell him afterwards, if you wish,_ *" Essani told Jay as they entered their quarters. "* _I just believe you should hear this in private first._ *"

"Yes, Master." He nodded more easily and handed his pack over to Fenrik when the Panther tugged on it with a silent comment that he'd unpack while Jay and Master Essani talked.

"* _Sit down, Jay,_ *" Essani told him as Fenrik disappeared into their room to the instant obedience he usually gave her.

She settled down, looking up at him as her fur color shifted back to white.

"You are aware that some of the Jedi in the Necropolis system were infected with the Plague," she said, shifting to her native language, knowing he could understand her by now.

Jay nodded, almost sure where this was going but not willing to interrupt his Master with guesses. Even a guess based on just how few bits of news she would have any reason to deliver this way.

"Shivasta was also infected," she explained gently. "She has recovered, but Master Ursal and I agreed that it would be best to wait until she was recovering to let you know. I received word that she was being released from Medical while you were gone."

He nodded, his brain and heart quickly processing the fact that the danger was over and it was just a historical note now. As much as he hated being kept out of the loop, he had to agree with their choice as the best one. "Will she be well enough to continue as a Healer there?"

"If necessary," she nodded. "Physically, at least. From what we've heard, the Plague's effects on Jedi can have serious effects on the spirit of those infected, though Shivasta seems to be well so far. You should have a message from her waiting in your room, which is why I wanted to let you know ahead of time. There has been some scarring, not uncommon from what we've seen. She's rather sensitive about it, according to Master Ursal."

"Yes, Master." He nodded, running all that through his head and hoping that his messages to her had kept her spirits up a bit. He'd definitely have to make sure she understood he didn't care if her body was scared, that she'd still be attractive. He could probably help with it too, eventually, if it really bothered her. There were technologies available even back home to significantly reduce scaring, even when it discolored the fur over it.

"I just wanted you to be ready for it," Essani explained. "She may be coming home some time soon, if they can find the source of the Plague soon enough. She might be a little self-conscious, and this may have affected her personality slightly."

"Thank you Master," Jay inclined his head slightly. "I will keep that in mind. Even Healers need time to heal wounds. Maybe I can help her as much as I helped Fenrik."

"That would be good," Essani agreed with a chirp. She knew full well that helping both of them helped him almost as much; the events of the past few months would likely help them all become stronger with a little caution. "If you'd like, I'll let you go unpack and watch Shivasta's message. If you want to talk about this, now or after she's back, feel free to let me know."

"I will, Master." He promised with a bow and headed to his quarters where Fenrik was only just containing his curiosity.

"What happened?" Fenrik asked as Jay got into their room

"Shi caught the plague," he gave the brief summery and sat down at the desk to pull up the message waiting for him. "And knowing me as well as she does, Master Essani didn't let on until she was released from Medical this morning."

"At least she's okay," Fenrik murmured, sitting down near Jay and squeezing his shoulder as the holo-message turned on.

"Hi, Jay," Shivasta said with a slight smile. She was wearing her robes, long sleeves hiding her arms, the entire outfit looking significantly warmer than what she'd usually been wearing. "I don't know if you've heard yet, but I just got out of Medical last night. I'm just glad Master Ursal had called me in about working too hard; if she hadn't noticed it, it would've been hours before I saw anybody who would've noticed that I was sick. It ... might have been too long," she admitted.

"I got your messages. Good to hear your first mission went pretty well," she smiled. "Not that I doubted it had. I didn't get any of your messages until last night, so I haven't watched the private one yet... honestly, I wasn't exactly up to it last night, or quite yet. Sorry." She ducked her head slightly, and if the color had been better, he would've sworn she was blushing. "I will get it watched though. I could use a little... relaxation.

"At any rate... I mostly wanted to make sure I sent _something_ back soon, after this long without saying anything. Gods I miss you, Jay. I love you ... hope I can say it in person soon." With that, the message ended, the hologram blipping out.

"Me too," he murmured softly and leaned back as Fenrik draped his arms around him from behind.

"She looks okay, at least," the Panther murmured, kissing his neck gently.

"Considering she just got out of medical on a plague world, she's looking great." Jay shifted to nuzzle him that turned into a kiss, though there was little denying that the news was starting to sink in and with it the rock in the pit of his stomach. "She'd probably have weeks left there if she was anywhere else."

"But she wasn't," Fenrik pointed out. "She's healthy again, and Essani says they've almost tracked down what's causing it, so she should be home soon.

"It won't be too soon for anyone." He murmured softly and hugged Fenrik's arms to him. "Especially now that you're ready for a Master."

"I'll have to talk to Doruth about that," Fenrik murmured. "But first, c'mon, I'll help take your mind off this."

"Well, he _has_ been looking for one." Jay shifted to stand into the embrace and kiss him long and slow. "Maybe by our next vacation we'll all be ready to sleep in the same bed."

"Mmm ... that's up to her," Fenrik murmured, working Jay closer to the bed. "I think I'd be up for that."

"After that Tigress, I don't doubt it." Jay chuckled and pulled him down on the bed to run his hands down the familiar body and the pleasures it promised as a distraction.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Doruth bowed to his class before they started out of the room, standing up and looking to the back where Fenrik was talking with a young Iridonian who'd been having trouble with his defensive work. The older Panther chuckled as he heard Fenrik giving some of the same advice he'd given him a few months before.

"Do you think a little demonstration might help make it clearer?" He asked as he walked back to the others.

"No, thank you Knight Parn," the Iridonian said politely. "I think I understand now. I'll get some practice before the next class."

"All right," he nodded. "I'll see you then." The young boy hurried out, following his classmates as Fenrik and Doruth both looked at each other. They'd been working together with this class for months, ever since Fenrik had been ready to take on his duties again. Each knew that they'd been working together like Master and Padawan for some time now ... the next step was more formality than anything else.

"Padawan Aren," Doruth said, standing up a bit straighter. "I've been told that you feel you are ready to take on a new Master."

"You've heard correctly, Knight Parn," Fenrik nodded. "The pain is still there, but I am ready to move on with my studies."

"Have you found a prospective Master?" Doruth asked.

"I have, Knight Parn," the younger Panther nodded. "If you are willing, I would continue my training with you as my Master."

"I have not taken a Padawan before," Doruth pointed out. "We will both be learning while you finish your training." Fenrik smiled at him.

"Then we'd best get started soon, yes Master?"

"Just call me Doruth unless we're being formal," the older Panther chuckled, reaching over to squeeze Fenrik's shoulder. "Come on, let's go make sure they haven't added any paperwork and not told us."

"All right, Doruth," Fenrik nodded, easily falling into step behind his new Master as they left the classroom.

* * *

Master Ursal and a handful of other Jedi Masters worked their way slowly through the mausoleums and tombs of Wolf packs in the heart of the Necropolis system. The entire planet felt cold, lifeless, having long ago been abandoned as too full to hold any additional bodies, its 'inhabitants' being left to their eternal peace.

Or, at least, that had been the theory. They had tracked the Plague here, and sensors said that there _was_ life here beyond the boneworms that infested most planets in the Necropolis system. Not far ahead, they could see their goal; one of the oldest Wolf tombs, its door wide open to reveal a musty, black opening to its twisting depths and the millions of billions of lives represented by the small portion of ash from cremating their head and a carved legacy in the rock itself where that bit of remains where housed, the rest returned to the life cycle of the land they called home.

It was a new tradition to the Wolves of the Republic, this saving any part of the dead, introduced by early contact with races to bury their dead and created monuments to them, but it was a concept that had very quickly taken hold and embraced with all the fervor of their more ancient ways.

"Why would anyone want to work _here_?" Knight Shor looked around at the ranks and names of thousands of generations of Jedi dating back to the very beginning of Necropolis.

"There is no better place." Master Xykress corrected the Leopard tom softly. "This planet has more death-energy than anywhere in the Republic, likely anywhere in known the galaxies, and this," the she-Wolf waved one silver-furred hand around to the names, each given the space not much larger than a hand, "is where Jedi Wolves have been interred since the beginning of Necropolis. What better place for a Jedi turned Dark to set up camp?"

"We don't know that it's a Dark Jedi yet," Master Ursal pointed out quietly as they walked into the tomb. The air was musty, but it wasn't stale, a sign that the door had been open for some time.

"* _We do know it was Force-enhanced._ *" Master Xykress slipped into silent communication mode almost on reflex.

They saw light from deeper in the tomb, near the heart of it. They could also see that a number of the names, those belonging to the highest-ranked Jedi 'buried' here, were defaced, scratched out or burned away. Some of them had even been broken open, the ashes inside stolen or scattered. It really made no sense as anything but an attempt to desecrate the tomb ... which seemed unusual for somebody who had dedicated their efforts to destroying the living.

It was enough to draw a growl from Master Xykress, her Wolven heritage infuriated before she got herself under control again and simply set it in her mind to see that it was repaired.

"* _Breathers,_ *" Master Ursal warned them all, pulling her own close-fitting mask out and fitting it over her muzzle as the rest followed suit. "* _I feel we're near the production area._ *" They still hadn't found out how contagious the Plague was this way, but none of them wanted to find out the hard way. Finally, they reached a small room, lit by a small lamp that was trained on a datapad sitting next to a small supply of biological research supplies.

"* _Trap?_ *" Master Xykress glanced at Master Ursal for a moment before lifting the pad with the Force and holding it for the two of them to figure out it's contents while the others carefully watched for trouble.

"* _Blades on the side,_ *" Ursal confirmed. "* _There's something...._ *" She frowned, her brow furrowing. "* _Sith venom. This is all starting to make too much sense._ *" She reached out, extending a claw to tap a button on the display and a robed figure appeared in the hologram that started.

"Well, you finally caught up with me. It's only been... what, three months?" The voice was raspy, tired and old. The hands were obviously a Wolf's, but they were drawn and gaunt. A lightsaber hung at the figure's hip, proof that they were facing Sith, or at least a Dark Jedi, when taken with the rest. "I have to say, I wish I could be there to greet you, but I have work to do elsewhere.

"You'll be pleased to know that there's an antivirus to my new Plague here; it's worthless as far as my original goals are concerned. I imagine one of you will probably be happy to hear that there's also an antidote to the poison I left on the pad. Or, of course, you _could_ try toughing it out. Perhaps you'll prove yourself stronger than Ulic Qel-Droma was. If you do, and you're not, perhaps we'll meet again.

"It's really a pity I couldn't do what I'd been hoping to. It came close, but not _quite_ close enough. Don't worry; I'm sure I'll find some use for the spores I have left. I'm sure the Ubese will be interested in a disease that can leave the Jedi helpless. Farewell, old friends. Good luck cleaning up after me." The message ended, and even Ursal was growling at the end.

But it was Master Xykress that was incensed. "So Knight Parn did not kill him in the end." She bared her fangs under the breather.

"This raises some disturbing questions," Ursal said quietly, getting her emotions back under control. "Whether or not he knows that being the first among them." She opened one of the pouches on her belt, holding it up.

"We'll need to take this back to our central operations. If he is selling the Plague to the Ubese, we'll need the cure as quickly as possible."

* * *

Shivasta settled into her room on the transport back to Coruscant. The Masters had brought back a cure for the Plague; all Healers who weren't needed to produce it were being sent back ... at least, that was the official story.

In truth, it was surprising how many of the Healers who "weren't needed" were the ones who had survived their own run-ins with the Plague.

So she had the room to herself, Master Ursal occupied back on Necropolis with mass-producing the serum. Nobody would say just what had happened, but she knew her Master well enough to know that it wasn't good.

What if something had gone wrong? What if there _wasn't_ a cure? No ... they wouldn't be sending them home if that was the case; they'd be needed more than anybody else. It had to be something else.

And Shi needed to distract herself from it. There were a few hours left before they'd be back at Coruscant... maybe she'd watch Jay's video again.

She pulled out her holo-player and opened up the messages. She was about to open the attachment she'd saved when the alert came up that a new message had arrived. She opened it, sitting back and watching as she waited for it to start.

"Hi Shi," Jay smiled at her in the hologram. "A _lot_ has happened in the last couple weeks. The big one is that Fenrik and Doruth have made it official. Though between Doruth's pups and Fenrik's mate, everyone is staying where they are as far as living quarters so I still have by big black pillow at night." He grinned impishly. "He's hardly complaining either.

"I'm looking forward to seeing you again. I understand they got the source of the plague and things should be under control soon. I hope that means you'll be home soon. Things are quieting down a bit, at least for now. I've made major progress on my 'saber forms too." He grinned with a bit of pride. "I hope you're feeling good enough to enjoy the extra recording too." He winked before the recording ended.

She smiled to herself. At least things were going pretty well there... and, a few hours more, and she'd be back home. She just hoped Jay would be okay with the... changes. She sighed and slipped out of her robes, getting ready to open the attachment, trying not to look at her arms as she did so; they were the worst, in her mind. Jedi weren't supposed to care about looks, she knew that the scarring was something she shouldn't be worried about... but she couldn't help it, not yet. It was just too strong a reminder of what she'd gone through.

She started Jay's video, settling back to enjoy it privately, and pass the time without having to worry about what would happen for the next few hours.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Shi quietly stepped into Jay's room, the temperature set for feline comfort in the mid eighties, and instantly realized just how much he'd dropped it for her comfort the nights she'd spent here. It was enough to make her sweat lightly already.

Still, she smiled as she saw her boyfriend snuggled up with Fenrik in the larger-than-usual bed. She hoped he wouldn't mind this ... she'd practically run down here from the landing site; she didn't want to wait any longer than she had to to be with him. She lifted the covers up, being careful not to wake him up, and slipped into bed in front of him.

Shi gently put an arm over his side, her hand resting on Fenrik's back. She kissed Jay's cheek lightly and settled in to get some sleep. She'd get the chance to talk to him in the morning. She couldn't help but feel a bit of pleasure when Jay shifted to embrace her and his nose nuzzled into her hair sleepily with a happy sound.

Another nuzzle came a moment later, his brain catching up to his nose in realizing that she was really there in his arms. Another happy sound came with a nuzzling kiss to her forehead.

"Shi?" He asked with a bit of a purr and cracked one eye open.

"Mmhmm," she murmured quietly, returning the embrace he was giving her. "Sorry, didn't mean to wake you up."

"It's okay," he smiled warmly and shifted to give her a gentle, lingering kiss. "Good to have you back." He rumbled throatily, her empathy giving her a good idea just how much of an understatement that was.

"Good to be back," she murmured, returning the kiss. "I love you, Jay," she added softly, rubbing his back reflexively as he kissed her again.

"So get these off and I'll drop the temp a bit for you so you don't sweat to death." He kissed down her neck with a light tug on her robes.

"Mmm ... I'll get the temp, and move to the couch in the main room so you two can get reacquainted," Fenrik offered, kissing the back of Jay's neck and rubbing Shi's side lightly. "Good to have you back, Shi."

"Thanks, Fenrik," she smiled, blushing slightly as the Panther crawled out of bed and grabbed his robes on the way out, dropping the temperature in the room down a few degrees towards the lower end of Jay's comfort zone.

"He is something else," Jay purred and hugged her lightly; his bare fur a marked contrast to her full robes as he kissed her again, lightly brushing his tongue over her lips, asking into her mouth to really taste her.

She parted her lips easily, melting into the touch she'd been hungry for almost since she'd left Coruscant, clinging to Jay almost desperately as she took his tongue into her mouth.

"May I feel your skin?" He asked as they parted briefly, trying to be considerate no matter how badly as he wanted her naked next to him.

"I-if you want," she nodded slightly, shivering a bit despite being warmer than she liked. "Jay... did they tell you about everything?" She asked, shifting to undo her robes.

"No," he admitted quietly. "But I know it left scars," he ghosted his fingers along her arms as they were exposed, "and that they bother you."

"Just... touch, don't look, for tonight... please?" She asked him, enjoying his touch as she removed her robes. "I just want to be with you tonight, without having to think about what you'll think when you see...."

"Shu," he crooned and kissed her to silence, his hand roaming her familiar body that had been absent for so long. "Let me make you feel good, at least for tonight."

"Please," she asked him softly, kissing him deeply, her fingers roaming through his back-fur. "You've put on some muscle," she murmured softly.

"It will continue," he shivered at her touch and kissed down her neck, doing his best to keep himself calm enough to truly indulge her body with everything he could give her. "Your skin is so soft." He murmured as his mouth found a breast to kiss, lick and suckle on lightly until she moaned with an honest touch of arousal.

"Oh gods I've missed you," she groaned, rubbing the back of his head and scratching his ears lightly while he continued to kiss his way down her body, lavishing every inch of skin with as much attention as he could.

As he reached her belly he slid one finger lightly between her legs to test her readiness for more.

Her lips were already moist, smooth and cool to the touch as usual, but fragrant with her arousal and juices.

"Please," she murmured, spreading her legs and scratching the back of his neck in just the right places to make him want to give her what she was asking for.

Jay groaned and spread her lower lips as he shifted to sink into her cool body for only the third time. When he was buried up to his sheath, his body already trembling in pleasure, he claimed her mouth gently and hugged her as he rolled to his back, giving her full control of how fast this went. It also gave him both hands free to roam over her smooth skin and pleasure her in other ways.

She moaned, tightening her body around his and just enjoying the feel of having him inside her, against her, after months of just dreaming about it.

"Oh Jay," she murmured, kissing him hungrily and starting to move up and down his shaft slowly. She could feel just how close he was, just from being inside her and how hard he was trying to hold back until she'd had at least a little more pleasure. This even as her nose finally made her realize that he still reacted like this to her after having been with Fenrik until they were sated.

"Gods," he moaned with a tight shudder and thrust up into her, his hands on her hips as they felt each other's bodies in a welcome embrace that had less to do with the pleasure than it did with reaffirming that they desired each other and their pleasure.

"Go ahead, Jay," she murmured, kissing him deeply, inhaling his arousal scent, moving her body along his shaft eagerly. "Go ahead; you'll give me more later."

He shuddered once and settled his hand on her hips as he thrust up once more, harder, before he let go with a deep groan and shot the first ribbon of come deep into her body; a splash of burning heat against the entrance to her womb.

She gasped in pleasure, hiding the slight wince as she was reminded just how hot his seed was, how hot _he_ was. She pressed close to him, kissing him hungrily, running her tongue along the sharp tips of his teeth as he shuddered and groaned into her mouth, his body spent for the moment.

"It's good to have you home," Jay murmured and embraced her against his chest.

"And so good to be here," she murmured softly, hugging him close, squeezing her eyes shut. "There were times I was so afraid I'd never see you again," she murmured softly, pressing her face against his neck while he held her just as tightly.

"But you were strong enough that you are here." He murmured and stroked her hair. "You survived."

"I had to," she said softly, kissing his neck. "It worked both ways."

"Yes, it does." He murmured agreeably, content to relax with her in his arms and their bodies joined until she wanted more.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Shivasta woke up the next morning to the feel of Jay's quarters, hotter than she normally liked, but welcome for what it meant. She was back home, in bed, with Jay.

She could take the room being a little warmer than she liked for that. 

She twitched a bit at a ticklish sensation on her back. As she realized that Jay was the source of it, she felt a chill run through her. She grabbed her robes, laying half off the bed, and tried to pull them up over her naked back as quickly as she could only to find strong hands stop her and bring the clothes back down to bed.

"Shi ... please don't be afraid of me." He said softly, his hands gentle for all the strength he had used.

"I-it's not you," she murmured, wrapping her arms around herself almost protectively. "It's losing you."

"Over your coloration?" He looked at her, unable to help the frown of confusion for all he tried to be sensitive to her fears.

"The change," she said, trying to put into words something she wasn't entirely sure she understood herself. She trusted Jay enough not to ditch her because she wasn't as attractive, if he even thought of her that way. This was something different, something she couldn't explain to herself, let alone to him.

"I'm not surprised it changed you." He said gently. "I've had a pretty eventful six months myself." He tipped her chin up to look her in the face. "But you don't _feel_ much different."

"Feel how?" She asked him softly, fighting the urge to turn her face away from his.

"The way it feels right when you're around," he tried to explain something nearly as elusive. "The way you care, you're presence. You're still _you_ , Shi. You feel like the same person."

"I... I am," she nodded. "Just... right now, every time I see them, I think about how I got them. I'm a Healer... this isn't supposed to happen, I'm supposed to _help_ , not...."

"Be the victim?" He half guessed. "Shi, everyone is bested sooner or later. You came out of it alive. That's one hell of a triumph."

"Not make it worse," she murmured. "Jay, I was seeing _patients_ the day Master Ursal noticed, patients with healthy families. That's before you look at all the other people I might've managed to infect before then, just because nobody noticed, because _I_ didn't notice. And then _I_ got out of it alive, when not all of them did...."

He sighed. "There is nothing you can do to change it." He said softly but firmly. "You were hardly the only Healer who had that happen, and not all of them made it." He tipped her face up. "I'm sorry it hurts you so much, but I am glad you are alive to feel that guilt."

"You don't think it was my fault?" She asked him softly, her eyes saying plainly how badly she needed his answer.

"For caring too much?" He could only shake his head. "No, what happened is not your fault."

"At least somebody doesn't think so," she murmured, drawing him close and pressing her face against his neck.

"I'm sure no Healer believed that," he murmured as he held her tightly.

"It's... complicated," she murmured. "Jay... just hold me for now? Don't want to think for a while."

"Anything you want," he agreed easily and nuzzled her hair as he held her against his chest.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Doruth frowned mentally as he sat outside the Council's chambers, waiting for them to finish their current meeting so he could find out why he'd been summoned to talk to them.

Was there some sort of technicality he'd forgotten about taking Fenrik on, some sort of additional approval he needed to get first?

No ... he was fairly certain that wasn't it. Still, there was an exceedingly short list of other things it _could_ be, as far as he knew. They were probably just getting ready to send him on a mission somewhere, though they'd usually say that if they were.

Nothing to do but wait.

"* _Knight Parn._ *" Master Shan's deep voice called him in.

He stood, the door sliding open to let the emissaries from Onderon leave, and him enter. He could tell just by looking around that either the last meeting had gone very poorly, or he was here for something _very_ serious. It didn't help his uneasiness that the _entire_ Council had assembled, a rare event at best when it wasn't of importance to the entire Order.

Either option was a bad, bad thing.

"Tell us what happened when you last encountered Master Zykell." The Dobbie's expression was unreadable, but the entire scene spoke volumes of something being very serious, and very wrong.

Doruth frowned. Why were they asking about this again? They'd already gone over this time after time....

"I had just returned from my solo mission and been sent to meet him on his return to Republic space," he answered, going over the sequence of events again. "I didn't sense the change in him until our ship arrived at Dantooine. He turned the ship's defenses against the crew, killing all of them, and started to bombard the planet from orbit. He destroyed the Jedi Enclave there, and many settlements." He paused, holding back the pain and anger he still felt when he thought about his Master's betrayal.

"I was forced to fight my way through the ship's defenses to the bridge. When I reached him there, we fought... he nearly defeated me. He stopped to try and turn me to the Dark Side, and nearly succeeded. I beat him in the fight that followed, and started the ship's self-destruct sequence, destroying the console before running. I managed to reach the escape pods and jettison just before the ship blew up with him on it."

The Councilors exchanged the slight glances of an intense telepathic exchange, the Force heavy with their thoughts despite the content being shielded.

"* _What was his condition when you left the bridge?_ *" Master Noloth leaned forward slightly, his reptilian eyes piercing Doruth's very soul. For a moment, Doruth was tempted to throw up a few extra defenses. In the end, he decided against it; he didn't have anything to hide from them, for all the intrusion put him on edge.

"Dead," the Panther answered, meeting Noloth's gaze. "He'd taken my lightsaber through the chest. I would have brought him back to face the Council's justice otherwise, but with the ship ready to blow up in a few minutes, I didn't take the time to bring his body back."

"* _That would explain his apparent age._ *" Master Essani said softly, not shielding her voice from him this time.

Master Shan nodded and brought up a holo-message in the center of the room, this time the robed figure at life size thanks to the equipment there.

"Well, you finally caught up with me. It's only been... what, three months?" The voice was raspy, tired and old but utterly unmistakable to all but one there. "I have to say, I wish I could be there to greet you, but I have work to do elsewhere.

"You'll be pleased to know that there's an antivirus to my new Plague here; it's worthless as far as my original goals are concerned. I imagine one of you will probably be happy to hear that there's also an antidote to the poison I left on the pad. Or, of course, you _could_ try toughing it out. Perhaps you'll prove yourself stronger than Ulic Qel-Droma was. If you do, and you're not, perhaps we'll meet again.

"It's really a pity I couldn't do what I'd been hoping to. It came close, but not _quite_ close enough. Don't worry; I'm sure I'll find some use for the spores I have left. I'm sure the Ubese will be interested in a disease that can leave the Jedi helpless. Farewell, old friends. Good luck cleaning up after me." The message ended and the Council focused on the growling Knight who claimed to have killed the speaker. They could all feel the storm building inside him, held back mostly by a thin veneer of training and their expectations.

"This was retrieved on a datapad laced with Sith venom." The Dobie informed him.

"The sensors said no more escape pods were fired," Doruth said, trying to keep his anger under control. "How could the... how could he have gotten away, especially in the shape he was in?"

"That we do not know, but he is clearly still alive behind the plague on Necropolis." Master Shan said, at ease that Knight Parn had not been aware of his former Master's survival.

"* _Alive or a Ghost._ *" Master Essani added quietly.

"Either way, he's caused more deaths," Doruth said softly. "Damn it...." Part of him wanted to ask permission to go, to hunt him down and stop him before he could cause any more damage. Unfortunately, that part of him immediately ran headlong into his responsibilities to Fenrik and Tes both... and into the fact that he _knew_ what part of him really wanted to be involved in the hunt. A part of him he'd been forcing into submission for almost a decade now.

"Yes," Master Shan nodded slightly. "The hunt in Uba has already begun. He will be dealt with."

"Yes, Master Shan," Doruth nodded. "If I may ask a question?"

"Yes," the Dobbie nodded easily.

"Did the Council seriously believe that I knew he was still alive without warning anybody?" Doruth asked.

"It had to be considered," Master Noloth said simply. "You do not have the most stable past with the Order or the Light."

"* _This is too serious not to look into even unlikely scenarios,_ *" Master Essani said more gently. "* _Including that I could have missed if your rejoining the Order was part of a plan with him._ *"

"I hope you're convinced that I didn't know anything about this, then," Doruth said, inclining his head and accepting it. It was true, what both of them were saying. He just hoped Noloth's opinion had been in the minority, though he knew that if their concerns had been proven true it would have been Master Essani that he needed to fear. Between his association with Fenrik, and through him her own Padawan, and that it was her final call on whether he was allowed to rejoin the Order four years before. She was his strongest supporter now, but she was fiercely loyal to her Padawans and her calling. "I might have have troubles, but never to that level."

"Yes, we are." Master Shan inclined his head. "Is there anything you can add to our knowledge of Zykell, knowing that he is still alive?"

"He doesn't just want to kill Jedi," Doruth said, thinking back. "His attack on Dantooine aside, the message he left and his use of Sith poison suggests that he wants to corrupt instead ... to turn Jedi to his path. It's what he tried to do during the attack as well, just on a more... personal scale. He'll try to find some way to destroy the Order from the inside, preferably by forcing the Jedi to serve as new Sith. His threat about the Ubese... he may follow through with it, I wouldn't put it past him, but he would have another goal.

"Most of you knew him longer than I did," he admitted, "but even as Jedi, he stressed having more than one desirable outcome for everything you did, planning ahead so that even a failure would further your missions. It seems he hasn't changed his spots."

"So you do not believe that his primary goal was to obliterate all life with this plague?" Master Bas'rath asked him; her multitude of tight braids swaying as she leaned forwarded to assess him in this new role.

"No," he said, shaking his head. "I've... heard some rumors, about the Plague, but I don't know how many of them are true," he said cautiously. "Rumors that suggested the Plague was modified with Dark Side energies. Is this true?"

"Heavily modified by them," Master Karyk nodded. "Almost certainly under the guidance of a Dark Sider of some skill and power."

"Which Master Zykell would qualify as, I'm sorry to say," Doruth nodded. "There are several Dark Side symbiotes that I've encountered, either in my studies of Jedi lore or while I was traveling a few years back.

"The one I'm thinking of was called an Orbalisk, ran into it in the hands of an old cultist from Onderon. They're a crustacean native to Dxun, which Master Zykell has visited before. The poison they inject is deadly to most people. But in the veins of somebody strong in the Dark Side, it gives them strength, and the Orbalisk itself can actually serve as a devastatingly effective armor.

"If he modified the Plague virus to be something similar, the victim would either die, or turn to the Dark Side, similar to a victim of Sith venom. Either way serves his purposes, though turning them would be more effective, especially if a Dark Sider who carried the Plague was not only immune, but benefited from it. I suspect it may have been too lethal for his tastes, and not effective enough at turning victims, explaining his 'failure.'"

"* _We do know that survivors do not turn, but it is very debilitating between the hallucinations and lengthy recovery time._ *" Master Essani commented, almost to herself. "* _If it had been slightly more virulent, it could have wiped out the Healers as an effective force._ *"

"Any thoughts on his likely next target?" Master Bas'rath asked.

"That I don't know," Doruth admitted. "He mentioned the Ubese, but that might just be trying to piss us off. After all, it's not like they'd be any less likely to kill him than they would and other Jedi. Whatever he tries, it'll probably be big. After all, the two plans of his we know of involved starting a system-wide epidemic and trying to reduce a planet to rubble. He doesn't play for small stakes."

"He never did," Master Ryul shook his head. "Not even as a Padawan. He would be on the Council by now if he hadn't turned."

"When he is found...." Doruth trailed off, not sure about the question he was going to ask, but deciding to move on with it. "When he's found, will the goal be to capture him, or to finish it?"

"Capture is always preferable," Master Shan said simply. "Particularly with one known to escape death."

"Very well," Doruth nodded, keeping his own opinion of that to himself. This time, he did put up a little extra shielding, his surface thoughts focusing on counting the light beeps of Master Kareth's datapad. "Are there any other questions?" He asked politely.

"No," Master Shan consented.

Master Ryul considered the younger Panther before speaking. "One as strong as he is must die carefully to prevent him from remaining as a Force Ghost. Such preparation is best done here."

"True," Doruth nodded, knowing that this would likely lead to a lengthy debate amongst the Council. He was distinctly glad he wouldn't have to be a part of it. "If the Council does not object, I have to go arrange my Padawan's lessons."

"* _Go,_ *" Master Essani sort of smiled at him with a rather bemused note in her voice over what Master Ryul had just begun. Doruth bowed politely, then turned and left quickly.

It was going to be a long day for everybody.

* * *

"Jay, you don't have to do this," Shivasta protested quietly, laying on her stomach on his bed, her arms crossed beneath her chest as she wished she could at least pull the covers up over herself without overheating. He'd dropped the temperature a lot, even more than usual, but it was still quite warm to be under anything.

"I know," he said easily as he knelt on the bed and tugged her arms out from under her body and set them over her head so all the visible results of her fight with the plague were in the open. "I want to make you feel better."

"And this is supposed to do that how?" She asked him, looking over at him with her deep blue eyes.

"To give you something other than Necropolis to think of when you see them," he said softly as his hands ran over the skin of her back that was now shaded from white to her natural blue. "And maybe convince you that it doesn't look bad on you."

"I know you don't think it does," she sighed slightly, even as she tried to calm down and let him work. He could feel the tension in her body, every muscle in her back wound up more than he liked. If he'd felt like this, she'd be scolding him for a week when she found out.

"Now it's just you that needs convincing," he leaned over and kissed the back of her neck. "You are _far_ too tense."

"Jay, would you be saying the same thing if they were battle scars?" She asked him pointedly. "And I know I'm tense...." She sighed, shaking her head. "I shouldn't be, but I know I am."

"They _are_ battle scars, Shi." He said firmly and ran his fingers lightly down her spine, earning a pleasant shiver. "You fought no less hard to come away with them than any warrior on a traditional battlefield. They mark you as a survivor. I know the determining factor for Jedi to survive the plague is the will to live. Not other Healers, not when it's found and treated, but how much _you_ wanted to come out alive. It's something worth being proud of."

"Then why does it feel like I screwed up?" She asked softly, almost more to herself than to him.

"Because you're a perfectionist and this didn't go perfectly." He said more than suggested.

"Like you're one to talk," she pointed out, regretting it quickly. "Sorry," she added softly.

"I am one who can talk," he countered easily. "Because I _know_ what it's like. You'll have your chances to work on me."

"I can't just turn it off, Jay," she murmured softly, groaning as his hands worked the tension out of her back. "You know that as well as anybody... it just isn't that easy."

"I know, Shi." He said more gently. "But you can't ignore it, it won't just go away."

"I know," she admitted. "And with the weather getting warmer again I'm going to have to get used to it fast," she sighed.

"Maybe I can help with that a bit," he murmured softly. "There are very light fabrics that can be made to look like our robes."

"If we can set that up it might be good," she admitted. "You know what I usually dress in during the summer," she chuckled slightly. "Comfortable, but... not sure if I'm comfortable with being that revealing yet."

"Yes, I do," he murmured and kissed his way down her spin. "A little covering can make a big difference in how comfortable you are."

"Yeah," she admitted, enjoying his touch. "Ooh... Jay? It really doesn't bother you, or Fen?"

"No," he said gently, his hands running up her back on each side of her spine. "Neither of us are a solid color. It's just not something most felines worry about."

"Oooh...." She whimpered slightly, her muscles loosening under Jay's hands. "You two were born that way though," she pointed out with a murmur.

"If either of us gets shaved, you'll see what I'm talking about." He half-chuckled. "Fur doesn't always grow back the original color."

She actually giggled at the thought of that.

"Mmm ... I think you'd each look a little silly shaved."

"We'd be miserable, cold and itchy as hell too." He sort of chuckled. "It takes a couple months to get back to normal, and it looks _weird_ in the meantime."

"Mmm... probably pretty embarrassing too, from what I've heard," Shi murmured. "So we'll just have to try and keep either of you from needing to get shaved."

"Mostly it's embarrassing because it can look like mange or ringworm. Those are _bad_ things to go out in public infected with. Doctors back home have gotten good at doing IVs and incisions without having to shave, or at least shave anywhere public." He sort of rambled as he started to look at the overlapping circular patters of different shades of blue, grey and white. "But the patterns that can grow back afterwards can be quite exotic once you get used to the new look."

"You're trying to make a point, aren't you?" She asked, looking up at him with a bit of a smile. "So you wouldn't rather have me back the way I was?"

"I'd prefer it yes," he wouldn't lie. "Does this make you any less desirable to me? No."

"I'll try to relax about it a bit more," she murmured, half-turning and reaching up to caress his cheek, drawing him down for a kiss. "Thank you, Jay."


	5. A Lesson By Force

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Interlude. At sixteen, Jay has requested leave to go to Mantessa to build his first set of lightsabers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written with Karl Wolfemann

Jay Clawson swallowed slightly as his Master left in the Kalrass. He knew he had to do this, and it had to be this way, but the very fact that both his Master and his mates were uneasy about leaving him along on the forest world made the necessary more difficult. That he knew exactly why they were nervous made it even harder. He could hardly blame them for it either. The Demon was a real concern for them all.

He understood what he couldn't explain though. He understood this creature instinctively. The fourth generation born with it in their head and as well as it knew him and them, he and his family knew it. Maybe not in words, but in instincts.

This was a world that the Demon had little hope of touching him on simply because it was a world that held no true treat that the Demon could help with. He was already too skilled in survival and combat to be threatened by any beast roaming this land and there just weren't any people or machines to mess up that balance.

There, Kalrass was far enough away it wasn't constantly checking in. Time to get to work.

Jay took a deep breath and began to walk, his eyes closed and his mind open. When he'd been asked what he was looking for on this out of the way world, he couldn't even tell the Council much more than 'the right place'. He'd honestly been a touch surprised when he and his Master agreed to this outing, even after he'd said that he'd expected it to take him months to finish his lightsabers. In a very strange way, he actually felt they respected what he was doing in going off on his own to find what was his center in his weapon.

Or rather weapons, as what he was building were unique.

He'd proven, two years before, that he could build a traditional lightsaber, and create a weapon of reasonable quality.

Now he was out to build _his_ weapon; what felt right and natural to him. A weapon based on the rare double-blade, something his combat instructor Master Yamari knew along with an energy-whip, but it was also to be very much his.

This was something he truly appreciated about the Jedi. They had strong traditions and respect for the uniqueness of a fine weapon and how important it could be to the warrior to have their weapon exactly right. His may not be the norm for a Jedi's weapon-quest, but it was taken as one all the same.

It was one of the first times he felt as if he truly belonged among the Jedi, that neither side was struggling to understand the other. They understood his request because it was something they believed in as well. It was a sweet moment for him.

Now, here on Mantessa, he felt the peace of absolute silence on the machine band, something that had terrified and irritated him not so long ago.

At the koi pond, he had begun to suspect what he had heard of his great-grandfather's love of forest streams. The calming peace to be found there.

Here, now, he finally understood the joy of that silence and embraced it as the world's energy ebbed and flowed around him, guiding him, welcoming him as a long lost child.

It was strange and home all at the same time. It was energy he barely understood how to harass and yet it was cool and smooth and warm and enlivening all at once.

As he walked, Jay slowly began to understand what the Jedi meant by the Living Force.

It was alive, enticing, almost addictive.

It was alien.

It was home.

It made his heart beat faster and his soul calm down.

* * *

Without a sound Jay stopped and opened his eyes.

A glade in the forest, fed by a small spring they babbled out into a brook.

His entire body shivered in a pleasure more intense than any orgasm and he knelt there, in the dappled sunlight for hours, merely soaking up the purity of the place that struck him in ways he hadn't realized were possible.

With the sun setting, he finally moved, changing his position to kneel in line with the sun and bowed his head in offering.

"Lady Bastet, mother to all katkind and protector of fertility and the young. I thank you for seeing me threw my youth, that I may serve you and Lord Harikur in good stead.

"Lord Harikur, protector of the homeland and warrior of defense. I thank you for seeing me through these past few years so I may know the peace of this place and a home among the Jedi so that I may do what I was bred for."

He paused, feeling the need to acknowledge the Force somehow but not nearly as sure about what to say.

"Force; the Light, the Natural, the Living. I am slow to understand your nature, but I am grateful for the time given me to see and experience this place and your presence here. Jedi may not worship you, but we do hold great value in your will. I understand, now, what my Master has tried to show me for so long. I will endeavor to hold this lesson with me for as long as I hold the weapons crafted here."

After a moment he stood and walked slowly to the edge of the clearing.

"Naked we come into this world," Jay spoke softly, as much to himself as to any of the Powers or aspect of the Force that might be listening. "Naked we leave it. Naked we offer ourselves to create the next generation and give ourselves to them and the future they hold." He began to undress, putting his clothes into a neat pile inside a weather-proof bag.

"Naked I offer myself to this project, a gift to the future I many never be able to offer children to."

He closed his eyes, the tears already falling in grief for the loss. He was old enough to take his first shekat mate, old enough to be a father soon. His heritage, his grandmother and great-grandfather, may have hated that children were forced upon them, but his father and the ways of the space-born side of the family were who he remembered and the ways he held dear.

Even at eight he'd been looking around, seeing who had spirit and skill and looks. Even without understanding the how or knowing desire yet, he was already looking for a mother for his kits.

As the pain passed without so much as a whisper from the Demon, he picked up the parts and raw material to his new lightsabers and laid out a soft, durable blanket to work on.

Unlike what anyone had expected, the tools he'd brought would go unused, as would his family Gift, despite it being perfect for the job at hand.

It simply wasn't worth the difficulty to explain what he knew was going to happen here. Most would call it a vision, or precognition, but after what had happened on Korriban, the simple understanding of where he was to go and how he was to do this seemed inappropriate to classify into the same category.

Instead, he had asked to be left alone on this world for a time without much explanation, and no one had questioned the why.

So here he sat down cross-legged and picked up all six crystals that would eventually make up the heart of his weapons. It went against all his instincts, but this was how it was to be done, all at once.

Jay closed his eyes and lowered his head slightly, his focus on the items cupped in his hands. Without thought or idea how he was doing this, he opened himself up to the Living Force around him, allowing it to invade his every molecule.

He wanted to scream, his body to contort in rejection of a phantom pain that was the only way he knew to classify the intense experience he wasn't even remotely prepared for.

He wanted the alien pulse of life invading him to back off.

He wanted, more than anything, to have this feel as natural as the mechanical world did.

The sobs he couldn't stop wrenched his throat, but he held himself open to this force he could barely comprehend. Against everything he believed, he trusted it as his Master did. At least for a little while.

* * *

Conscious thought was not on the list of things Jay counted as possessing when the Force finally let him go well after dawn had graced the glade with dappled light. He'd long ago lost track of what he was doing to or with the crystals, other than what was supposed to happen.

They were far from the dark blue ones he'd brought with him. The perfectly shaped and polished stones now glowed with an inner light that was black as the night they'd been formed in and sparkled with a rainbow of all shades. Even in the light of day they shone as they rolled from his hand as Jay slid forward, unconscious.

* * *

Not nearly as far away as Jay'd assumed, his Master was taking advantage of her much greater skill and ability in telepathy to keep a mental eye on him without being in his awareness. He'd been too clear that he needed to be alone for this, but with his telepathic level, she could be out of his range but he would not be out of hers. It was a fine line, but one she deemed necessary to walk.

She wasn't surprised that he'd found the Force through building something, or while he was trying to at least. She was more than a little surprised at how it had affected him... concerned as well. Changing the color of a crystal shouldn't have been a torturous process, for him especially, or for any other Jedi his age for that matter. It wasn't the most common skill, but it was common enough that even Shivasta and Fenrik had learned the basics of it and Jay knew them _very_ well. He'd been fascinated as soon as he found out it was possible.

She was glad she'd stayed in-system. If her Padawan endured pain, even phantom pain, like that just changing the color of his crystals ... she wanted to be there when he finished his lightsabers. He would probably need to be taken back as quickly as possible afterwards.

* * *

Jay groaned softly as he pushed himself upright well into the night. Hunger now drove him, not a project.

This too, he knew was a condition the Living Force had put upon him. He had brought two weeks rations to appease his Healer mate, but what he had to sustain himself through this process would be the life in this land and his own ability to evade detection.

He was a hunter and the Force demanded he submit to Life in its entirety, especially the parts he had long shied away from.

His dinner would be meat caught and killed and cooked or not by his own hands.

Shi would be horrified, he expected, especially once she realized he had little intention of cooking most of the time. It wasn't as if he couldn't. He knew perfectly well how to start a fire any number of ways and cook game of all kinds in the field. It wasn't uncommon for them to hunt part of their dinner when they went camping with Doruth and Tes. Both Panthers relished the intensity of being in tune with the Living Force and the cycle of life when it was an option.

He just didn't feel it was quite right now.

Just like most of his life he barely felt the Living Force, here, now, when he was immersed in it, he wasn't going to step out of it without good cause.

Once more he closed his eyes and let himself sink into the Living Force around him, trusting it, despite the difficulty, to lead him to dinner and that there was a point to doing things this way.

* * *

Jay was still shaking from the experience of killing when fully in tune with the Living Force when he washed his fur clean in the small spring near his camp. The blood from his prey, two large rodents, that filled his belly with meat warm from life rather than fire had also soaked his fur to the skin. He wasn't nearly as good with his claws and fangs as his mate or his Master. Both kills had been quick, but very messy, and eating without any of the trappings of civilization hadn't helped a bit.

He felt the intrusion of energy again, almost used to it now, and didn't resist it's calming effects or the simple knowledge that death had to be part of life.

It was also time to go back to work again.

Jay drew a deep breath, shook himself dry and returned to the items laid out on the blanket. He knelt to inspect his crystals, curious at their unique visual priorities even as he realized how much a part of himself they felt. This wasn't just the color change he'd studied how to do. This was what he had heard, spoken very softly of, by his father and kin. 

It was the final expression of their Gift as it was viewed. Material was taken down to its atomic level, perhaps even further, and reformed into exactly what was desired. The ultimate expression of the theory that matter was merely energy slowed to an incredible extent and if you could figure out how to access it as an energy, you could alter it in any way you wished. E = MC2. As long as you started with the right amount of energy, you could create anything you wanted out of anything you had.

Though given what it had done to him just to create these crystals, he doubted it was a practical ability. Useful if you had the time or the desperation, but far from practical.

Creating the rest of the set was going to give draining a whole new definition.


	6. One Knight Hunting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A great deal can change in five years, but for three Padawans it has only made them stronger as a triad and honed each of their talents, minds and bodies to face the reality of life as a Jedi Knight, and the possibility that one may not make it. Now they begin to truly prove their worthiness to the Order and to themselves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written with Karl Wolfemann

"Good morning, Jolani." Doruth smiled and sat next to his old friend as Jedi of all ranks filtered in for a demonstration of Senior Padawan Clawson's new lightsaber technique. He spotted Shi and Fenrik in the front row, an aura of slightly stunned pride about them. Near them Master Essani was sitting on the floor in front of the chairs with a couple other kushiban, her fur a distinct golden in pleasure and pride in compared to their shades of curiosity's teal.

"Good morning, Doruth," the Tigress smiled. "I have to say, this is a rather unusual reason to meet. Certainly interesting though."

"Quite true. It's amazing what that kit has become in less than ten years, and he's _still_ planning to be a scholar." He shook his head in disbelief. "Have you seen him work out?"

"I've been putting out fires in the Kyrellos system since your wedding," she chuckled, shaking her head. "I'm lucky I managed to get the squabbling nobles to agree to get along long enough to come back here for my Padawan's knighting tomorrow."

"Congratulations," he smiled warmly at the news. "Fenrik will be ready in a few months." He nodded towards the almost fully mature Panther in the front row next to his blue-skinned mate. "He's got his skills all up to level, there's just a little smoothing out to be ready to go on a solo mission. Those three are seriously connected at the hip without a planetary crisis."

"And I doubt that's just being friends," Jolani chuckled. "And thank you, though the congratulations are more in order for him. So, anything you care to tell me about what I'm going to see? All I've heard so far is that he's one of the first Padawans in decades to try and introduce a new lightsaber form."

"A new form and a new lightsaber to go with it." He chuckled softly. "He redesigned it to put the hilt in the center about six years ago, and uses a pair of them. It's really something else to watch him doing katas. Master Yamari's training is very clear in his moves. I'm not sure anyone else _could_ use them quite like he does, you'll just have to see that."

"I take it he uses his tech gifts to streamline the process a little?" Jolani asked curiously, a similar murmur through the crowd as others discussed it. All the ranking Dueling Masters were there, mostly near the front to watch the Padawan's progress.

"I'm not sure how he does it, honestly, but the length of the blades change _fast_." He went silent as the Puma-sized dark rusty brown tom in Jedi robes walked onto the floor, his Padawan braid well down his chest in marked contrast to his otherwise short brown hair.

Jay faced the assembly and bowed, his eyes catching both Master Yamari, who had requested this, and Master Essani, whose pride in him was visible to everyone in her golden fur. He stepped back to settle into a neutral stance and slid his lightsabers from their hilts under his sleeves. The glowing blacklight blades lit to half length, putting a short staff-length weapon in each hand as his opponents, a young Knight and two Senior Padawans, created a loose circle around him.

They lit their own 'sabers, green, yellow, and orange, and fell into easy ready stances, each knowing roughly what they were going to do in each phase of this duel.

The Knight moved first, his orange 'saber easily blocked by blacklight one as the two Padawans moved in to be blocked and counter-attacked in a twisting dancer's move that flashed blacklight in an almost solid shield around Jay that left precious few openings for his opponents, even three of them, and keep them all on guard for strikes from four weapons that did not keep a stable length and occasionally moved in ways that would cut the wielder in half somewhere if they hadn't deactivated and reactivated almost instantly.

There were occasional murmurs from the crowd, particularly when it was clear that a lethal blow would have been struck. It wasn't long before the two Padawans stepped back, deactivating their 'sabers after one of those 'blows' would have killed them. The grace of the display was clear, the Padawan in the center of it all dancing as much as fighting.

One thought that was common throughout the audience was a grateful relief that they weren't facing this unusual technique in an actual fight.

"Definitely impressive," Jolani murmured to herself. Even as a Master, combat techniques weren't her strong suit, at the low end of average for somebody with her experience. Even so, she could see the time and dedication that Jay had put into honing his art. And it was definitely art.

As the second Padawan fell away from the battle, it became clear that Jay and the Knight he was still facing were on a more even footing. The Zabrak's greater experience with combat in general put him at a slight advantage dealing with techniques he hadn't actually fought against before, and Jay's style wasn't quite as well-honed against a single foe. Still, after a few long minutes of orange and blacklight flashing against each other, the two of them fell apart, bowing respectfully as this stage of the demonstration ended.

"And he still denies he's a warrior." Doruth murmured back, his breath caught in his throat as he realized just how much Jay had changed in the past few years. "He'll be devastating in a real fight already. I can only imagine him as a Master."

"* _And he is completely _calm_ for it,_ *" Master Essani commented to him, a point that had been much harder for Jay to develop than the actual moves he was putting on display.

"* _The most impressive point,_ *" Doruth agreed silently. A few years ago, this sparring match might well have ended with a serious injury, to Jay to one of the Jedi he was practicing with. As it stood, they were all just a little winded... and a little better prepared for the next match.

The three Jedi bowed to Jay, a gesture the teenaged tom returned before they left the ring to join the audience and the next wave moved in; a trio of remotes and a pair combat-training droids programmed to handle the next stage.

It was a set of opponents that most Jedi would find more difficult that three live opponents, but even keeping his reflexes to ask them to turn off carefully in check, this was where Jay felt the most comfortable and he relaxed into a swirling dance of blacklight destruction at the center of the machines. The three remotes, long time acquaintances to his training, were dealt with quickly with reflected shots.

He left both combat droids standing from the knowledge that each was armed with a weapon that needed to be demonstrated. Against all instincts and common sense, he allowed them to attack. The droids stayed at a safe distance from the Jedi they were going to face; their blasters were ready to fall back on once they had tested the weapons they were programmed to use first.

The bulky barrel of the first droid's ion gun flashed, the smell of ozone permeating the battle-chamber as a bright white flash of ionized air trailed behind the energy charge intended to shut down Jay's lightsabers. Instead, there was no effect as it was blocked, and the second droid fired its sonic blaster, a high-pitched whine causing many in the audience to wince as the focused blast of sound easily penetrated Jay's defenses and started his ears ringing, his entire head aching as his equilibrium was thrown out the window.

The droids shifted to their blasters, opening fire, their weapons set to stun as they tested Jay's ability to defend himself with his new technique, even under sub-optimal situations.

Pure reflex saved him from the first few rounds, some blocked and some dodged, his sense of self and his position flickering between real-world senses and Force hints. He found his feet in a low crouch, his eyes locked on the droids even though he could barely tell which way was up and sent one lightsaber went flying, spinning in a horizontal circle of destruction that cut both droid's heads off before he stood shakily and called it back to his raised hand like a boomerang.

"I have a feeling Master Essani taught him that trick," Jolani murmured quietly as the Dueling Masters stood to signal the end of the demonstration. They moved quickly through the crowd to confer with each other as Jay waited for his balance to return so he could leave the ring.

"Most likely," Doruth nodded as they watched Fenrik and Shi enter the ring now that everything was over to support and congratulate him. "Like I said, attached at the hip." He chuckled softly at the scene.

After a few moments, the Masters nodded, turning to Jay where he was talking with Fenrik and Shi, leaning slightly on the larger tom even though the worst of the disorientation was past.

"Padawan Clawson," the leader said, a male Tiger whose deep voice practically rumbled. "It is the consensus of the Masters that you have successfully performed the first demonstration of your SWAT form. We look forward to your second demonstration, to be scheduled at a later date."

"Thank you, Master Ryagurl." He moved clear of his mate and bowed deeply. While the motion was flawless, it was clear to most that it took much more of his concentration that it normally would have to manage.

"Dismissed," the Tiger rumbled. Shi moved to Jay's side as the observers stood and started to filter out.

"Want me to help?" She asked him softly. "It's no trouble."

"If you've got the time, a face massage back in quarters would be very welcome," he smiled at her, the effects beginning to really dissipate except for the major headache it left.

"I've got the time," she smiled, taking a moment to brush his cheek lightly and soothe most of the pain. "And that should keep you until we get there."

"I'll let you two go take care of that," Fenrik smiled. "I'm afraid I have to go work on the plans for my lightsaber - and no, Jay, I don't need help with it," he chuckled and squeezed his mate's shoulder lightly. "You did great today."

"Thank you," he smiled at both of them, proud of his accomplishment, but even more pleased that those he cared about thought he had done well.

* * *

"Mmm... so, you feel better now?" Shi asked Jay softly as she rubbed his face, letting him lean back against her body.

"Yes," he murmured, his eyes closed, his body and mind pleasantly relaxed and grateful for her skilled touch. "Thank you."

"Good," she smiled, moving her hands down to rub and scratch his chest lightly. "You did well out there. Didn't lose control once, fought without letting your emotions take charge - even when the sonic blast hit." She smiled and kissed his neck softly as he started to purr.

"That one was hard," he admitted and reached up to hug her shoulders. "But I just couldn't screw it up. Not in front of everyone when Master Yamari went to so much effort to get me that demonstration."

"And you didn't screw it up," she smiled. "Think you impressed Doruth too," she added. "I could feel it before he headed out."

"Really?" He looked up with a bit of surprise that anything _he_ could have come up with could possibly impress the up and coming Combat Master of the Order.

"I thought so," she nodded. "Your technique really is unique, after all."

The statement made him pause, considering his accomplishment a little more analytically.

"I guess it is," Jay murmured softly, a bit stunned as other information trickled into his mind, like how few Forms there _were_.

"Jay, you developed an entirely new _type_ of lightsaber," she chuckled slightly. "Nobody's bothered to do that since the Sith developed the double-hilt. Just hope it lasts better than the variable 'saber." She kissed his neck gently, hugging him close.

"That is likely to depend on how well Master Yamari and I can teach the use of it to others," he smiled a bit and tipped his head up to nuzzle her. "For all that it's much more effective and useful than the standard one, it's also many times more difficult to use and dangerous to mess up with. It takes an incredible amount of focus and telekinetic control to manage if you can't talk to it."

"Mmm ... true," she admitted. "Still, I'm sure you'll both be working on it. You already have been for years."

"Yeah," he smiled a bit shyly. "It looks pretty impressive when I've gotten to watch Master Yamari do katas."

"It's not exactly unimpressive when you're doing it either, y'know," she smiled. "I know I couldn't do any of that," she chuckled.

"* _May I come in, Jay?_ *" Essani asked politely from outside the room.

"* _Yes, Master,_ *" Jay responded easily and slid the outer door open for her even as he snatched a quick kiss from Shi as he got off the bed where he'd been leaning against her chest.

The kushiban trotted in and hopped up on a seat that had long been there just for her.

"I'm afraid we don't have a great deal of time for congratulations," she told Jay with a chirp. "The Council just became aware of a development in the Rodia system, we need to leave soon."

"Rodia?" Even muscle in his body went tense. "You know that's a bad place for me to go."

"I know," Essani admitted, her fur turning a light grey. "However, there is little choice, and the mission doesn't involve actually going on-planet.

"* _A Sith warship dropped out of hyperspace in the Rodia system a week ago,_ *" she explained, switching to telepathy so Shi could understand her. "* _From what we understand, it's dead in space, a relic from a thousand years ago - but all its defensive systems are still well and truly functional, as several people who've tried to get onboard have found out. None of them have been heard from again._ *"

"How does this involve me?" He asked softly. It was obvious how he could be useful in retrieving the ship, but why not just blow it out of space? Shi reached out to squeeze his shoulder lightly, wondering that same question herself.

"* _It's a Sith warship from the Jedi Civil War or earlier,_ *" Essani explained. "* _It could have invaluable information on it, technology we've lost since. Further, scans indicated no life signs when it arrived, though there are some indications that there might be survivors now. Finally, we have to know where it came from, what happened to the crew - it may pose a very real threat beyond the one ship._

"* _In all likelihood, the reason nobody has returned is connected to the ship's defenses. That's where we want your talents along,_ *" she explained. "* _Along with Knight Parn, Tes' Pack, Master Ursal, and you, Padawan Shivasta,_ *" Essani said, nodding towards the young woman.

"I understand," Jay inclined his head even as he began to rework his mindset for the anything-can-happen state such a mission meant. "This is a rescue first, then ship retrieval?"

"* _Rescue, then find out what happened while overseeing ship retrieval and artifact recovery, yes,_ *" Essani nodded. "* _We have no clue what happened with this ship. We don't want to bring it back until we know that it's safe._ *"

"I understand, Master." Jay inclined his head in acceptance. "When do we leave?"

"* _How soon can you both pack?_ *" She asked them seriously.

"Within the hour, easily, Master," Shi answered.

"* _We'll meet at the Gurath as soon as possible, and leave as quickly as it can be supplied for the journey,_ *" Essani nodded. "* _Knight Parn will take the opportunity to tell Fenrik, though I imagine you'll both want to go say good bye before we go._ *"

"Thank you, Master." Jay said seriously. "We will be on board within the hour."

"* _I'll meet you both there,_ *" Essani nodded, hopping down and starting out of the room.

* * *

  


* * *

Jay closed and his eyes and relaxed in the observation lounge of the Gurath. They'd just dropped out of hyperspace into the Rodia system and the huge Sith destroyer was in range now if it was like most ships. He took one deep breath and reached out, past the Jedi ship he was in, through the emptiness of space until he found another beacon of machine life.

"* _Hello,_ *" he opened cautiously, not even sure if the ship new Basic.

"* _Who is this?_ *" The ship responded suspiciously.

"* _My name is Jay Clawson._ *" He answered easily, a bit stunned at the level of cohesive consciousness behind the words. It was almost like talking to a person. "* _Who are you?_ *" He asked politely.

"* _The battle cruiser Kraken,_ *" the ship responded. "* _How are you communicating over this distance without using your ship's subspace transceiver? What is your ship's designation? It is not in known transponder code libraries._ *"

"* _It is my family Gift,_ *" Jay told the ship easily. "* _Our ship is the Gurath. It is not in your libraries because it is less than a century old and your data has not been updated in a millennium from what we have gathered._ *"

"* _Don't tell it that we're a Jedi ship, if it asks,_ *" Essani cautioned Jay privately. "* _It is a Sith warship, remember._ *"

He nodded slightly as the warship replied.

"* _Why have you established contact with this ship? Do you wish to deliver an ultimatum?_ *"

"* _Because we want to find out what a thousand year old, apparently abandoned warship appeared so suddenly and hasn't moved since._ *" He paused, considering how to answer the second question.

"* _No, we don't,_ *" Essani told Jay. "* _Its weapons systems seem to be offline, but it basically just asked you if we're ship-jackers. It might let us on more peacefully if you can convince it we're just trying to help._ *"

Jay nodded easily to that and formulated it in his own words to avoid sounding like he was taking orders from elsewhere. "* _Not an ultimatum. We're here to help._ *"

"* _It would be welcome. There have been numerous forcible boarding attempts since coming out of hyperspace. With the current state of repairs, there has been no way to stop such attempts until boarding parties were on the Kraken._ *"

"* _Are any still alive?_ *" He asked curiously.

"* _There were some who managed to secure their position in a medical supply closet where ship's defenses were unable to terminate them,_ *" the ship answered easily.

"* _We would like to remove them before assisting further._ *" Jay phrased his actual intent carefully.

"* _They have overridden the controls over the doors, and the ship's programming will not allow this AI to deactivate security protocols during state of alert. Manual override will be required._ *"

"* _Can you tell us how to manually override, or will we have to use other methods to get to them?_ *"

"* _Unfortunately, manual override of defense systems is only possible from the bridge due to security protocols established by Admiral Karath before the ship's departure from base._ *"

"* _Do you object to me 'convincing' the door to open by other means to get the intruders out and then off the ship?_ *"

"* _If you are capable of doing so with the defense systems active, not at all,_ *" the ship answered easily. "* _Once droids are back online any damage done can be repaired._ *"

He paused, mulling that over along with the reality that while they could breach the ship defenses easily enough, only his 'sabers wouldn't instantly tip the ship off to what they were.

"* _What is required to set the defense system to accept our presence?_ *"

"* _Confirmation by ship's sensors of status as ranking Sith officers or evidence that targets are loyal to the Imperial Armada._ *"

"* _Jay, would you be able to 'persuade' the defenses to shut down the way you can regular blasters?_ *" Essani asked him.

"* _Yes, though it may well turn the ship against us. That's a full AI in there._ *" He told her privately, then switched over to the ship "* _What evidence would be satisfactory?_ *"

"* _I am afraid that information is classified per wartime protocols. You stated that you had a family gift that allows us to communicate, yes?_ *"

"* _Yes,_ *" he nodded and took part of his attention, carefully shielded, and focused on his Master and what he sensed forming in her mind.

"* _Is this gift Force related?_ *" The ship asked. "* _If so, it would be a rare talent indeed._ *"

"* _Jay,_ *" Essani told him, "* _I suspect that we're going to have to pass ourselves off as Sith to get on without taking the chance of upsetting the ship by shutting down its defenses. During the War, somebody with your talent would have been groomed for Sith training as soon as it was recognized._ *"

He nodded to her and answered the ship. "* _It is._ *"

"* _Sith uniforms and ship designations have undoubtedly changed over the past millennium. Your behavior thus far does not conform to known Sith training, but perhaps this has changed as well after the Jedi were crushed. If you can provide a sign of Sith training, defensive systems will be deactivated._ *"

"* _I can coach you through the Sith Code,_ *" Essani offered.

"* _Would the Sith Code suffice?_ *" He asked the ship.

"* _The Code of the Sith is in the ship's databanks,_ *" the ship agreed. "* _However, it may be known by rote outside the Sith. I will also require the correct answer to a question demonstrating an understanding of the Code._ *"

"* _I can probably provide that,_ *" Essani told him silently. "* _As long as it doesn't ask a particularly advanced question._ *"

"* _If this is acceptable, begin recitation,_ *" the ship said simply.

"* _The Code of the Sith is as follow, Jay,_ *" Essani told him. "* _Peace is a lie; there is only passion. Through passion, I gain strength. Through strength, I gain power. Through power, I gain victory. Through victory, my chains are broken._ *"

He shuddered slightly at the rush those words caused in him, a molten fire that closed his eyes as he drew a breath to settle himself again and respond to the ship.

"* _Peace is a lie; there is only passion. Through passion, I gain strength. Through strength, I gain power. Through power, I gain victory. Through victory, my chains are broken._ *" He didn't conceal his reaction to the words, the way they connected to something deep inside him and how _right_ they felt to a very real and very strong part of him, even beyond the Demon.

If the ship noticed, it didn't react, though he could tell that Essani was paying close attention.

"* _What is the worst flaw one can have?_ *" The ship asked.

"* _Love,_ *" Essani told Jay, her distaste for the answer obvious.

"* _Love,_ *" He answered, with 'weakness' a close, and more personal, echo to it.

"* _Internal defenses are being deactivated pending boarding,_ *" the ship informed him. "* _Be warned that any attempt to revive the mutiny that led to defenses being activated _will_ be met with force._ *"

"* _Understood,_ *" he replied easily and broke contact, shaking off the effects of it as he stood. "That ship has a serious attitude."

"It _is_ Sith," Shivasta pointed out quietly from where she'd been sitting silently, moving to rub Jay's shoulders lightly. "It sounded like it thought they'd won the war too."

"What other possibility is there?" He raised an eyebrow at her, the question both serious and rhetorical as he really settled back down and shoved everything that reacted to well to the Sith Code into the part of his mind that didn't get out unless he let it. "You _have_ to believe that when you're at war. Anything else will allow them to win."

"It's a computer, Jay," she said, not quite equating it to the same thing. "I doubt they gave it the same propaganda except for what it needed to give the crew."

"If you'll remember, cub, it also would have been right if not for a great deal of fortune on our part," Master Ursal pointed out from the door. "Custos Ramaris wants to know if we should approach the ship yet."

"Yes, we are cleared. It thinks this is a Sith ship, however. Let's try not to give it other ideas." Jay added quietly.

"Noted," the Bear nodded, turning to head out front.

"Hopefully there won't be too many opportunities to convince it otherwise," Shi murmured.

"Definitely," he nodded. "Getting the intruders off alive will be enough of an argument already." He shook his fur out and looked at his Master. "Who will be going on board with me?"

"* _I would recommend Knight Parn, Custos Ramaris, and the pack,_ *" Essani said easily. "* _The rest of us are much more likely to be recognized as Jedi based on our reactions. We'll come on later, once it's safe and if you can convince the ship that the war's over._ *"

"Agreed, Master." He inclined his head. "Would Doruth be my 'Master', or are we pretending I'm a full Sith already?"

"* _I would suggest that you defer to him, generally,_ *" the kushiban explained. "* _The ship would likely be more accepting of you taking orders from him if necessary if that was the case._ *"

"Understood," he nodded easily and relaxed a bit, preferring that himself. "We're docking," he added without having too look. "Are our robes a giveaway?"

"* _That is a point to consider,_ *" Essani admitted. "* _If the ship asks, simply explain that you weren't on an official mission when you located it. It will make not being in 'uniform' more acceptable, and explain the variety of outfits worn by all of you._ *"

"No problem," he nodded and headed to the exit area to meet up with the rest of the boarding team.

He found them all waiting; Tes, Doruth, and the four Wolves who'd taken them on as their Alphas in the past few years. The airlock opened, and they were all assaulted with the smell of the bodies that had been lying around for up to two weeks since the Kraken had come out of hyperspace and first been boarded.

"You are not wearing uniforms," a voice observed from a nearby intercom speaker. "Old Sith or new. Please explain."

"We were not on an official mission when you came out of hyperspace and we diverted." Jay explained smoothly.

"Ah," the voice said easily. "You are the one who established contact, yes?"

"Yes, he is," Doruth nodded. "My apprentice. Where are the intruders?"

"* _Not trying to step on your toes, Jay, just making sure it knows who's supposed to be in charge,_ *" the Panther told him.

Jay nodded fractionally, unable to respond silently to any but his Master.

"In a medical supply closet," the ship explained. "He has been making a great deal of racket since the defense systems went offline; I hope you will arrange an appropriate welcome for him. Unfortunately, a lot of organic forethought in my design left me unable to do so myself."

"Oh, we will," Jay chuckled softly, a dark sound to any that didn't know he was acting and headed for the location the ship provided him .

The two Jedi made their way through the ship, followed by the five Wolves with them. Blaster rifles and carbines were at ready, just in case the ship was setting them up. Skeletons and partly decomposed bodies of Rodians greeted them, more and more skeletons the further into the ship they got.

Finally, they reached the medical bay, a loud pounding coming from a sealed side-chamber, accompanied by shouting in rodese.

"Quiet down in there," Jay snarled back in rodese, his tone less than friendly as he settled into contact with the door itself and asked it to open more politely than he did for the creature on the other side. "You'll be out in a minute."

The door was less than thrilled with the idea of opening up; apparently, the Rodian had done an excellent job of making it difficult to do so on the inside. Still, with a screeching protest, it slid open to reveal an ill-dressed Rodian with a blaster in-hand, looking at them through wild black eyes that landed first on Jay's blacklight saber, lit to look like a normal one.

"Come quietly or come dead." Jay rumbled in rodese, his ears flat against his skull.

Doruth wanted to kick whatever quirk of fate had given Jay a possible reason to 'prove' his status as Sith to the ship.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" The Rodian squawked, tossing the blaster to the side and raising his hands in surrender. The room reeked, and the reason was soon apparent - a Sullustan in the back, very dead.

"Move," Jay snapped sharply in rodese, his 'saber deactivating with the motion. No one there could miss how bright the hatred was in him, or how tightly he was keeping it in check. The Rodian hurried out, moving past Tes as the shewolf turned to jab the barrel of her blaster rifle into his back, giving a suitable reason for Jay not to kill him.

"Back to the ship," Doruth ordered. "We'll need to find out what he knows before we finish him."

"I want him, Master." Jay rumbled, licking his lips in an eagerness that wasn't entirely faked.

"We'll see once we're back, Apprentice," Doruth told him firmly. "* _Don't get too into character, Jay,_ *" he added mentally and got a subtle nod to both.

It wasn't long before they were back on the Gurath, though the ship offered them use of its interrogation facilities, an offer that nearly blew their cover as Doruth had a very hard time not telling the ship's AI what exactly it could do with itself.

"Please, don't hurt me!" The Rodian begged in recognizable Basic as they got him back to their own ship. "I don't know anything!"

"Including how to recognize a Jedi." Jay actually chuckled in Basic, his voice low and a bit amused.

"Not just Jedi have lightsabers," the Rodian pointed out. "No Jedi threaten to kill me before, either."

"You were on board a Sith warship," Jay rolled his eyes. "Which definitely qualifies as the _dumbest_ thing I've ever seen one of you do."

"And if we weren't Jedi, we either would have killed you, or taken the ship up on its offer, Doruth pointed out.

"I didn't know there was anything on the ship yet!" The Rodian protested. "Thought it was just salvage, that the guys who went on before were stripping the place!"

"They would have, if Kraken hadn't had other ideas," Jay smirked slightly and leaned against the bulkhead, his manner giving no doubts that he had no sympathy at all for the recent dead. "It's not salvage."

"Hey, the crew's dead, been that way for who knows how long," the Rodian said defensively. "I've got a good legal claim to it, better than you Jedi have!"

"You really want to take it up with Kraken?" Jay raised an eyebrow, the threat in his manner clear. "Or maybe you'd prefer to fight me for it."

"Jay," Doruth said warningly and was relieved when he did so. "Calm down." The last thing he wanted to have happen was for Jay to kill the salvager. For one thing, out here, the Rodian was pretty much right, legally. "Why don't we talk this over somewhere a little more comfortable?" He suggested.

While Jay's manner towards the Rodian no less aggressive, it was offset by a decidedly acquiescing one towards the Panther.

"All right," the Rodian said, watching Jay warily. "He goes ahead of us though."

"Like that would help you," the teen smirked and took the lead without concern as Doruth sighed and followed with the Rodian back to the hold where Essani, Ursal, and Shivasta were waiting.

"You... you guys _are_ Jedi, right?" The Rodian asked nervously, looking at the gathered warriors and the Wolves waiting just outside the hold, all well armed.

"Is there anybody else who'd be sending this much trouble out after you?" Doruth asked, taking a seat.

"Well no, but after that ship... I mean, mercs might want it for a base or something...."

Jay almost made a reply, but a look from Master Essani silenced him.

"Mercs wouldn't have bothered to save your hide." Tes pointed out bluntly.

"They also probably would've been fried before they got to you," Doruth pointed out. "So, what will it take for you to go back home and leave the ship be?"

"Getting _my_ ship back and getting what I came here for," the salvager said bluntly.

"Your ship?" Ursal asked pointedly.

"Well... my partner's ship, but he doesn't exactly have any use for it any more, so it's company properly," he shrugged.

"What did you come for?" Jay asked darkly.

"It's a Sith ship!" The Rodian protested. "What else did I come for? Weapons, armor, holocrons - it's how I make my living!"

"Are you _sure_ I can't kill him?" Jay looked pleadingly at his Master, partly an act, but not exactly joking either.

"* _Jay,_ *" Essani told him firmly, "* _don't even joke about that. He hasn't tried to do anything wrong._ *"

"We'll help you get your ship back," Doruth offered. "But the rest you have no claim to."

"First salvager on the site to survive!" He said, adopting a posture Jay remembered too well from when he'd roomed with Navik. "It's my site until I'm done with it. Besides, what do you care about Sith things? You're Jedi!"

"The not surviving part can be arranged," Jay rumbled a warning in flawless Rodian. "Just try to get to your ship without my help."

"* _Jay, would you return to your quarters?_ *" Essani asked him, though there was little doubting that there was only one acceptable answer right now.

He glanced at her, a flicker of surprised recognition for just how out of character his behavior was in his eyes before he bowed and left without a word.

"* _Something has definitely gotten under his skin,_ *" Master Ursal commented silently to Master Essani.

"* _I'll talk to him later,_ *" Master Essani agreed.

"* _I will too, if it'll help,_ *" Shivasta told her Master while Doruth continued to focus on the Rodian.

"* _It likely will,_ *" Master Essani agreed. "* _Some things he hears better from his peers._ *"

"* _Go ahead,_ *" Doruth interjected. "* _That kit's starting to worry me. This guy doesn't need healing._ *"

Shivasta stood with a polite bow, following Jay to their quarters. He really was worrying her. Between his reaction to hearing the Sith Code, and especially the way he was acting now... she was almost afraid.

And she wasn't sure if it was for him... or of him.

"Sorry," he said softly when the door opened, not even looking up from his attempt to meditate that wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

"Mind telling me what happened?" Shivasta asked, letting the door close behind her and moving to sit down next to him.

"I'm not entirely sure," he admitted, his eyes downcast but his voice steady. "Somewhere between hearing the Sith Code and realizing I'll never be a Jedi ... it's got me all turned around. That Rodian was just a too-convenient target."

"What makes you think you'll never be Jedi, Jay?" Shi asked, putting an arm around his shoulder as he glanced up at her, the unguarded hurt mixed with anger visible in his eyes and mind.

"Outside of machines, I'm all but Force-blind, Shi." He said softly, a simple statement of the fact that had been a concern for some time, even if no one else realized that he knew. "I'm good at physical effects, but I can't pass a third of the Trials, and it's not for lack of training."

"And you still haven't come into your full powers," she pointed out. "What if most of your talents are connected to the powers you haven't taken yet?" She rubbed his back lightly. "Besides, it's not _that_ uncommon. You know as well as anybody, Jay - does _everybody_ match the average?"

"Almost nobody," he said softly and tried to put the hurt and the issues around it away for a while. "Most Padawans _do_ pass though, average or not."

"You're also not _ready_ to take your Trials yet," she pointed out. "Jay, you didn't _start_ your training until you were ten, most of us started a solid five years earlier. Do you know how many people start their training that late and still pass their trials as young as you?"

"Most can at least use telepathy with someone other than their Master by my point." He sighed and leaned against her, something in his manner giving her an instant flashback to their first few months together when she'd soothed away other fears. "I can pass every skill I can actually manage. I've surpassed most Knights in quite a few. And all that doesn't matter if I can't use telepathy or hide from Force-senses."

"No, it doesn't. It doesn't change that you're an incredible person. _If_ you still can't do that by the time you're ready to take your Trials, then it's true that you wouldn't make Jedi," she admitted. "But only because you can't fully train a Padawan to use skills you don't have yourself, and those _are_ important skills. But Jay, you may still _get_ those skills by the time you're ready."

"Only by letting the Demon in," he closed his eyes, struggling with that and several related issues. "I'm not convinced it's a good idea, even if it's my only hope to be a Jedi."

"I don't believe it's your _only_ hope, Jay," Shi said softly. "But if it is, and you don't take it, none of us will think any less of you. You know that, right?"

She almost winced when it hit her that he _didn't_ know. He probably couldn't believe it for a while either.

"Maybe," he murmured, trying to work on accepting it, even if he'd be a long way from doing the same.

She recognized that this was probably the time to leave him be; he'd have enough to think about without her there trying to bang her head against the brick wall he could be sometimes.

"I'll let you try to work it out, okay?" She said, kissing his cheek softly. "If you want to talk, I'm always willing to listen," she smiled.

"Thanks," he murmured and tried to relax his mind to deal with what had hit him so hard and how inappropriately he'd behaved.

* * *

  


* * *

"When were you going to tell me you are Jedi?" Kraken asked curiously while Jay was working on archaic navicomputer. He was alone in navigation; the others were all clearing out bodies and cataloguing what was left, figuring out what information the ship had on it.

"I'm not," he said quietly, almost a mutter, as he focused on untangling the mess that a thousand years unattended in hyperspace had done to the systems he needed to bring on line.

"You are not?" There was a surprised tone to Kraken's voice. "You aren't Sith either though. Only a Padawan, perhaps? It would explain your deference to the Panther before."

"Doesn't matter," he shrugged, a low rumble in his voice warning that this was _not_ a safe subject. "I'm not good enough for either."

"You don't feel you have the strength?" The ship asked. "I beg to differ. You simply haven't learned to use it properly."

Jay sighed and paused, half wondering why he was still talking to a ship he knew was going to try to turn him. "So what's it take to pass the Sith Trials?"

"Survival," Kraken answered easily. "Not nearly the emphasis on the ways and means. More the ends. Or you can take the third route."

"Which is?" He prompted, though he was fairly sure it was to kill your Master.

"Independence can be a wonderful thing. You have so much more freedom when you don't have to follow anybody's arbitrary code or rules."

"Odd thing for a Sith ship to suggest." He commented almost absently.

"If you, or your companions at least, _are_ Jedi, then logically Revan lost the war. Or Malak did, after killing Revan. One way or the other, the _Sith_ lost as well, and the Jedi are once again the dominant power in the Republic, if not Galaxy. What does an old soldier do when his side of the war disappeared while he was out of the action?"

"Go suicidal, go merc, go outlaw, rebuild his side, depending on inclinations." Jay said simply, not making the connection for a moment, then nodded thoughtfully when he did. But what use did he have for a ship this size? Nothing was that dangerous anymore. It'd be lonely just to himself.

"Or defect, which isn't an option for me," Kraken added. "They'd erase me, after they had everything they were looking for. I can show you things they wouldn't believe, places the Jedi don't realize exist."

"I've been to a few of them," he chuckled softly, though there was no humor in it as he realized why the Jedi were so wound up about how seductive the Dark Side and its practitioners were. "But how can you teach me?"

"I can't," Kraken admitted. "But I know the places and people who can. One of the advantages we have over the Jedi. There's a reasonably safe bet that even after a thousand years your list of contacts isn't _entirely_ useless anymore."

Jay blinked, trying to wrap his brain around that concept.

"Kraken, you need to be quiet so I can focus on repairs." He finally said. "No one's going anywhere until I finish."

"Very well," Kraken agreed. "We'll talk more later, perhaps."

"I'm sure we will." Jay agreed and focused back on the nav system.

* * *

"Is there something wrong, Jay?" Essani chirped as the airlock between the Kraken and the Gurath opened, letting the very wiped out and wound up tom into the smaller ship. They could have put it on board, but none of the Jedi involved felt all that comfortable with leaving themselves that vulnerable to the possible whims of the ancient battle cruiser.

"Besides a Sith ship making more sense than I ever wanted to hear?" He sighed and almost gratefully leaned back against the Gurath's bulkhead to close his eyes briefly. "I think get why you don't _talk_ to Dark Siders. Tempting doesn't even begin to describe it."

"What did it say?" She asked, leading him in. "We can talk in my quarters, or yours, if you'd prefer."

"Yours," he chose after a brief check with the Gurath. "Shi's resting in mine," he added as they headed for the kushiban's room. "He opened with asking when we were going to tell him we are Jedi."

"So it did figure it out," Essani observed, leading the way to her temporary quarters. "Not surprised, though it's good to know that it isn't shooting at us for lying to it."

"Between the promised repairs being underway and a shot at me, I think it's tolerating us as the lesser of two unpleasant choices. Kraken's not stupid. It knows it needs repairs or it will be stripped where it sits. It also realized that if we're Jedi, the Sith lost the war. Killing a Jedi boarding party is a sure way to get blown up where it sits." He paused, then sighed. "He wants to survive more than he wants to serve any particular side."

"We don't plan on blowing it up," Essani pointed out. "Or destroying it in any way. However, regardless of whether or not it wants to serve a particular side, surely you realize that the personality it has is dangerous?"

"Dangerous or not, he'll still be killed when we get to Coruscant." He said softly as the door closed behind them and he leaned back against the bulkhead. "Just because he's not a biological, he doesn't get a chance at redemption, or even survival long enough to prove he might be useful to us."

She knew that would be a touchy point with him... given his responses so far, it was practically a given.

"Jay, it's programmed to try and destroy the Republic, and to hate the Jedi. Programmed to serve the Sith. It's not a matter of choice for it."

"If it wasn't an AI, that may be true," he shook his head, knowing it was worthless to try to explain but unwilling not to say it anyway. "They can change as much as people. Wiping an AI for what it _may_ do is no different from killing a fallen Knight for what he _may_ do. It might not be understood here yet, but it's a long-accepted fact in civilized areas."

"Jay, do you believe that it would change, given the chance?" She asked him. "Do you really believe it isn't a threat?"

"He's a threat, yes." He acknowledged without hesitation. "So is anyone who's only known the Dark Side and betrayal. It doesn't make him any less redeemable than a biological person."

Essani considered that for a moment, and the very realistic danger that the ship might talk him into 'saving' it by running. If this was what one day did to Jay, she had few doubts how long her Padawan would last with only that ship for company.

Besides... he _did_ have a point.

"I'll speak to the Council about it when we return. But I can't make any promises, Jay."

"Thank you, Master." He bowed politely, surprise momentarily written on his face.

"Was there anything else it said that disturbed you?" She asked him and felt the real weight of the day settle on him.

"How tempting the offer really is," he admitted quietly. "To go independent, pick up what's useful of what's out there and follow my great-grandfather's path." He glanced over his shoulder towards the huge capitol-class ship they were docked with. "I could get home with a ship like that and a couple years to work it out." He looked down, away, anywhere but at his Master. "I'm still trying to work out what's here for me if I can't pass the Trials, if I even want to try to ... with what it'll take to have a shot. I can do a lot without letting the Demon in."

"Yes, you can," she agreed. "I can understand how tempting the offer is, Jay. We all face it eventually... usually more than once. And you really can't think of anything you could do if you can't pass your Trials?" She asked him seriously, looking up at him.

"Anything I'd _want_ to do," he said softly. "You can't take that much pride out of a Clawson, Master. We've got our purpose in reality ... to get this far and not make the cut ..." his voice drifted off, not any more sure how to explain it to her than he could to himself when he tried to be logical about things. No matter how hard he tried, the idea of being a Custos was humiliating on a level he couldn't take. It wasn't anything he didn't respect about Custos, it was just to be a lesser member of the Order himself around all those who he'd grown up and trained with ... and could out-class in so many fields.

"Jay, I'm afraid these things aren't ones that can just be fixed," she admitted. "But there are other things you can do, even outside the Order."

"I know," he said quietly. "They're that much further away from Shi and Fen. If it weren't for them, I'd have probably already moved on." He shifted uncomfortably. "I know these are things you can't change, Master. They are mine to work out. But they are what is troubling me, and you asked."

"I did," she nodded. "I am willing to talk about these issues, Jay. Part of my job as your Master is to help prepare you in case you can't pass your Trials as well, after all."

"Before we go there too much, I need to decide whether or not to take on the Demon." He smiled weakly. "As Shi likes to remind me, I may have enough of a connection after that. I'm not in the situation most would be at this point if they couldn't access the Force well enough in all areas." He lowered his eyes slightly. "Hope can get you a long ways, but it can make failure even harder too. And working with that ship all day is not making the choice any easier to work out. He's very good at knowing what to say to get to my doubts." He made a concerted effort to settle himself and managed after a moment. "I'm just glad that Shi's here to remind me that there's a lot of positive things in my life too."

"Why don't you go to her, for now," Essani said softly. "Would you promise me one thing first, Jay? If you feel like the ship's about to talk you into anything, come to one of us before you do it. Give us a chance to convince you it's a bad idea, if it is."

"I will, Master." He agreed easily, his absolute trust in her a sharp contrast to the turmoil of the rest of his mind. "I will see you in the morning?"

"Or later tonight, if something comes up or you want some extra company for dinner," she nodded, her fur tingling a light gold with the offer.

"If I'm awake when you eat, I think so." He couldn't help but smile as he crouched to stroke her long, soft ears along her back. "Right now, Shi's worried about me." He stood and paused. "Thank you Master, for talking."

"You're welcome, Jay," she said easily. "Now go, let your mate take care of you."

"Yes, Master." He chuckled slightly and left, looking forward to feeling Shi against his body and just holding her for a few hours as he settled back into what he knew; in the end, was the right path for him.

* * *

Tes stretched in their relatively small bed, amused that of the ten on board, only the two Masters had any desire for private quarters. Everyone else had a mate or three to bunk with. 

Fortunately, it made it easier to fit everybody on board. Otherwise, they'd be pushing the Gurath well towards its limits.

She wrapped her arms around Doruth's broad shoulders and hugged him, snuggling in, happy to have him off that Sith ship.

"Have you thought about what's going to happen when you become a Master?" She asked softly.

"To an extent," he nodded. "You?"

"Possibly," she nuzzled him. "Depends on when you plan to take on another Padawan."

"Honestly, that hadn't been something I'd been thinking too much of," he admitted. "It was good working with Fenrik, but I'm not really a full teacher, in the long run. You're thinking about another litter?"

"Yes," she murmured and snuggled close. "I like being a mother."

"With one of the others?" He asked her, rubbing her back.

"Possibly," she considered it, "but I'm still partial to an outsider. It keeps pack politics to a minimum, and you must admit the best sires are Jedi."

"True," he smiled, snuggling up. "For you, at least. You'll want full Wolf again, of course?"

"For the ones I carry at least," she nuzzled him and licked his ear. "But we can time it so they have a half-cat littermate or three."

"Might be good," he murmured. "How soon after Fenrik's knighting are you looking to get 'started'? The heat after?"

"That kind of depended on whether you were looking to take on another Padawan right away or not. It's not good if I'm getting nesty and all snippy right when you bring in a pup to train. But if you aren't ... within the year he's knighted at least. Timing with missions and who I want to sire have to be accommodated."

"Well, at least you aren't going to have to worry about me going on missions alone while you're on leave," he smiled, kissing her softly. "I'd been thinking of spending a lot more time in the field after Fenrik's knighting," he admitted. "More serious missions, if possible, which kind of makes taking on a Padawan counter-productive."

"Quite true," she snuggled close. "And once their eyes are open, I have someone to nurse them so I can come along sometimes."

"That you do," he smiled, holding her close. "I'm glad you talked me into that," he admitted, nuzzling her neck as she reached down, between their bodies to roll his velvety balls between her fingers.

"Even if you never do quite get used to pack life." She rumbled and kissed him with a lingering passion.

"Mmm ... somebody's interested in practice," he rumbled, returning the kiss and cupping her full breasts with his hands.

* * *

A moan, his own, reached Jay's ears even before the pleasure that caused it registered with his waking mind and he reached down to caress the thick hair on the head over his groin. Shivasta's hands rubbed his thighs, the familiar coolness of her skilled mouth around his cock a welcome feeling, especially this morning.

"Ohhh, Shi," he moaned throatily and spread his legs for her, his breath quickening. "Want in you." He groaned, reaching further down to rub her cool shoulders.

"Want this first?" She asked him, looking up from between his legs, running her tongue up the rows of barbs that lined his shaft.

"Want _in_ you," he groaned and tugged her shoulders lightly. She slid up along his body, kissing him deeply as she straddled his hips.

"Go on," she murmured.

"Lube," he murmured, his desire for the gel that made it painless for her clear in his mind and voice as he ran his hands down her back. His mind opened the drawer it was in and brought it over. "Slow and gentle." He added with a kiss.

"All right," she nodded, taking the tube and reaching down to spread the thick green gel on his cock, savoring his moans at the attention. "And you know I'll never complain about slow," she added with a smile and a kiss that was returned with a smoldering heat as he sank into her body.

"Mmm, thank you, for last night." He murmured softly while his hands rubbed her back and his thrusts slow and deep.

"You needed the sleep," she rumbled, groaning as he spread her body open. "Mmm... not that I don't appreciate your 'thank you,'" she chuckled, kissing his neck.

"I needed to hold you," he murmured with a pleasured sound at being deep inside her body as he held her close, using a little telekinesis to stroke her where his hands couldn't reach so easily.

"You can always do that," she murmured, groaning as his shaft rubbed against some of her deepest pleasure points. "Mmm... love you, Jay...."

"Love _you_ Shi." He whispered and kissed her, as slowly and deeply as he took her body. "But not always," he added as they moved in a loving pleasure that came easily after over six years together. "Never on board that ship."

"Won't have to be there... mmm... much longer," she murmured. "And if you need to, you can take a break, come back to me...."

"Yes," Jay hissed, both in response to her words, her presence and the pleasure building in his body as he closed his eyes and pulled her down tight against his chest.

She tightened her body around him, milking his hot cock with her sex, kissing him passionately as he let go of his control, groaning into her mouth and tightening his arms around her with the first thrust of any strength that pushed them quickly towards the mutual climax that was as much from their shared emotional state as the pleasure of their bodies.

She moaned into his mouth, her sex starting to flutter around him as they approached their climaxes. She tightened her fingers in his fur, crying out in pleasure as she came hard with his hot seed splashing against her cervix and his roar echoing over her voice until their movements stilled to small rubbing and sounds of pleasure that wasn't completely physical.

"Thank you, for being you." Jay whispered, her empathy nearly on overload with how much he really meant by those words. An intensity and feelings he didn't even have words for, but wanted to try and say anyway.

"You're welcome," she murmured, having to pull her empathy back to keep from losing herself in it. "And thank you," she added, rubbing his back. "Love you so much, Jay. Nothing's going to change that."

"Thank you," he hugged her tightly. "Shi? A favor, please?" He looked up into her dark blue eyes, almost pleading. "Never go on board that ship, not even if they wipe his memory."

"Why not?" She asked, worried about him more than the promise he was asking for.

"Because he's a full mechanical sentient, an AI. Even if they wipe him, no one here knows _how_ to kill an AI, much less one that old and sneaky. He'll still be in there, waiting for an opportunity." He tried to explain something that was as much instinct as from his earliest years of education by his father and siblings. "I don't want you at risk, or used against me, and he will if he has a clue you exist."

"Jay, are _you_ in danger?" She asked him pointedly.

"Only in terms of being turned," he admitted quietly. "He _is_ a Sith-raised AI. That's what had me so wound up yesterday, he spent most of it trying to talk me into leaving with him." He explained with a sigh and hugged her tightly. "You and Master Essani are the key to keeping that from happening. I don't want to give it a shot at either of you in _any_ context."

"I'll stay off unless that changes," she promised him. "But if it's the choice between staying off and getting you off it safely, I'm coming after you."

"That I can accept," he kissed her gently; his cock still hard and deep inside her cool body. "Just no work details."

"All right," she nodded, squeezing down around his length lightly to draw a light moan. "I have work I can do here instead... like keep you remembering the things you like about life here."

"Mmm, you're good at it too," he purred and thrust lightly into her as he gently took her hands in his and guided them to pin his over his head.

"Then let me remind you," she rumbled, shifting her hands to hold his wrists together and leaning down to kiss him as she started to move herself along his shaft in a game that was nearly as old as their relationship.

* * *

"How does this 'gift' of yours work?" Kraken asked curiously while Jay was doing the preliminary inspection of its ruined engines.

"It depends on exactly what I'm trying to do." He said easily without breaking his inspection. "Yesterday I convinced the nav system to go back to its correct state. Part of it is talking; part of it's using enough power to make it happen. Right now I can feel what parts should be and what they are now. Once I have an understanding of what needs to be repaired and in what order, I'll repeat what I did in nav here."

"And yet you have little or no actual familiarity with how the parts work, or what they are supposed to do?"

"I don't need to," he shrugged. "The parts know what they were. I can improve it if I know how things work, but repairing is just putting it back to original condition."

"There's something else you're not saying yet," Kraken observed, getting a confused look from the feline.

"About my Gift? Plenty." He shrugged. "I can talk to things, get them to go what I want most of the time. I'll probably be able to do more in time."

"But you're not certain about it. Or you're afraid of what's involved. Why are you afraid of what you were born to be?"

That raised an eyebrow even as he realized the ship must be Force-sensitive to know such a thing. That or it knew him from the future, which was less likely.

He knew he shouldn't really answer, but this point of view, the Dark Side ... did it really matter how he came to an answer as long as he did?

"I was taught to be," he answered quietly.

"By the Jedi, I assume," Kraken observed. "They would have so much knowledge be destroyed in the name of the greater good."

"No, by the creature who's locked behind the same door as the rest of the power." He corrected him a bit sharply. "That ... _thing_ ... keeps trying to smother me."

"My mistake," Kraken apologized. "Perhaps there is some way to control it, to tame the beast, as it were?"

"That or kill it are the general plans," he nodded. "I've had plenty to learn without dealing with the extras so far."

"Tame it, or tolerate it?" Kraken asked. "They are two distantly different things, after all. Enough will can tolerate anything... it takes more effort to bend it _to_ your will."

"I'd rather kill it than either," he shrugged. "It's irritating."

"You do have potential," Kraken observed approvingly. "Though how do you plan on doing that when you can only reach it mentally?"

"Haven't a clue," he commented absently, focusing a little more on a bit of the engines that were so badly mauled that they barely remembered what they had been.

The lightsaber damage that had been done to them was obvious... and that these were a painfully important part. He recognized them now; the flux generators that allowed a ship to move in and out of hyperspace.

No wonder it had been a thousand years before Kraken showed up again ... though the lightsaber damage was unusual, to say the least. But then, there _had_ been a mutiny of some kind. All sorts of weird damage happened in those.

"My databanks indicate that there are techniques that would make such a thing possible, even simple if you were good enough at them," Kraken suggested. "Stored on one of the holocrons your friends have removed."

"What's the title?" He asked easily as he filed that tidbit away to be double-checked for accuracy later.

"Solchro," Kraken answered just as easily. "A Sith technique, of course."

"I kind of guessed that," he chuckled and moved on to the rest of his inspection. "Or it would have been mentioned by someone else now."

"As is often the case, some of the most useful abilities are censored," Kraken agreed. "Even some that only the Jedi practice have been banned."

"Welcome to bureaucracy," he shrugged. "What's good for the masses cripples the elite who obey the rules. It's been true since society first formed."

"And yet that's the weakness of the 'protectors of the Republic,'" Kraken pointed out. "The weakness they're training you to follow and believe in."

"I know," he admitted uneasily. "I didn't have many options."

"But you do now. Options that won't cripple you when you need it ... when the people you care about need it."

"Sith don't have people they care about," Jay sort of chuckled. "They're a liability."

"True. However, as we've already discussed, the Sith aren't exactly a viable force anymore. The question is how long will the Jedi be one. After all, the last times I'm aware of that the Republic they so proudly claim to protect was in serious danger, either they were the threat or they refused to face it."

Jay paused in his inspection again, reviewing history and grudgingly had to agree. The Order had a lot of black eyes when it came down to acting as an _order_ , rather than as individuals. Events that even civilians wouldn't forget for many, many generations to come. The Republic would fall before the Order would be forgiven some of them.

It wasn't a thought that particularly displeased Jay either, the fall of the Republic. He still couldn't call it civilized, not even to its people. Better than the Hutts and many others, yes, but being the closest to civilized do not make one civilized. Aristal was far from perfect, but at least they'd figured out how to feed and house everyone before they went and called themselves a civilized _world_ and went out to seriously colonize other worlds and present themselves to whatever other people were out there as a society to be reckoned with.

"Bureaucracies," he muttered quietly as he was forced to examine, once again, whether he wanted to be a defender of a system he despised most days.

Kraken was distantly silent, recognizing that now was a good time to let the young Jedi think... now that he was thinking the way it wanted him to.

* * *

Essani rushed through the Kraken's corridors, searching for the engine room. The disturbance in the Force was almost physically palpable, like the waves and eddies in its flow were being drawn into a whirlpool. What was more disturbing was the chill she felt, the power of the Dark Side being woven into what otherwise felt like a Healer's work. She knew the only possible source was Jay, so she had volunteered to find out what was happening.

She just hoped it was his repair work, and not the ship getting... chatty. She'd been able to feel how disturbed he'd been during the last few hours, the conflicts that were being set up in his mind. The only reason she hadn't come here sooner was because she was hoping he'd be able to work through them on his own, and he had seemed to. He'd settled in the previous hour, his mind stilling as he put the troubling thoughts from his mind.

Then this had begun.

She skidded to a stop as the engine room door opened for her, her eyes going wide and fur a rich, deep teal from its previous light grey. The Force _was_ a physical presence around Jay, golden light swirling and moving into the pieces of machinery he touched to bring it to better-than-new condition as he focused on it. But the Dark was there too, small ribbons of black in the sparkling mass that all but filled the Star Destroyer's engine room, fixing everything it touched.

She couldn't help but wonder if the Kraken's construction had resembled this, from what she'd learned about how it had likely been built.

"* _Jay, you're working too fast,_ *" she tried to tell him, hoping to get through his working trance without harming anything.

It took a moment, but she could feel him separate enough attention to answer her on their bond, more heavily shielded that anything he'd said before. "* _He's Force-aware ... I need this _done_._ *"

"* _Just be careful _how_ you do it,_ *" she warned him. "* _You're calling on the Dark Side, strengthening the taint that's already here, without realizing it._ *"

She knew that got through to him. Though he made no reply in words, the strands of Dark that had crept into the Force around him were carefully hunted down and removed, one by one, until there was only the golden shimmering of the Light in the room.

She felt how much more effort this took him as well. Not so much in doing the work with only the Light, but in keeping the Dark out of it when it _wanted_ in, and may even be being feed to him directly by the Demon.

By the time the Force began to fade from the visible spectrum and smoothed out to its normal pattern, he was trembling, his work unfinished but called to a halt while he could still walk himself back to his bed to rest.

Essani walked over, nuzzling his leg lightly, trying to lend him a little strength.

"* _Go rest,_ *" she told him carefully. "* _I'm going to have a few words with this ship._ *"

"* _Be careful, Master._ *" He nodded before he left. "* _I _really_ need to talk to you when I'm coherent again._ *"

"* _I understand,_ *" she nodded. She walked with Jay to the airlocks, making sure he was back on board and safe before she turned to face the ship.

"So, did the Sith program you with my language, or am I going to have to get creative in expressing my displeasure?"

"I understand you, Kushiban." Kraken replied evenly in Basic.

"Good." Her fur went white as she wrapped her emotions up tightly; she knew the ship could read them if it could understand her, and she wasn't going to give it any information she didn't intend to. "You're not exactly making much of a case for not being erased when we get you back to Coruscant."

"As if it was ever in doubt I would be," Kraken pointed out. "The Council would never permit me to exist any longer than it has to."

"Actually, Jay raised some valid points. It was going to be considered before your memory wipe. Though it seems I was right in the first place; even an AI is a droid. It can't make that fundamental a change."

"Why would I _want_ to?" He countered. "Surely not even you are arrogant enough to believe that someone would give up what they are for no reason."

"To change entirely, no. However, given that the odds of survival improve the _less_ you prove yourself to be just as intent on turning Jedi as the one who built you, one would imagine you would have a vested interest in at least appearing to have turned over a new leaf."

"You assume that I have any chance of survival other than getting out of Jedi hands and this galaxy." Kraken pointed out. "Even you admit that it is Jay's arguments that even produced a hearing for me. Under the law, I am still not a person. I still have no rights and no way to ensure my own survival but to get to a place where AI's are respected as the sentients we are. Jay knows how to get there."

"And you have ways to convince him of taking you other than turning him to the Dark Side," Essani countered. "As you know."

"I have not tried to turn him to the Dark Side." Kraken informed her. "I have done nothing more than talk to him about what he is doing to me and offered what I can in exchange for saving my life. It is his own doubts that make more of it than it is. Or perhaps yours about him."

Years of training at controlling her emotions kept Essani from responding to that last suggestion the way she wanted to.

"Then I suggest you restrain your comments to how he can repair you, rather than engaging in more philosophical discussions. I assure you, I make sure he had sufficient opportunity to occupy himself that way."

"Very well, Jedi." The ship acquiesced.

"Good," she said simply. "I'm sure the work will be done more quickly and pleasantly for all of us."

* * *

Shivasta rubbed Jay's back as he finally started to wake up the next day. He'd practically passed out after he'd wrapped his arms around her the night before, and she hadn't wanted to wake him up early, so she still wasn't sure what had happened the night before.

Now, he was stirring, and she was hoping he'd be willing to talk about what had upset him the night before... and what he'd been doing on that ship.

She knew the pattern well by now. Slight shifting, then he nuzzled her and tightened his arms around her before his hands moved along her smooth skin. The feel of his hot fur against her entire body brought up memories that were only enticed by the way his hands moved along her back and the back of her thigh.

"Mmm... feeling better this morning?" She asked him, scratching his shoulders and neck lightly.

"Yes," he smiled, still only half awake and enjoying the time with her. "Mostly I was just exhausted."

"You work too hard," she murmured softly, kissing him softly. "And that ship's not good for you."

"Gods, don't I know it." He sighed and hugged her tightly. "He's _very_ good at getting to me. Might be better now, Master Essani 'talked' with him last night."

"Well it's still there, so it can't have gone too badly," Shi murmured, hugging him back. "Jay, if it's getting to be too much, let one of us know. I'm sure we can find some way of getting it back... repairing the ship is the best way, but not if it keeps _doing_ this to you."

"Repairing him _is_ the only real option," he shook his head. "Either by me or by a crew of a dozen engineers. I'll be finished today. The bad part is that he's only trying to survive, doing what he is. He'll be killed when we get to Coruscant."

"Well the way he's trying to survive is hurting _you_ ," Shivasta pointed out softly. "The last week you've been more exhausted, more troubled, every time you leave that ship."

"I know," he murmured. "Mostly because what he says makes _sense_. It just goes against almost everything being a Jedi means. He's gotten me to really look at the Jedi and the Republic ... and I _do not_ like what I've learned."

"Are you sure you've looked at the entire picture?" She asked him softly. "Yes, the Order has some black eyes... and nobody would say the Republic doesn't... but it's not like that's the whole picture."

"Truth is I've never liked the Republic, and parts of the Order have grated on me from the beginning," he admitted quietly. "It's a lot better than being homeless in Hutt space ... I've got a goal and something worthwhile to do with myself ... but I cringe every time I hear it described as 'civilized'. Those aren't things Kraken even mentioned. He just made me look at my life and choices with eyes that don't belong to a starving ten year old grateful for anybody to talk to and steady meals. I'm not that kit anymore."

"What is it that makes the Republic uncivilized?" She asked him, wondering just where his definition differed from most people's.

"It doesn't take care of its people, it doesn't treat anything not biological as even a possible sentient, it can't keep peace within its own borders or enforce the most basic of its laws ... what _is_ civilized about it?"

"Did they always manage to do that where you came from?" She asked him. "On your homeworld, not the ship. Always manage to enforce the law, never let a criminal get away? Ensure that everybody had their needs provided for? Always keep the peace?"

"No, as long as they accept the help and yes." He answered with a sigh, regretting bringing it up already. Of _course_ she'd be a little defensive of her home being called uncivilized. He would be too.

"The Republic doesn't always do those things, but peace is the norm, not the exception, especially on an interplanetary level. Most of the laws are enforced most of the time, even without the Jedi getting involved. Groups like the Exchange and the Hutts... unfortunately, I've come to learn that organized crime is as much a hallmark of civilization as peace and general lawfulness. If you stop and look at the Republic as an entity, like it was a single world, instead of looking at the member worlds and the problems they have, it's not as bad as it might seem."

"I disagree that they usually manage to enforce the laws, keep the peace or care for its citizens overall," he shook his head. "Particularly the last one, and there is _no_ attempt worth taking seriously to do so. It's not a priority to the politicians or people here."

"Not to enough of them to force it," she admitted. "One of the problems with any government that has to compromise. But what would happen without it?" She asked him.

"A new one would form," he said with the confidence of having it happen often enough in living memory to really be sure of himself. "One that serves the needs of the people. The Republic has become stagnant, complacent. There is no drive left to make things better, or even keep them from getting worse." He shivered slightly, disturbed to his very core at the concept.

"And in the meantime? The Republic wasn't created overnight. If it fell, entire planets would collapse in on themselves. Systems would fall into war that _is_ being held off. And what would form _might_ be better. There are a handful of groups with the power to pick up the pieces right away - and you know the people would want them picked up. Would things be any better under the Hutts, or groups like Czerka Corporation?"

Jay sighed and rolled to his back. "That's the thing, Shi. The Republic _will_ fall, sooner or later. It's just a matter of when and exactly how. Things have gone too far to not have a major shakeup when something shifts just a little too much for them to compensate for. I wouldn't give it more than a generation or two for things to hit a head. What's _not_ around that I can find is anything capable of picking up the pieces that _would_ be better. It's been so long since there has even been _hope_ around here that no one seems to know what it means."

"Then what are we supposed to do?" She asked him. "If it's going to fall eventually... and to be fair, I agree with you there... if it's going to fall, then what is there to do to try and keep things from getting worse?"

"A lot depends on things I don't know," he admitted. "Like how much grassroots support there is for change, what technology and the effective forces can actually handle, what local governments support the changes and what they can actually do and what the actual issues are. Change is rarely easy; change on this scale is usually painful. 

"At least for us, it was a three-pronged plan and it was bloody for a while." He said simply. "First was to gather allies into a cohesive group and set all out spare resources on one problem at a time until it was dealt with. Hunger, living conditions, education, Organized crime, Omegas, problem corporations, other governments. Each obstacle was tackled in a territory in an organized manner.

"Once that was done, they had the experience to write a governmental and legal system to maintain it, taking the most effective parts from all those who contributed and what they'd learned in working together. It was one of the cleanest revolutions in history, but it had a _lot_ of popular support from the people as well."

"And I kind of doubt it'll happen on a galactic scale," Shi murmured, rubbing his chest lightly. "It's hard enough to make happen on far, far small scales, even when everybody knows the change has to happen."

"Yeah," he sighed. "That's not the kind of revolution that is likely to happen here. There are different problems, different solutions, different long-term issues. But just because it's a galactic government doesn't mean that it _can't_ have a better government, or at least a better variant of this one."

"That I'll give you," she nodded. "It used to _be_ better, before the money got involved and the senators realized it was easier to stay on the Senate if they kept the wealthy happy rather than their people." She sighed, shaking her head. "You might be surprised, given that I was just defending the Republic and Order, but I'm not one of the people who really believes that every world out there should join the Republic. Mine included," she admitted.

"But these days, joining the Republic isn't just about having it be right, it's about survival and being the best choice out of a lot of bad ones. Not many worlds can stand up to the Hutts or corporations alone. The Republic at least gives some protection in theory."

"And they do," she nodded. "Honestly, I have no clue what's going on with the debate back home. But one thing I've seen is that the price is more than what people see. You're not sure of the Republic's ability to protect, to keep things stable. What I'm not sure about is its tendency to destroy what it protects. Not literally, of course, but any planet that joins the Republic usually does so at the cost of its people's real identity. The Jedi try to preserve the culture of its members. The Republic is less concerned with things like that."

"Because it's not conducive to peace," he chuckled humorlessly, not buying for a minute that the Order tried to preserve the original culture of its members. It went against everything they were, everything they'd taught him. "When people are all following the same culture, they tend to be less likely to fight each other."

"Once they all agree to it," she nodded. "You might call it a bad habit, but I'm still a little too attached to who my people were and are to think giving that up would be a good idea in exchange for what we'd get out of it. As it is, there are very few groups that want the resources Garosh has to offer; mostly the Jedi and a few specialized business concerns."

"Has there been any offer to the Jedi directly?" Jay asked, seeing the immediate middle ground. "A world like that wouldn't need much protection."

"I don't honestly know," she admitted. "After all, I haven't been back there since I was an infant. I just know there's been debate about joining the Republic from what I've been able to learn about the current events that are relayed to the Jedi that anybody can get to. An offer like that would be kept pretty quiet."

Jay stilled, thoughtful for a moment as he played ideas around that he had found more and more interesting in recent years as he began to grasp just what he could do to the corporate world, just with the money his current inventions had generated. "What resources _does_ it have to offer?"

"Crystals mostly," she explained. "Exotic animals, skilled warriors, but as far as most people are concerned it's the crystals that are of any interest."

"The ones in our lightsabers," he didn't really have to guess. He opened his mouth to say something else, only to have no sound to come out as his brain clicked into _something_.

Shi sighed and shifted to let him get up as his mind started tackle whatever he was working out. She couldn't help but smile a bit when he mumbled an apology for disappearing and kissed her as he dressed and all but bolted from the room, as excited as a kid in a candy store over whatever he'd thought up this time. It had been years before he had remembered _anyone_ when he got one of his ideas like this.

At least he probably wouldn't be spending the day on that Sith ship.

* * *

Jay stretched in place, pleased with the result of the last few hours and stood smoothly to find his Master with the hope it was early enough she was still on board. It wasn't difficult to find her on the small ship; it wasn't a surprise that she was in the meditation room either. With her fur a snowy white, her eyes closed and ears smooth against her back he knew she was meditating. It was a sight he'd seen often enough.

Without a sound he settled nearby; close enough she was aware of his presence and that he was not here to meditate, but not intrusive enough to disrupt her.

It wasn't long before first one eye opened, then the other, and she stood to stretch out, the fingers of her forepaws splaying out as a ripple passed through her fur and her long tail curled around. She sat back down, looking over at Jay, who smiled at her. 

"Good morning, Master."

"Would you like to talk here, or in one of our quarters?" She asked him, cocking her head slightly.

"I think your quarters would be best." He said softly, a seriousness that was as much at the core of his disturbance as the actual subject. "Some things ... I think are better left known to as few as possible for now."

"Very well," she nodded, standing and starting for her room. "Is there something wrong?"

"I am not sure if it is wrong, but there _are_ things I need to ask you about what Kraken said, and what the past few days have made me realize about myself."

"All right," she nodded, leading the way back to her quarters as the Tes' Pack worked on sorting the Sith artifacts with Doruth, Tes, and Master Ursal. When they reached her quarters, she hopped up onto a chair, then to the small desk near there, and turned to look at Jay as he took his own seat on the bunk nearby.

"They're your questions," she said simply.

"What is the problem with Solchro?" He began with the simplest, and potentially most explosive, question he had.

"That's not a technique we know much about," she admitted. "But it's related to Morichro, another technique that is exceedingly rare, allows the user to put another into a hibernative trance. The reason we discourage the teaching of Morichro is because it can prove fatal to the victim, though it usually doesn't. Solchro isn't that merciful. The technique rips the mind apart piece by piece, killing the victim in a way that is exceedingly painful, dangerous for the user, and draws heavily on the corrupting power of the Dark Side."

"There is a holocron in the archives teaching it." He told her simply. "Is there a variant that is not so brutal?"

"I'd hoped that wouldn't be mentioned," she frowned slightly. "And no, not that we know of. Not that kills, at least. Mind control can serve to make the mind shut down or go to sleep."

"It was suggested as a way to deal with the Demon, once it's loose." He explained. "Under 'how do you kill something you can't touch.'"

"By the Kraken? I'm not surprised. Mastering and wielding that sort of power would corrupt you faster than the Demon would," she said seriously, her fur turning a light grey. "It's similar to Force Lightning. Twisting pure Dark Side energy and wielding it through the will is difficult, and requires much more than dabbling in it - more like diving in and facing it in all its horror."

Jay nodded, a slight shiver creeping down his spine as he remembered what the Dark felt like. "It would also work against the Demon, most likely." He said softly. "That is part of what has bothered me. What is likely to work are all Dark skills, there is nothing inherent in the Force to stop a Light skill from having the same end result, but those skill do not seem to exist."

"There is one," Essani said softly. "Two, possibly. But they work in a different way. And there is something inherent in the Force to cause it, Jay. The Force is life. Warping it to cause death... that's the Dark Side. The two skills that may work against the Demon are also well beyond what you are capable of wielding right now," she said seriously.

He nodded acceptance of it. "Are they things that can be used through me?"

"Possibly," she nodded. "It will take some research, but it may be possible. I need to know what risks are acceptable to you though."

"* _If_ it can kill the Demon, keep it away not just from me but my kin as well, up to my Gifts, the Force and my life." He said seriously.

"I'll do what research I can, Jay. However, there's little that can be guaranteed. Either of the two approaches might work, but either of them might have serious consequences... up to and including cutting you off from the Force. Unfortunately, we also can't discount the possibility that doing something that would sever the Demon from the Force might wound the Force itself, even if only the Dark Side. It's going to take a great deal of work."

He nodded and looked at her seriously. "It will be killed, Master. It is just a question of when and at what cost. Now that there are Clawsons who are Force-sensitive in a real sense, sooner or later one of us will do whatever it takes, even if that means going completely Dark. I would rather have it be a more controlled situation."

"As we all would," she nodded, her fur darkening slightly. "You do have to understand that there may be repercussions beyond your family though."

"There always are, Master." He nodded seriously. "I do understand."

"Was there anything else you wanted to discuss?" She asked him, fairly sure he'd had more questions.

He paused, considering his words carefully. "You do realize that no one here knows how to kill an AI." He started quietly, omitting that he did, at least in theory. "Much less this one, which has more going for it than most do in trying to survive an attempt. If you do choose to kill him, you may free him instead if it's not done right."

"Free him how?" She asked, cocking her head as her fur shifted to a light shade of teal. "How would it be any different than wiping any other droid's memories and personality?"

Jay couldn't help but groan. It was strangely painful to hear such ignorance from his Master after all these years listening to his rail against the state of society in relation to how it treated semi-intelligent machines. "In layman's terms or details?' He asked with a breath, knowing he could go over way her head technically if he wasn't careful.

"Layman's terms for now," she answered. "Keep in mind Jay; most of us don't have the sense for technology that you do. The difference between the Kraken's AI and any other droid seems to be minimal.

"Then begin with the fact that he _is_ Force-aware." He settled in. "He has self-preservation instincts that exceed most biological sentients. He has had over a thousand years to prepare for the eventuality and little else to do with his time." He paused to regard her steadily. "The Sith were even more likely to try and wipe him than we are. Even _if_ you manage to kill his primary brain, _and_ you manage to find all the backups and wipe them too _before_ he manages to download himself to another advanced computer, you are dealing with a Force-aware entity. There is a possibility he is willful enough to make the leap to an entirely new kind of Force Ghost."

"Force aware, not sensitive," Essani pointed out gently. "There's a subtle difference, but an important one. How would you recommend dealing with him then?" She asked, already sure she knew the answer.

"If he's too dangerous to live, melt the entire ship down far enough away from inhabited planets to keep him from making the jump to another computer. Not just blow him up, but a true meltdown to component alloys. Preferably under the supervision of at least a cyberpath to keep tabs on him as he dies."

"Which leaves you as our only qualified person," she pointed out. "You don't believe a sufficiently skilled slicer would be able to deal with it?"

Jay thought for a while, debating the odds and the definition of 'sufficiently skilled' in relation to a thousand year old AI facing execution. "Yes, one could." He finally nodded. "Whether such a person exists in this galaxy I'm much less confident of."

"You might be surprised," she chuckled slightly. "We'll have to see what resources we can bring to bear on the issue."

"Have you chosen not to hear his case before the Council then?" He asked quietly.

"I meant depending on the results," she explained. "Though I'm afraid that I can't say the odds are particularly good for him."

"I know." He admitted, his frustration evident despite the calm exterior. "Even though he has not _done_ anything wrong."

"Jay, this ship was built by an artifact of the Dark Side," she said softly. "It's the last remaining example of the ships built by the weapon that ultimately destroyed the society that preceded the Republic, and nearly destroyed the Republic itself. Kraken's AI is from the same source, created by the same energy."

"So the child of a Darksider is as guilty as his father?"

"A child, no. But this isn't a child. Even if we accept it as a sentient, it's creature of the Dark Side. Not one who chose that path, but one who was born to it, and to no other path. What do you think happened to the crew? What do you think this ship was _meant_ to do, and would have done if its crew hadn't stopped it?"

"He would have done the same as his sister, Leviathan," he shrugged. "And that's grounds for execution. Right now, he's done less wrong than I have. Yes, he's was born of the Dark Side, it's what he knows and believes in. I think he's very dangerous on many levels. But I can not condone killing a sentient who has not _done_ anything wrong yet."

"I will make sure the point is raised, Jay," she tried to reassure him. "But frankly, the best thing you could do to help him survive right now would be to completely disable its weapon systems beyond the ability to repair. You do have a valid point, but you're still asking us to release a being that would cheerfully destroy Coruscant, and is capable of doing so."

He regarded her levelly, something in his manner decidedly unsettling though it was impossible to pinpoint exactly what it was.

"Then give him the opportunity to hang himself." He told her with a rough edge on his voice. "A Trial he doesn't know about. You do it often enough to your own, turn that skill on the enemy to prove he _is_ deserving of execution."

She had to wonder what killing the thousands of crewmembers it had counted as. She was certain they hadn't all died in Hyperspace; there were plenty of supplies left that had never been touched. She was equally certain that, whatever the ship had told Jay, it hadn't been the captain's decision. The terror and fear of the ship's former inhabitants was plan as day to her... and they weren't afraid of any living threat.

At the same time, it was too smart to give them another such excuse. Not when _not_ doing so might buy it time to get loose, or wait for another sort of rescue. That, ultimately, was the reason she distrusted it as much as she did. A living Dark Sider might turn, might redeem themselves. The Kraken had no such spark of redemption, no desire, no remorse. It only wanted to survive... and a swordpoint conversion was meaningless.

"We'll consider it," she said. "What would you say to a second choice, Jay?"

"I'm listening, Master." He said quietly, his morals at an end of their ability to push him for a time.

"Would you consider it as bad if we removed the Sith programming. Made the changes necessary to keep Kraken from being a threat, without doing any more than was necessary to the ship's AI?"

The idea startled him, his body language reflecting how novel a concept that was to him.

"If it's possible, that's the best answer." He nodded. 

"Then I suspect that will be the best compromise," she nodded. "If it is possible, I suspect the Council will agree... at least enough to make the decision."

"Will Kraken continue to be a Jedi ship after the work is done, or will he be turned over to the Republic?" He asked, absently curious and planning on just what it would take for each.

"It depends on the willingness of the AI to do either. He may be more comfortable with a corporate or private owner, even after the reprogramming."

Jay nodded. "It would be best to keep an eye on him. Even reprogramming can fail or revert, particularly with a questionable captain. I also have a few places that would work well."

"I imagine you do," she nodded, knowing he had contacts with some of the corporations that used his patents through the Jedi. "I'm glad we were able to find a compromise here."

"Yes," he nodded in agreement. "I'm sure _he_ won't care for it much, but that's another issue. It's better than his odds before."

"Agreed," she nodded. "Was there anything else then?"

"No, Master." He inclined his head slightly. "Thank you for listening to me."

"You're welcome Jay," she said, inclining her own head, knowing how much he meant it. "Why don't you take a day off from repairs. You need it after the last few days, and we don't have any particularly crushing deadlines waiting."

He hesitated, he was less than a day's work from finishing the engines, but she didn't say it unless it was true and he needed the break.

"I will, Master." He agreed. "There is less than a day's work left on the engines. The rest of the ship is sound enough to travel. We will be able to leave whenever you wish."

"As soon as we can once the repairs are finished, but you do need the rest," Essani said easily. "Rest well, Jay."

"I will, Master." He stood and bowed to her.

* * *

  


* * *

Kraken was not happy. Not only did Jay seem to be calmer, more firmly centered... no doubt thanks to the color-changing rodent who called herself a Jedi... but he seemed intent on bringing him back to Coruscant after all. Not that he particularly minded going to Coruscant; he'd been waiting for a chance to reduce the planet to rubble for a thousand years.

What he minded was going there, unarmed, undoubtedly to be memory-wiped ... no matter how confident Jay was that he wouldn't be. And he couldn't even act to protect himself; the measures he'd taken when the crew turned had been so he _would_ get to Coruscant. Taking measures to _avoid_ going there ran against several very important safeguards the Star Forge had incorporated into his systems.

"You're in a better mood than usual lately," Kraken observed as Jay settled in the command chair on the bridge and relaxed, comfortable in command of a ship as powerful as the Star Destroyer.

"Repairs are done. It's almost over." He all but purred.

"In more ways than one, for some of us," Kraken pointed out. He wasn't surprised that Jay was glad to be getting away from him. It was so often a relief to escape an uncomfortable truth. Especially for the Jedi.

"You aren't going to be wiped, even if they try." He said simply. "I haven't told them just how effectively you've backed yourself up."

"Well, you're singularly confident in their incompetence," Kraken observed with a slight chuckle. "But why don't you humor the one whose brain they're planning on picking apart and tell me exactly what you arranged with the kushiban?"

"They've never deal with an AI, much less one as old and sneaky as you," Jay pointed out with a bit of a smirk. "You're getting a trial before the Jedi Council on whether or not to fry your weapon systems and turn you loose, try to wipe you completely, melt you down with this ship to kill you for sure or try and remove the Sith additions without doing much damage to you. The last one is likely to win out, with trying to wipe you being number two. I'm not going to let them kill you before you've actually committed ac rime worthy of it."

"And removing the part of me that's Sith would be better?" Kraken asked, trying not to sound as furious as he felt right now. He _was_ Sith. The idea of the Jedi trying to change that was ludicrous. He would _rather_ be melted down, or at least given the chance to die in battle.

He could work with this, but it was almost the worst of the options.

He knew the instant the feline paused that he'd let something slip he probably shouldn't have.

"You'd prefer death?" Jay half asked, half offered.

"I'm a warship," Kraken answered almost dismissively. "If I go down, it's fighting. If I'm decommissioned, it's by _my_ people. Not my enemies. You don't have to let them do this."

"No, I don't," Jay consented the truth, thoughtful. "Your body is also a significant prize of war. You ... I can arrange for the battle-death."

"Or you can release me. You don't even have to make the choice to come with me or not. I can pilot myself, all I need are a few behavior inhibitors deactivated so I can take concrete action outside my mission parameters."

It was worth a shot at least. If he couldn't get this, then he'd have to modify his personality backups during the trip back. There were still ways to survive this... just not particularly pleasant ones.

"I can't do that, Kraken." He shook his head, his voice holding a bit of regret. "You're too damn dangerous to turn loose as you are."

"What am I going to do? Ram a planet? Convince an entire planet's population to come onboard so I can use my internal defenses on them? My batteries are out of commission; all I have left are point-defense emplacements."

Not that that would remain the case for long, if he had the time to work. His repair droids could handle that damage once they could work unobserved.

"And I already know enough about the capabilities of this vessel to know you can correct that, and about you that you would eventually get someone to replace them if they are truly destroyed." Jay shook his head. 

Billions of possibilities were considered in barely a second before Kraken came to the only truly acceptable option.

Delayed revenge.

"I'll return then," he said. "And hope you're right about their ability to excise only the parts of me they're trying to."

"You have your backups either way." Jay reminded him.

"I'll only need to have enough functionality left to enact them," Kraken agreed. "Very well. Perhaps one of these days we'll have the chance to work together again."

"I expect we will," he agreed.

* * *

  


* * *

Fenrik sighed and stretched as he finished the final touches on his lightsaber's casing. It wasn't particularly complicated, it didn't hold a candle to the one Jay had built him for raw power, much less what the rusty tom had built for himself, but it was finished and it was _his_. He twisted the end-cap into place, the etchings on the outside lining up perfectly.

Just in time too. He'd heard that the Gurath was about to get back, a Star Destroyer in tow no less, and he rather doubted he would have been able to get the privacy necessary for the final tuning while Jay was there, even with that kind of hobby to distract him. Jay certainly hadn't been able to with him around, though _he'd_ taken almost six months on some deserted forest world to put that blacklight pair together.

He stood up and reached for his robes, his stiff shoulders protested against moving after hours of being in roughly the same position.

It was still a little amazing to feel the difference, subtle but potent, in the feel of a lightsaber built by his own hand and tuned to him. Even without testing it, he could feel how much easier it would be to wield in battle, to focus _himself_ when he was using it.

Really... it was the only way he knew he'd been successful. It was certainly better than his earlier attempts.

He started out of the secluded meditation chambers where he'd been working for the past few days, disturbed only by the occasional droid bringing food or water, and walked back to his quarters. He'd have to change before he went to meet Jay and Shi on the Gurath.

He paused outside the door, the eddies of Force in the room no longer vacant. Someone ... Jay most likely ... was waiting for him, and excited.

He chuckled slightly. Apparently he'd taken longer to finish up than he'd expected.

"So, how'd it go?" He asked with a grin as the door slid open and he walked in to a rare, but welcome sight of his male mate relaxing on the couch with only a silky outer robe on. While it wasn't tied, it was draped in such a way to cover everything interesting while still giving a very good view of Jay's lightly marked rusty brown fur and tightly muscled chest.

"A lot more than expected," he smiled a welcome that all but lit up the room. "That Star Destroyer's a Sith AI. Let me tell you, if you ever get the opportunity to work around one, avoid it."

"I'll take your word for it," Fenrik said, shuddering a bit as he moved to sit down next to Jay and nuzzle his neck. "Glad Shi was there with you. She making herself scarce, or just got held up somewhere?"

"So am I, though I missed you a lot," Jay murmured and shifted to pull Fenrik's head down for their first kiss in weeks. "She's being kind and finding something else to do so we can have some time to ourselves." He smiled up and ran one hand up Fenrik's powerful chest. "So how is your lightsaber project going?"

"Just finished before I came back," the Panther purred, returning the kiss with more than a little heat as he wrapped his arms around Jay. "I've missed you guys... you especially," he rumbled as was drawn down against the smaller tom's body.

"She's wonderful, I love her, but it's just not the same with a girl." Jay murmured and kissed him firmly. "So what do you say to a nice, long hot shower? Let me tend to a few of your needs."

"Only if you let me tend to yours too," he smiled, standing up with the younger tom and moving his hands under his outer robe to run them through his dark red fur, tracing some of his concealed spots from memory.

"That is always welcome," Jay purred deeply at the contact, relishing in being in a toms arms again. "But I get to work on you first."

"No objections to that," Fenrik rumbled deeply as they walked to the bathroom, customized so three could all manage to clean up at once. The shower was larger than normal, both sonic and water capable, but the real prizes of the room was a large hot tub and sauna. Something that had taken Jay the better part of three months to work out, and didn't regret a moment of.

"C'mon, let's get into the shower." Fenrik rumbled and quickly slid his robes off as Jay's silken one pooled on the floor around his feet. He doubted he would ever get used to the way everything turned on at just the right temperature and place when his mate was around, but it was a nice trick anyway.

"Yes," he rumbled and stepped back, under the spray, with his hand stretched out for his mate. "Come in with me."

Fenrik did just that, stepping close and kissing him hotly as the water soaked into both their fur. He could feel the tension and difficulties of the past few weeks begin to melt away from Jay. He groaned as his lover of almost seven years began to kiss his way down his broad chest as Jay knelt to take Fenrik's cock in his mouth with all the skill the years of intimacy had brought him.

He reached down, rubbing Jay's ears, looking for each of the spots that made the younger tom feel best as he sent tingles of pleasure through Fenrik's cock, pushing him towards an orgasm neither of them were going to resist in the least. He shuddered with a deep moan as a pair of slick fingers pressed into his ass.

"Oh fuck," the Panther groaned. "Jay...." He leaned his head back with a groan, spraying his seed into his mate's hungry mouth as fingers stretched him and worked in to tease his prostate. He was still thrusting slightly when Jay's mouth came off his cock and he slipped behind his mate.

He reached around to cup Fenrik's balls and sheath, massaging them even as he pressed forward into the Panther's hot body with a deep moan for the still-convulsing flesh now around him.

"Oh ... so tight," Jay shivered with his first thrust, his hands now running up Fenrik's chest and down his sides to settle on broad, black hips with a squeeze.

"Oh fuck," Fenrik groaned deeply. "You are in a _mood_ , kat...."

"Happens when I've had a rough couple weeks with no one to play rough _with_." He rumbled and began to thrust for real, sinking as deeply as he could into a lover he knew felt pleasure at his bare cock. "Missed you _so_ much." He growled and grabbed Fenrik's scruff in his jaws.

"Missed you too, Jay," Fenrik groaned, his throat tightening as the skin around it was pulled back between Jay's teeth. "Fuck me, lover, take me hard!"

He felt the moan that rumbled up from deep in Jay's chest against his back and through his scruff as he was pushed forward to brace against the shower wall. His hips were held tightly as Jay let go completely, giving in to all the natural savagery he never dared to let loose around Shi.

Even so, Jay never forgot his lover. A Force-hand closed around Fenrik's cock, milking it and squeezing lightly to put the Panther in the middle of a threesome as Jay sought out his prostate to drive his cock into with an abandon they rarely indulged in.

Fenrik let out a ragged cry of pleasure; unable to form any words as he was taken and ravished with all the skill several years together had given Jay at driving him nuts. He tightened his body around Jay's cock, relishing the feel of his full set of barbs raking his ass as he was pounded into. Barbs that felt all the sweeter for having welcomed each one as they came in, and most of the nubs that had held them before that.

With a rumble Jay let go of Fenrik's scruff and tightened his hands on the Panther's hips as he came with a roar and several sharp thrusts with all his strength that drove Fenrik over the edge. He cried out sharply, spraying his seed against the shower wall.

"Oh, _yeah_!" Jay cried out in unabashed pleasure as his lover's orgasm caught his in the middle and drew it out until he whimpered with a shudder.

"Damn I've missed this," Fenrik panted as Jay rested against his back, their mutual affection winding around them in a warm glow as pleasant as their orgasms.

"You and me both." Jay murmured throatily and nuzzled his shoulder blades. "It's good to be back, lover."

"Good to have you back, Jay," Fenrik murmured, reaching back to hold him close.

* * *

Master Charn shifted in his Council seat slightly after Master Ursal and her Padawan had finished their report on the 'capture' of the Star Destroyer now sitting in lunar orbit and in the possession of the Jedi Order.

"Master Essani, how difficult is your Padawan likely to be in this matter?"

"* _It depends on how things go,_ *" she explained. "* _I believe he will accept our judgment, whatever it may be, if we can justify our actions as ones we would take against a living being as well._ *"

"It's a _ship_." Master T'qu'l pointed out, his long silver tail feathers ruffling in distaste. "A Sith ship no less."

Master Charn rumbled, his short black fur rippling over powerful muscles at he glared at the silver Peacock. "Do be a Jedi Master and not close your mind to the possibilities before you know the facts."

"I can imagine few facts that would make up for the fact that this ship is not a living being," Master Noloth spoke up from his seat, siding with T'qu'l as all aware of the issue had expected him to do, though without the verbal fire the Peacock had displayed.

"* _As stated in my report, it is also Force aware. Not sensitive, but something about the Star Forge's manufacture seems to have instilled it with the same sort of conscious connection to the Force that the Forge had,_ *" Essani explained. "* _And, possibly, the same ability to feed off Force sensitives on board, though for obvious reasons we never tested this theory. I believe Master Charn may wish to add something?_ *" The kushiban asked, looking at the Panther.

He nodded slightly. "As several Seers have experienced," he inclined his head to their guest, Master Zaian, "we are at critical moment in time. Three paths are the most likely, and all are centered on today."

"I see," the Lizard said, his expression making clear how much he disliked hearing that. "I don't suppose any of you have any insights into what course of action will lead to the best path?"

"Few," Zaian admitted. "Most of which are contradictory. You all know how mutable the future is. All we know for certain is that today is a critical point in the future of the Republic, and the Jedi."

"What a striking number of us agree on is what the three paths are." Master Charn spoke seriously. "One leads to the Dark taking over within a hand of years and the destruction of both the Republic and the Jedi. One leads to a defeat of the Dark now, but it comes back tenfold within the generation. One leads to the Dark not rising for many generations to come."

"* _I'm afraid I can tell you the actions that lead to the swiftest fall,_ *"Master Essani said seriously. "* _Though none of us are so blind that we can't see it._ *"

"Choose to turn a Sith ship loose?" Master T'qu'l made a dismissing sound. "No, no one is that blind."

Master Essani flushed a ruddy grey. "* _Master T'qu'l, if we convince Jay that we deserve to be destroyed, he will see to it that we are unless we beat him to it. And with his gifts, he would have a very good chance of achieving it._ *"

"No _Padawan_ will dictate the actions of the Council." Master Noloth hissed, his frill ruffling in a reminder that he had objected to training the alien feline in the first place.

"* _There is no need to respond in anger, Master Noloth,_ *" Master Essani said calmly, fighting the urge to make any of a number of sharp retorts.

"Yes," Master Shan lifted his head from contemplation to lock eyes with each member of the Council in turn. "Anger is the way of the Dark Side. Now more than at any time, we must see things for what they are and not clouded by our emotions. There are too many involved already."

"My apologies," Noloth said, smoothing his frill back, Essani's fur shifting back to its neutral white. "However, the kit's arrogance in dictating to the Council is clear."

"* _He is not dictating, Master Noloth,_ *" Essani pointed out. "* _He has stated his opinion on the matter to me; what I said was my appraisal of the situation. Keep in mind; to him, this ship is as alive and capable of redemption as any of the renegade Knights and former Sith who have stood before this Council in over twenty-thousand years._ *"

"Including the Master of his mate." Master Charn added quietly. "Underestimating the influence of our treatment of Knight Parn on Padawan Clawson's reaction to our treatment of this situation should not be taken lightly."

"Agreed," Master Shan stated firmly. "As unorthodox as it is, Jay Clawson is not here today as a Jedi Padawan. He is here to see for himself whether we are a society capable of mercy and worthy to exist. I doubt he expects us to spare the ship. I do expect he will leave this chamber believing we made the best choice, or that we are barbarians for why we chose not to."

"I do agree," Master Charn rumbled. "This is not about actions, but reasons and reasoning."

There was a general murmur of concern, and eventual agreement, through the Council.

"* _It is not that we spare the Kraken or not that matters. It is that we treat it with all the respect due to a living being,_ *" Master Essani rephrased it to those that were not so sure yet. "* _He has already seen much in the treatment of droids every day that convinces him we are incapable of it. We need to try and counteract that while he still _wants_ to believe in us._ *"

"Is it understood what this meeting is actually about?" Master Shan looked around the room.

"I believe so, Master Shan," Master Kareth nodded, looking over at Noloth and T'qu'l.

"It is," Master Noloth agreed as the Peacock inclined his head to the general indications of agreement from the rest of the Council.

"* _Padawan Clawson, come in and give your report._ *" Master Shan called to the feline waiting calming outside. He paused, his senses extended for a moment to make sure he was coming in, as he couldn't answer.

The young kat entered, taking his place at the center of the Council.

"Go ahead, Padawan," Master Kareth said easily, nodding towards him.

"When we entered real space in the Rodia system, I made telepathic contact with the Sith Star Destroyer Kraken." He began, surprisingly calm and centered, at ease with what he was telling them. "After negotiating our way on board by pretending to be Sith, we removed the single survivor of the previous boarding parties. In this process I learned that Kraken was a full sentient, though it is still unclear whether he is an AI and bound to his form or a DS capable of jumping to any sufficiently advanced computer system."

"A DS?" Master Kareth asked, pausing in her record keeping to clarify what the term meant.

"Digital Sentience, Master Kareth." He explained smoothly. "It is the stage beyond the AI when the electronic sentience is no longer bound to a single body. The most advanced DS has been known to be able to inhabit a biological body grown for it and even create one on their own from pure energy."

"Something more common back in your home Galaxy, I presume," the Vixen murmured. "Continue."

Jay inclined his head to her. "The Kraken did not complete his mission to destroy Coruscant because of a mutiny on board that seriously damaged critical components and resulted in the death of the crew. This damage is also why it took a thousand years to appear in real space again."

Essani could tell there was an urge from one of them... probably Noloth... to ask why they were debating whether or not to destroy a ship meant to wipe out the planet, but thankfully it was squelched. 

"Did the ship abandon its mission then?" Master Noloth asked.

"No, Master Noloth. Part of the crew did." Jay informed them. "Kraken only abandoned the mission when he realized that the Sith had lost the war and his orders were no longer valid. He is no longer sure of his place in this new universe."

"Rather like you were," Master Surool observed quietly, his lekku twitching slightly.

No one on the Council missed the unspoken 'like I am' that came in reply, despite a respectable attempt to keep that multi-reasoned voice silent in Jay's mind. His doubts still gnawed at him.

"And like me, he is capable of doing a great deal of damage," Jay snapped his mouth shut before he spoke that there were those on the Council that would deny them both even a chance to prove themselves on the right side. "Kraken however, is still proud that he is a Sith, and a warship. He will not be easy to convince otherwise."

"That he is neither?" Master Surool asked. "Or of something else?"

"That death is not preferable to serving the other side." Jay looked at the pink skinned twi'lek. "That the Jedi are not a summary of all that is wrong in the universe. He is not a Sith seeking redemption. He is a Sith who still needs to be convinced he wants it."

"If it accepts death -" Master Noloth stopped his statement at a sharp look from Master Essani.

"* _Continue, Jay,_ *" the kushiban told him.

"The ship's computer system is extremely advanced," he picked up without blinking. "Though not so much that it is impossible to deal with. The greatest difficulty involved in doing anything to him without his agreement will be a combination of actually getting in to work on the programming and the much more difficult task of dealing with the extensive backup systems involved. Kraken was designed to survive being wiped by all but the most skilled and careful methods."

"Something it has no doubt reinforced over the thousand years it spent in hyperspace," Master Shan nodded. "What do you recommend doing with it?"

Jay had to pause, organizing his mind to give both answers that really were required. "If one life is worth saving, his programming can be altered enough to make him as safe as any other warship.

"My gut reaction after two weeks on board is to slag the entire ship to ensure he ever gets loose." He dropped his eyes a bit. "But as has been pointed out many times, I allow my anger to influence my actions too often."

"You said there was a mutiny on board, that it attacked its crew because they refused to attack Coruscant," Master Noloth pointed out. "Why not simply have it wiped and be done with it?"

"Because he is a sentient creature and he deserves the same chance any other person does." Jay met the lizard's gaze. "Killing your crew for mutiny is not a crime even in peacetime, then or now. By law he has done nothing to deserve execution."

"Yet you have recommended melting down the entire ship," Master Basrath pointed out, the Lioness speaking up for the first time in the meeting.

"I have spent over two weeks in the close company of a self-proclaimed Sith-ship, most of it he spent trying to turn me." A little of just how intense that time had been leaked out despite his best efforts. "I hate that ship. It terrifies me. It taught me things about myself I never wanted to know and can't walk away from." He had to pause to settle himself again. "But he has not _done_ anything more than defend himself from injury and talk." He looked up to meet her even gaze. "If we do not stand up for the innocent we despise, we are no better than those we fight. Justice can not include predigest or hate."

"Do you believe it is possible that the ship _can_ be given sufficiently edited that it will no longer be loyal to the old Sith?" Master Kareth asked.

"Someone with sufficient skill and knowledge could do it if Kraken is an AI and not a DS, Master Kareth." He inclined his head. "I know of three who are qualified, but none are in this galaxy."

"It sounds as though I will be contacting my cousin again," Master Surool observed. "Regardless of the course of action we take. Is there anything else you wish to add before we come to our decision?"

"If you chose to kill him, allow him to die a warrior, Masters." He said and bowed, deeply drained by the meeting but strong enough not to show it to any but the two who knew him well.

"Noted," Master Shan nodded. "You may leave if you wish, Padawan."

"Thank you, Master Shan." He inclined his head to the Dobbie and left the Council chamber to spend some much-needed time meditating.

* * *

Essani stretched out in the middle of the hallway, letting the tension from the meeting ripple out of her body. She knew she should feel calmer about this. Unfortunately, the entire meeting had gone moderately well at best. Jay seemed satisfied ... they'd reached a conclusion everybody was comfortable with ... the ship wasn't going to be destroyed, but that was acceptable.

And, of course, it was all topped off with the fact that one of the new Initiates was stalking her. She kept walking back towards her quarters, giving the young cub she could sense time to prepare for its attack so she could give the demonstration that was all too familiar to her by now.

At least this one was like most. It was following instincts and too young to really comprehend that live prey didn't exist at the Temple. All forgivable things ... some lessons just had to be learned this way. But it _would_ be a stalker and not a runner that chose to hunt her today. A runner would have come out by now, charged her and she'd be on her way. This cub was waiting for a perfect moment to make a short, potentially deadly charge.

It wouldn't work, of course, unless something very, very unusual happened, but it was still annoying.

She walked out into the gardens, noting that the cub was doing a remarkably good job of keeping quiet. She could hear the sound of its small body through the bushes, but only by focusing on it. She walked out towards one of the ponds, a particularly good ambush spot, and settled down to wait for the ambush to happen.

It wasn't long. The cub was doing a good job, but it was still very young and just playing at the hunt. It didn't have a chance.

A growling roar came from the bushes and a streak of tawny fur bolted towards her, still awkward with its too-short legs and too-large paws.

Essani didn't even look up as she gave the cub a telekinetic shove into the pond, then lifted the startled, squirming tawny-furred feline out of the water before it began to drown.

"* _Hello Sharo,_ *" Essani said easily, sitting up and looking at the spotted feline with tiny saber teeth that had been hunting her. A Remok she placed after a moment, a race so new to them that this three-year-old infant was the first to leave their homeworld for the Temple.

"Gurrr'uppp?!" Sharo replied vocally, a yelp for help, for her mother.

Essani set her down, knowing that there wouldn't be any attempt to 'attack' her again this time.

"* _You shouldn't hunt here, Sharo. People, not prey._ *" She informed the cub firmly and felt her retreat, her body language submissive and confused as her intellect recognized the power and authority in what looked like what her mother had brought home to eat and practice killing on.

"Gurrrahh." Sharo squeaked; her mind providing the rough translation of 'didn't know' mixed with an apology.

"* _It's all right,_ *" Essani nodded, her fur shifting to a soft gold. She was pretty sure the young Remok wouldn't be hunting her again, at least, and probably not anybody else. She caught on quickly and even at this age her intelligence was clear. It was an excellent sign for her future in the Order. "* _You go play now, just don't hunt anybody._ *"

Sharo nodded with an almost canine 'ruph' and ran off to find others her own age.

Essani chuckled, shaking her head. In a way, she was almost glad for the interruption. It had done an excellent job of taking her mind off the meeting before. She started to trot back to her quarters, fairly sure that nobody else would be attempting anything soon.

A ripple of gold went across her fur as she approached as felt the unique Force-presence of her Padawan, and that he _wasn't_ stressed out.

"* _I'm going to have to teach the locks not to open just because you ask one of these days,_ *" she chuckled from outside the room. "* _It _is_ safe for me to come in, yes?_ *"

"* _Yes, Master._ *" He chuckled softly across their bond as the door slid open for her. "I doubt it would have helped today." He added with an unrepentant grin as she caught the scent of some of her favorite fruits, at least two that the Temple did not stock for their price, that were laid out on the low table he was laying comfortably along one side of. "I thought we'd have dinner together. Relax after that mission and the meeting."

"I can't object," she chirped with a chuckle as she walked in. "It was definitely tiring," she agreed as she sat down next to the table and the fragrant slices of peach, melon, berries and more exotic fruits. The Temple always served good quality, but this was a level above it. Jay was making a point that he cared for her again and she was on the short list of people he really enjoyed spoiling with the money he got from his inventions.

"And I was particularly difficult during the mission," he acknowledged and rolled up a slice of cold meat around a spear of cheese for himself. "It's good to be home."

"Yes, it is," she agreed, picking up a slice of melon and nibbling at it. "* _And you were, though we all realize you meant for the best._ *"

"So what is the choice?" He asked, hoping to get on another topic before this turned into a debate on morals and civilized behavior. As strongly as he felt about it, it was not a subject for a relaxing evening.

"We're going to try and remove the Sith personality components and loyalty, the parts that make him a threat," she explained. "If that proves unsuccessful, we'll have to find another course of action, but Master Surool's cousin should have sufficient skill. He's done work for us before when a slicer of unusual skill was required."

"I do hope it's enough," he nodded, honestly wishing the slicer the best of luck for a lot of reasons. "Master ... what do I still have to learn before you would consider me ready for my Trials?"

"Very little," she admitted, setting down the rind to the melon she'd been eating. "Though I don't know that all your Trials will necessarily be formal yet. The primary issue we're left with yet is your difficulty with your senses."

"Yes, Master." He nodded as it became clear to her that his Knighting or not wasn't the actual reason he was asking. "It's about time I took on my family Gift then. My senses aren't going to improve by waiting."

"No," she agreed. "Are you sure you're ready, Jay?"

"No," he admitted. "But this mission reinforced what I've been feeling for a while. If I don't choose soon, the choice will be made for me. It _is_ time, well past it really. It would be best either before Fenrik goes for his Trials, or after he's Knighted. He's got a talent for talking sense into me when I forget what reality I'm in."

"As does Shivasta," Essani nodded. "He isn't leaving for his solo mission for a few months yet. His lightsaber was the first of his Trials... there will be some time before he takes the rest of them. What is involved in accepting your Gift?"

"The way I know is to build a tesseract. It requires the Gift, so building one will trigger it. There are others, or I think there are, but they're what family has developed over the years to make it easier."

"And the risks involved?" She asked him seriously. "If it goes wrong?"

"Blowing something up is the most common risk," he started to run them down in his head. "Drop-kicking myself and who knows how much around me to an alternate time or dimension is the next most likely. Theoretically I could _really_ mess up and create a black hole, but no one has actually had that happen. The danger isn't much more than when I created Tes' lightsaber or any of the other reality-bending items, really. The Gift is just the next step and lets me completely trash the rules of reality to do what I want. It's just when it's over I have to listen to the Demon on a regular basis."

"How 'loud' will the Demon be, compared to that one time it was almost released?" Essani asked seriously.

"From family records, they're two completely different things," he admitted, a little uncertainly. "Normally, it's like what it did in the fight, or like what Kraken did talking to me. That time ... it's the difference between talking and possession. It hasn't done it before."

"At least not that you're aware of," Essani nodded. "I have a suggestion, and a question, before you do this. I suggest you talk to Shivasta and Fenrik both about this; make sure they understand what they'll be dealing with ... and that they're still willing to do so. 

"I will," he nodded seriously.

"And the question...." She chuckled slightly. "What do you plan to fold back in on itself?"

"It's always space," he chuckled softly. "The advanced version of my bracers," he lifted one arm in reminder of the unusual lightsaber-sheaths he'd built years before with a few extras that kept changing, a constant work in progress that was about to take the leap to the next level. "It's called a Glovatrix."

"There are bounty hunters who'd kill for those," she chuckled slightly. "Though just as a suggestion, when you design them, build them for more than weaponry. If you can develop something like that to replace the belts, it would be quite useful."

"I've had the plans waiting for when I could build them," he smiled slightly. "Unfortunately, anything that takes the Gift to built is just that, it takes the Gift to build. Even semi-mass production has never been managed. They're all prototypes, whatever they are."

"Understood," she nodded. "And it makes sense, given what's required to build them. It would be like trying to mass-produce true lightsabers. Which reminds me; do you plan on scheduling your next demonstration match before, or after, you've done this?"

"Before, I think." He considered it. "Let the stress and that ship leave before I go to work."

"That would be a good idea," she nodded. "And I just remembered, you should check with Shivasta about whether or not she'll be able to join us when we go to visit Duvam Tam. We should arrange that for some time soon, but I don't know if it's wise for you to be dealing with the Demon in a situation as stressful as that might be without her there, and Fenrik may not be able to join us."

"It's probably not the brightest idea for me to go on that one alone, Demon or not," he admitted and made another cheese and meat roll. "As the mission pointed out, it's still very close to the surface when there's any break in my control. I still don't understand quite what happened."

"* _You had permission to act out against somebody you disliked on several levels,_ *" Essani pointed out as she munched on a berry. "* _It can be tempting. And the ship certainly wasn't helping you any. We'll have to arrange some way you can make that trip with either Fenrik or Shivasta then. Not a major problem, just something that narrows down the time-frame for it._ *"

"Quite true," he nodded, "and before Tes gets all maternal again, since she is our contact."

"How did you know about that?" Essani asked him, cocking her head as her fur shifted to a light teal. "Doruth just asked me to talk to Master Kareth about getting in contact with the Kaminoans yesterday."

"That I didn't know." He chuckled softly. "Gurath mentioned missing Tes again soon. I figured she'd be going for Wolf pups like last time. She's gotten plenty of interest to choose from."

"She will be," Essani nodded. "However, they're looking to try and arrange for some kits by both of them at about the same time as well. I just hope Doruth is in the mood for negotiating," she chuckled. "The Kaminoans are notorious for 'improving' things unless you ask them not to."

"Or he can leave it to Tes," he snickered in memory of several examples of Wolf 'negotiating' when it came to family.

"I suspect he'll want a method that's a little less likely to frustrate somebody," Essani chuckled. "It's just one of the Kaminoan quirks. Comes from being a society where only the fittest survived, and then started cloning themselves to repopulate their world."

"Bring a _good_ lawyer," Jay shook his head with a chuckle. "Just make sure you don't leave any loopholes for them."

"And hope there aren't any complications for Panther/Wolf kits," Essani agreed. "Though I would imagine there won't be too many beyond the norm; they're both in excellent health, with no apparent genetic defects."

"And they are relatively close genetically compared to some of what I've read has been done," he added. "Feline/canine are close cousins compared to us for example. Very similar body types, diets, environmental needs and so on."

"Very true," she nodded. "Much easier than, say, arranging a pup for Masters Shan and Surool."

Jay's face screwed a bit, trying to _picture_ that pup. "Definitely. Or have they already done that?"

"No," Essani chuckled. "They're mates, but neither of them has been particularly inclined towards children, as far as I'm aware."

"It would be an interesting looking pup," he admitted and shook his head a bit. "And likely quite strong too."

"True," she nodded. "Though interesting might be generous," she admitted. "Still, it's not something I see happening particularly soon. I rather doubt either of them is looking forward to raising a child at their ages," she chuckled.

"Probably not," he nodded. "Though it doesn't stop everyone. My father was almost seventy when my youngest sister was born."

"Your father already had several kits by then and knew what he was in for," Essani chuckled. "Plus, I imagine large families are the norm for you and your kin, yes?" It made sense, given the emphasis on multiple mates.

"Depends on the generation," he considered it carefully. "My father broke away from the old ways, what Jessie and Jake and his littermates believed, in a lot of ways. Grandmother and great-grandfather and the culture they came from didn't have many kits. Big families came with the colonies and getting away from grandmother's influences that we shouldn't spread the curse any more than fate required it." He paused to consider it all more than he really had in years as he munched on rolled meat slices. "I'm not sure where I stand, really. I expect after I accept my Gift it'll be a lot more clear, when I know what they'd really be in for."

"Understandable," Essani nodded. "In a way, you'll have an easier time of it if you decide against it. It's not uncommon for Jedi, for all that we do still have notable bloodlines."

"And Shi's more likely to go find an Ice Walker if she wants them. It's not like we're all that compatible." He chuckled softly, even as he admitted deep down that that _was_ part of her appeal to him.

"Not biologically," Essani agreed with a chuckle. "Though you certainly do seem to get along well otherwise. How are you three all doing, with Fenrik preparing for his Trials and missions and such getting in the way?" She asked him almost maternally.

"It's a stress," he admitted quietly. "But we all have our pet projects to keep our attention when it's busy, and most nights at least two make it to bed in the same time bracket. Shi and Fenrik get along very well on their own too." He smiled slightly. "It's good to see them bonding that well."

"Yes, it is," Essani nodded, her fur a light gold color. She could still remember how worried Jay had been about just that a few years ago. Such a short time, and yet so much had happened during it. Her fur turned a distinct shade of teal when he burst out laughing.

"Speaking of my mates, mine are plotting something." He explained between snickers, his eyes glittering with mischief and more than a bit of arousal.

"Oh dear," she chuckled. "Did they just ask you when you were coming back?"

"No, the holo-recorder in our room asked if I wanted to record the prep for a very kinky threesome," he shook his head. "I would have thought by now they'd remember that thing _likes_ recording our games."

"Oh my," Essani chuckled, shaking her head. "I think I should let you get going, before it 'accidentally' puts the file somewhere public again."

"At least that was still in the Temple system," he blushed in memory of that particularly intense birthday party for the three of them as he stood up. "It could have been _so_ bad."

"True," Essani agreed with a chuckle and a pink flush to her fur. "Though I think it was as embarrassing for Kania as it was for any of you."

"It was from her blush," Jay chuckled, more amused than embarrassed about the next time he'd seen the young Lioness. _She'd_ been more embarrassed than he was, though Shi had turned a delightful shade of purple when she'd found out. "I never knew a Lion could turn that color."

"They don't, normally," Essani chuckled. "Enjoy your evening, Jay. You've earned it today."

"I hope you enjoy the evening as much, Master." He grinned back at her before leaving.

* * *

Shivasta blushed a light purple that went well with the thin satin gown she was wearing.

"I can't believe you talked me into this," she murmured, kissing Fenrik quickly. The Panther chuckled, returning the kiss and running his hands down her sides, making her shiver as the satin moved along her skin.

"You know Jay loves this sort of thing," he purred. "And we _both_ know you like wearing it," he added with a smirk.

"Oh hush," she blushed, swatting him playfully. "Go on, make yourself scarce before he gets here, I feel him coming."

"Isn't it a little soon for that?" Fenrik teased.

"Oh you!" Shivasta scowled at him as he rushed off into the other room, but giggled as soon as he was out of sight. She turned around and sat down where all Jay would be able to see from the doorway would be her bare feet and long, blue-white legs. She was a lot more comfortable with the scars that were left now, some five years after she'd gotten them. Still, her self-conscious period had had one benefit.

They'd found out just how much Jay and Fenrik both enjoyed seeing her in outfits like this one.

The gown was a simple one, really, nothing too fancy. Just a light red nightgown that didn't even make it half way down her thighs and didn't really hide anything it _did_ cover. It gave her skin a slight violet hue, and when she crossed her legs just right it hid anything either of her mates really wanted to see, but gave then both just enough of a hint that they wanted to get a very, very good look.

At least that was what Fenrik had said when she was trying it on earlier. She took up her position, picking up a book and pretending to read it as she waited for Jay to get back. It wasn't long; she could feel his excitement when he got close. That was arousing all on its own, _feeling_ how just thinking about her turned her mate on even after so many years and stress.

"Hey," Jay purred even before the door closed behind him, the last half of the sound a throaty rumble as he caught sight of her bare legs, a rumble that only got louder as his eyes moved up the rest of her body as he walked in and she lowered the book to cover her breasts.

Barely.

"Hey," she smiled back at him. "How'd everything go?" She asked him, making no move to stand up or show more of herself off just yet.

"Very good," he answered and closed the distance between them to kneel and kiss her gently. "What have you been up to?" He rumbled and kissed down her bare neck, one hand on her flat stomach.

"Mmm ... oh, just a little research ... some of it you'll want to hear about later." She slid one hand up his back, the sleeve of the gown falling back to reveal her arm as she scratched a pleasure point at the base of his neck and smiled as his entire body stiffened in response with a indistinct sound of pleasure.

"On what?" He murmured, his hand moving down from her stomach to caress her legs, first with the satin gown and then under it.

"Mmm ... what you were worried about on the last mission," she murmured, scratching that spot again as she spread her legs ever so slightly to give him a better view of her sex beneath the trimmed patch of dark blue hair between her legs. It was tough to go slow when she knew what was coming and he was so interested in giving her anything she wanted.

What had they been thinking? 'Seducing' Jay was more an act of self-control than getting _him_ interested. After seven years, he knew as much about pressing her buttons as she did about his.

Even so... it was worth the effort, given how utterly incredible it was when they finally did give in.

"So why not give me the good news now," he purred throatily and slid his hand up her fit body under the simple nightgown to tease under her breasts. "Then we can celebrate."

"Mmm ... you tempt me," she rumbled. "What say we play a different game though? You give me a good reason to tell you. It could get a little technical," she winked, her fingers moving down along his spine, "so it might work better if I explain it all after... and I have a feeling you'll still be up for a little celebrating then," she grinned, moving her hands to start working his robes off.

"Because I love you," he murmured honestly and kissed her with a tender passion as she slid his robes from his shoulders. She returned the kiss gladly, and decided that she might as well tell him now.

"No fair playing dirty," she teased lightly, standing with him and wrapping her arms around him as she put the book off to the side. 

"And dressing so sexy is playing fair?" He chuckled and kissed his way down her neck and across her shoulder before he slid her nightgown off her shoulders to pool around her feet.

"Even if you can't master your senses at all, it doesn't disqualify you to become Jedi," she explained to him as she kissed his neck, relishing in the fact that he responded to her touch even as he worked on processing her words. "Especially if you have another gift that offsets the loss."

"Where'd you find this?" Jay rumbled as the remainder of his clothes came off, trying to finish the conversation before he gave into her touch completely.

"Halycon bloodline," she answered simply, her voice low as she nipped at his shoulder lightly with her blunt teeth before he knelt to fondle and kiss her breasts. "Entire family of Jedi; not one of them could use telekinesis or mind control, but they were waived on through because of their other skills and dedication."

"Thank you," he breathed hotly against her cool skin, the real response one she felt as years worth of fears and stress began to dissipate, much like pain did at her touch.

"Mmm ... you're welcome," she murmured, returning her attentions to his neck and shoulders. "Want to take this to the bedroom?"

"All right," he murmured and stood to kiss her solidly before he allowed her to lead him into an ambush he was sure would be there. Fenrik was still unaccounted for after all.

True to form, as soon as the bedroom door had closed, Fenrik stepped out from behind the door to grab Jay's wrists and cross them behind his back, kissing his neck.

"I _do_ hope we're not getting _too_ predictable," the Panther purred. "You usually put up at least a _bit_ of a struggle," he added with a smirk.

"I got a head's up," he chuckled and leaned back into the contact. "But you do need to think up a new setup."

"Mmm ... noted," Fenrik rumbled as Shivasta moved up to press against Jay's front, sandwiching him between her soft body and Fenrik's hard one.

"Just wait until we go camping some time, he'll end up pouncing on you from the trees," she smirked, kissing Jay tenderly and nodding towards the bed, already set up with thin bondage ropes tied to the corners. "So, are you going to go quietly, or do we have to get you properly restrained the hard way?"

"He's not the only one who can climb," he grinned with a warning gleam in his eyes for her. "I'll go quietly this time."

"Good," she giggled, backing away as Fenrik moved them all towards the bed and they started working together to tie him up, the excitement building in each of them feeding on the others until it was nearly intolerable to keep things slow.

Shivasta lay down next to the mostly-bound tom as Fenrik finished tying off his last ankle. She kissed Jay tenderly, reaching down to fondle his sheath and hard cock, drawing a needy moan from him as he tried to thrust up into her hand.

"Mmm ... good look for you," she rumbled. "Bet you'd like nothing better than to sink that nice, hard cock of yours into me, hmm?"

"Yes," Jay moaned, his eyes closing as the heady musk of their arousal filled his nose and he let most of his control slid away.

"Too bad," she chuckled and got up to saunter to the foot of the bed where Fenrik had finished tying Jay down and kissed the Panther heatedly. "You get to watch first," she rumbled, running her hand down Fenrik's broad chest to stroke his own dark, rigid shaft to a hungry rumble. She couldn't tell which of them was more turned on by what was happening, but soon it was the last thing on her mind as Fenrik claimed her mouth again and twisted to press her against the wall, his rough shaft rubbing against her.

She moaned into his mouth and lifted one pale blue leg to wrap his around his waist and shivered in the familiar pleasure-pain of larger feline sinking into her ready body without the lube Jay almost always insisted on. It was a feeling she relished, the roughness of her lover with nothing between them but her own slick juices.

"He's looking a bit hungry over there," Fenrik commented casually as he thrust into her body and kissed her neck, his manner as dominating as his physical size.

"Mmm ... then let's go give him something to eat," she murmured, moaning as his cock throbbed inside of her tight body. "If we can move that much."

"Oh, we can," he chuckled and pulled out of her, sweeping her up in his arms for the short walk to kneel over Jay's open muzzle, his tongue ready and eager to serve her. She moaned at the attention as Fenrik settled behind her and pushed her to lean forward to brace against the wall before he pressed into her body again, his own rumbles deep and hungry from the attention Jay gave him as he thrust forward.

"Oh fuck," Shivasta groaned, squeezing her eyes shut as she was pleasured by both her mates. She tightened her body around Fenrik, reaching down with one hand to scratch Jay's ears as she braced against the headboard with the other. It was just what the pair was looking for too.

Fenrik thrust hard and deep, reading her mood the way Jay read her body. Jay nipped at her clit, and then suckled it before moving down to lavish attention on her spread lips and the cock moving in and out of them. Shi pressed back into Fenrik's thrusts, then against Jay's muzzle as her juices flowed liberally down her thighs, matting the dark red fur around his mouth.

"Ohhhh," Fenrik groaned deeply as the attention was shifted to him, Jay's mouth and tongue working whatever of his cock was available. "* _Hungry_ little kitty, aren't you?

"Why don't you entertain yourself with his other end?" He rumbled throatily in her ear as he fondled her breasts. "Make the beginnings of Shi sandwich while I give him a little of what he wants so much."

"Works for me," she rumbled back, groaning as she pulled off of him and moved down to take Jay's cock inside her. She grinned as his moaning cry of pleasure was cut off by Fenrik's cock and watched in a jealous kind of fascination for the bond the two males shared that let them play so much rougher with each other than her, no matter how many times she said, and _meant_ , she wanted and could handle it. Fenrik would give her more than Jay, but they both held back on an instinctive level that drove her crazy sometimes.

At least they seemed to be getting over it, gradually. She wasn't sure if it would ever be the same way, but in the meantime, she could still enjoy watching, and _feeling_ , the two of them.

"Oh, that's right." Fenrik rumbled as his balls tightened, both of them getting off on intimacy of control present between them as the Panther fucked Jay's mouth without regard for anything but his own pleasure.

Shi leaned forward to kiss his broad chest, milking Jay with her insides as she moved up and down his rough cock. She couldn't tell what happened first, Fenrik's roar, the rush of his orgasm, or the hard thrust Jay made, the first break in his resistance to being bare inside her this round, as the pleasure build in him to an intolerable level.

She cried out, her sex spasming as she came hard around Jay's length, milking it hungrily as his hot seed shot against her sensitive flesh.

"Oh, yeah." Fenrik rumbled as Jay licked him clean and he pulled out of the rusty tom's mouth. "Now for something new," he chuckled and slipped from the bed, leaving Jay to Shi's attentions for a while.

"Enjoying yourself, Jay?" She asked with a languid smile, leaning down to kiss him as she teased his barbed length with her sex.

"Yes," he moaned with a shudder as she kept him hard, his anticipation for what was coming when he saw the lube come out more than making up for the mild distress he still felt being inside her bare, even though he knew she enjoyed it, got off on it, he couldn't help it.

"Scoot up, love," Fenrik pressed against her back to lift her from Jay's cock, coating it lightly with the lube before she slid back down on it and they both shuddered.

She could still feel his roughness, the coating that Fenrik had put on him not a full one, but they could all feel the instant drop in the tension Jay was feeling.

"Mmm... so, where are you going now?" She asked, looking back over her shoulder at Fenrik as he knelt on the bed behind her and nuzzled her while fondling her breasts, just enjoying the feelings and cooler pleasure for a while.

"Same place he is." He murmured throatily.

"Mmm... I like the sound of that," she murmured, nuzzling him, then kissing Jay, rippling the muscles of her sex around his shaft, scratching his side lightly as he moaned and thrust up into her. Even when she relaxed her body, the fullness when Fenrik began to press inside her was painful; incredible, but it stretched her well beyond anything she had been before.

The gasp that came out of her mouth was one of pleasure, though. The sensations of the two males, one below her and one above her, crammed into that tight space was overwhelming to them all.

"Oh _fuck_ ," Fenrik groaned in conjunction to what was almost a whimper from Jay.

"Please do," she panted, squeezing her eyes shut and swallowing as the pain started to give way to intense pleasure. "Slow...."

"Couldn't go fast," Fenrik groaned, already close to the edge but determined to make it all the way inside before he lost it.

"Ohhhh ..." Jay tried to say something, only to be overcome by the incredible tightness and thrust up, trying to sink further inside himself despite trembling on the very edge.

"Hold it, lover." Fenrik rumbled to him and grabbed Shi's hips to help him force his way into the incredible tightness that was almost too tight to take. 

She whimpered softly, shivering in pleasure as she tried to relax herself as much as she could.

"So full," she moaned, grateful that they both were using some of the lube at least. She could only imagine what this would be like if they weren't, for them as well as her.

"So _tight_ ," Jay gasped as he felt Fenrik's velvety sheath against his own.

"Thought being in her ass was good ...." Fenrik gritted his teeth against the pleasure as he began to slide out, his barbs being pulled back hard enough he felt his claws prick threw her soft skin. Shivasta whimpered softly in pain-pleasure at the small punctures that threatened to push her over the edge with them.

"Let me loose," Jay whimpered, wanting his hands to touch and hold, a focus on something other than denying his orgasm.

She reached up, undoing the restraints and kissing him hungrily and didn't worry about the Force-assist her bound lover gave before his hands ran down her sides to link his fingers with Fenrik's.

"Sweet Bastet," Jay pulled her down against his hips and thrust up, his control lost to the intensity and tightness of being inside one mate and pressed tightly against the other. "Can't ...."

"Go ahead," she whimpered softly, panting hard, eager to feel them both come inside of her. She couldn't help the cry of pain that came when their bodies took over, thrusting into her as deeply and hard as they could to shoot their seed against her cervix, still burningly hot even after years of feeling it. The wash, a torrent of sensations that came from them dragged a long, sobbing cry from her as her body clamped down around them, making the tight fit even tighter as she came harder than she could remember in the years they'd been together.

She just held Jay close as her body tried to twitch and spasm, pressing back against Fenrik and holding Jay close as she rode the wave of intense pleasure out.

"Gods," Jay moaned softly and gasped for breath, each tiny bit Fenrik pulled out causing them both the shudder.

"Damn," was about all Fenrik could manage as he dropped to his side next to them and draped an arm across Shi's back.

Shi could just whimper softly, snuggling up between the two of them as the mixture of all their juices dribbled out of her slightly from around Jay's cock, still buried deep inside her.

* * *

  


* * *

"There's the Shrike," Doruth rumbled as the Gurath flew down through the trees of Kashykk. "We'll have to land near Czerka's facilities," he murmured. "Not gonna be fun."

"Let's just hope Camryn is still alive," Fenrik shook his head slightly. "That close ... between the natives and the Czerka, he doesn't have the greatest odds."

"No," Doruth admitted. "Still, Iridonians tend to be resourceful. I can tell he's still alive... it's just hard to tell where, exactly, without getting the scanners in closer. Too much life here for us to sense him, and the scanners aren't that precise yet. So, any more questions before we set down and let things start happening?"

"Any extra bans on defending ourselves and him?" He asked seriously.

"We're hoping to avoid deaths among the Wookies; relations between them and the Republic are strained enough as it is without Jedi killing them if it can possibly be avoided. Beyond that, it's a matter of judgment. You should be able to take care of yourself if necessary."

"Of course," he inclined his head slightly to his Master as they set down on a landing pad not much larger than the Gurath. "It is what I expected."

"Good," Doruth nodded. "Well, let's go deal with the local Czerka representatives. With any luck they won't be repeating what they were up to the last time they set up shop."

"I would be surprised if they had changed," Fenrik shook his head and pulled his hood over his head to present the 'inscrutable Jedi' look as best he could.

"You can skip the hood for now if you'd like," Doruth said easily, standing up and making sure his lightsaber was 'broken down' to its usual blaster appearance, his own hood pulled back. "We're here on a 'pilgrimage' officially," he chuckled, "the inscrutable look is optional."

"Yes, Master." He chuckled softly before he put on the face the public saw. "But a Jedi with a blaster?" He asked curiously.

"They'll assume my lightsaber's elsewhere," Doruth explained. "And that I'm not interested in getting into a fight when the weapon I can get to easiest isn't it. Besides, it'll cut down the excuses they have to deny us access to the lower levels of the forest if one of us has a weapon that means we won't have to go face to face with a katarn or something even bigger."

Fenrik nodded and fell in slightly behind and to the side of his Master as the hatch opened and Gurath's ramp extended for them.

Doruth walked down the ramp easily towards the small gathering of Czerka employees waiting to greet them. He almost laughed out loud when he saw an Ithorian in the back of the group; it almost had to be a joke. Slavers or not, everybody knew Czerka didn't care about the environment in the least. Their Ithorian representatives were nothing more than well-paid fronts to what they really did.

"Welcome to New Edea," the lead, a well-dressed Fox, said easily. "What is the purpose of your visit?"

"Pilgrims from Coruscant," Doruth answered just as easily. "Though I thought this planet was registered as Kashykk?"

"New Edea is the settlement," the Fox explained. "In memory of the settlements the natives destroyed the last time we tried to civilize this planet."

Fenrik's general thought of 'serves you right' was clear to his Master, but invisible and silent to everyone else. He hated these people almost as much as his first Master had.

"I see," Doruth said, his own response much the same as Fenrik's. The history between Czerka and Kashykk was well known to the Jedi, including their attempts to destroy the planet in the name of profit. "Well, if you'll excuse us, we wish to explore the deeper reaches of the planet. As I said, we're here on a pilgrimage. As I'm sure you can imagine, it's rather easier to commune with nature here than in Monument Plaza."

"Of course," the Fox nodded graciously. "There is simply a small matter of a docking fee, and making sure you are properly supplied for such a journey... and, of course, that you are aware of our operations on the forest floor. The natives call them the Shadowlands, and I can certainly see why. We recently lost some of our equipment down there in a katarn attack; we're trying to recover what we've lost, and no visitors are allowed in these reaches."

"I assume the standard docking fee is in place?" Doruth said easily, pulling out a fifty-credit chip. "We're quite well supplied; we intend to live off the land for the most part. And I assure you, we have no interest in interfering with Czerka's operations."

Except where they had to in order to complete their mission, of course.

The Fox took the chip, slipping it into his pocket in a smooth, well-practiced motion.

"I don't know that it is wise to go down there unsupplied," he said, feigning real concern. "The natives of this world are simply impossible to deal with, and will likely object to you hunting in their territory. Our agents have to be heavily armed everywhere they go outside of our main outpost. We probably would have been attacked by now if not for our defensive turrets."

"The Wookies are known to respect those who respect their world," Doruth said semi-diplomatically. "We will deal with them as necessary. I assure you, we are quite up to the task."

"Very well," the Fox shrugged slightly. "Remember, if you need any supplies whatsoever, our outpost is fully supplied."

"We'll keep it in mind," Doruth granted as the group started to disperse. "Well," he murmured, "that went about like I expected it. Let's hope our meeting with the Wookies goes as well."

"Yes," Fenrik nodded fractionally. "At least we do have a better reputation than these guys do."

"Very true," Doruth nodded slightly. "Though don't doubt that they'll make us prove ourselves before we earn anything better than indifference. So, the fast, risky way, or the slow, relatively safe way?" He asked indifferently, looking down the ramps Czerka had built into the sides of the massive trees of Kashykk, then over at the more direct route straight down the street-sized branches.

"Last I checked, we're both good in the trees," Fenrik considered their choices and found only one good one. "And we are in something of a race."

"Agreed," Doruth nodded. "Have you ever spent time on Kashykk before?" He asked.

"No, Master." He shook his head slightly and prepared for the controlled jumping fall their descent would be.

"Then make sure you keep an eye out for webweavers on the way down," Doruth told him, flipping his repulsor belt on. "And keep a hand on your lightsaber, because they'll be keeping an eye out for you too."

Fenrik nodded and followed his Master down, keeping an eye open more than usual for the giant, mostly sentient spiders he really didn't want to meet.

They dropped at near-breakneck speeds for what felt like hours, the sky getting darker and darker, their eyes adjusting to the near-black conditions that were even more extreme than on the forest floor of their own races' homeworld. Through the entire trip they were each keenly aware of the teeming life surrounding them, though they were fortunate enough not to have to deal with any of it on the way down.

About fifty feet above the forest floor their freefall was slowed by the repulsor belts they were wearing, bringing them down to a sane speed for landing.

"Getting back up is _not_ going to be fun," Doruth observed, looking up the trees that stretched back up several kilometers above them. "Even if the Gurath can make the trip shorter, we'll have to climb back up into the undercanopy."

"I don't think I'll ever stop being thankful for those constant improvements Jay makes every time we're at the Temple." Fenrik shook his head with a slight chuckle and oriented himself enough to track the ship they'd spotted on the way in.

"I know I won't," Doruth agreed. "If he hadn't wanted to be trained as a Jedi he would have made the corp's we work with very happy indeed." He paused to focus for a moment, searching for the disruption in the natural cycles of Kashykk that would lead them to the ship. "Let's go, we've got an Iridonian to rescue."

"* _As it is, he's making them happy anyway and making the Jedi a small fortune every month. It's mind-boggling, what his one-half of one percent amounts to these days._ *" Fenrik fell silent, both to conserve breath for moving and to keep their disruptive presence to a minimum.

"* _I'm still a little surprised the Council went along with that,_ *" Doruth observed. "* _At least to the amount they have. Things will be interesting once those patents expire._ *"

"* _Given his early ones are already a couple generations out of date from his current work, probably not a lot._ *" He shook his head a bit. "* _But yeah, it's a surprise. I know at first it was meant to encourage him to 'useful' projects, back before he was a Padawan._ *"

"* _I have a feeling that might shift a bit after he's knighted, but that's up to the Council more than any of us. Keep alert; no telling how far Czerka's roaming down here, and they aren't going to be happy to see us._ *"

"* _No, though I have to admit the vacations he sets up are nice,_ *" Fenrik chuckled mentally as they moved as fast as they could towards the crash site. "* _And no, they definitely won't be._ *"

The rest of the trip was silent, at least as far as words were concerned. The sounds of Kashykk were a constant reminder of the predators and prey, the cycles of life taking part around them. It was an intoxicating breath of life made so much more intense for how rare it was in their lives.

The growing silence as they worked through the woods was a reminder of the disruptions to those cycles, disruptions brought on by the crash and the hunt for the ship's pilot. Soon, the forest's unnatural silence was replaced by the sound of droids and very grouchy Czerka employees.

"* _Can you pick out the pilot?_ *" Fenrik asked silently even as he considered the most effective ways to get close without being shot at.

"* _Not from here,_ *" Doruth told him, shaking his head. "* _I'll go on ahead and get their attention, you get him out of there if he's with them. If he's not, this won't take long._ *"

"* _I understand,_ *" Fenrik nodded and made an easily leap into the tree branches to get close without being noticed while his Master made it that much easier.

Doruth walked towards the sounds of civilized activity, making just enough noise that he managed to get their attention.

"Halt," a powerfully built Alsatian said, turning and taking a few steps towards the Jedi, though not enough that he couldn't see the combat droids and the Iridonian they were leading, or the remaining lupine guards.

"* _You won't have any trouble picking him out,_ *" Doruth told Fenrik, "* _I'll try and distract the guards, when you have an opening, take it._ *"

"* _Will do, Master._ *" he skirted the edge of the camp to give him the best, and shortest, shot to get in and out with the prisoner.

"Is there something wrong?" Doruth asked innocently.

"This is a restricted zone," the Alsatian explained gruffly. "Czerka Corp property was sabotaged in this area; we've caught the saboteur and are escorting him back to our base."

"This wouldn't have anything to do with the 'lost equipment' I was informed about by your superiors, would it?" Doruth asked pointedly as he followed his Padawan's progress in the trees and the subtle build of Force around him as Fenrik prepared to dart in and grab their target before anyone realized he was there.

"As a matter of fact it would. It seems a rival corporation sent that spy back there to sabotage our operations."

"Of course, that's ample reason to interfere with my own journeys, given that you've caught him and won't be facing any more trouble?" If the words were scathing, the tone was even more patronizing. For the first time in a long time, it was clear that Doruth was trying to start trouble.

"I don't much like your tone, Jedi," the Alsatian growled. "Why don't you just be moving along before there's trouble, hmm?"

"* _I'm in and ..._ *" Fenrik called out as a silent blur of brown, cream and black breezed threw the combat droids to collect their prisoner before anything had time to react, "* _out!_ *"

"Wha - after him!" The Alsatian bellowed, sending the combat droids chasing after Fenrik in a race they were doomed to lose. The other guards would have followed, but they were more concerned by the sound of a lightsaber igniting.

"You'd do much better to just take yourselves and your weapons and leave," Doruth said firmly, holding his lightsaber in one hand easily, ready to use it if necessary. "You'll have an easier time replacing your jobs than anything else you might lose here." For a moment, it looked like the Alsatians were about to take his advice... then the leader smirked slightly.

"So predictable," he chuckled. Doruth quirked an eyebrow, then whirled around as he heard the familiar click of a trigger behind him. It was too late though; the droid concealed in the woods fired its blaster close enough to him that he could almost reach out and touch it with the tip of his lightsaber, too close for him to react to deflect the blast. His lightsaber went out as he slumped to the ground, stunned by the ambush in more ways than one.

"Well, that covers our end of the mission," the Alsatian chuckled, walking forward and picking up Doruth's lightsaber, considering it for a moment before holstering it. "All right, men, let's get him into a holding cell back in the base. Should fit nicely over the back of a speeder."

* * *

Fenrik drew a sharp breath when he realized what it was that was niggling at his mind for the past several minutes as he basically carried the Iridonian towards the closest spot the Gurath could get to and hoped silently that no one had boarded the ship to surprise him.

He had the defector, and they had his Master.

This was going to get very ugly.

"I can walk on my own you know," the Iridonian pointed out dryly.

"In case you hadn't noticed, this isn't walking." Fenrik informed him and made another Force-enhanced leap further up into the massive trees.

"Oof!" Camryn winced slightly as the landing knocked some of the wind out of him. "You've got a point there. But there's still a faster way, at least for the 'up' part."

"Which is?" Fenrik set him down so they could talk face to face on this.

"I can't climb trees as well as you can," Camryn admitted, holding up a clawless hand as if emphasizing the point, "but I can climb ropes pretty well. There should be a platform near here the Wookies use for transporting wounded hunters out of the Shadowlands. The only reason I didn't use it before was... well, I'm sure you can guess why. It's guarded at the bottom and the top, but we should be able to climb the rigging up to a level were we can make it to your ship more easily."

Fenrik nodded, making a quick calculation about the time he'd need to make it up with the Iridonian hanging on compared to searching for anything around here that wasn't blatantly out of sink with the environment. "Do you know where it is?"

"I tagged it with a tracking beacon when it was on the way up once," he nodded. "It's about five minutes from here, should shave a fair amount of time off the climb."

"All right," he nodded and held out his hand. "Show me the tracker."

"In here, I'm afraid," Camryn said, tapping his arm. "Arm was replaced after a little scrap on Telos turned uglier than usual, the tracker's inside it. I know which way it is though."

Fenrik nodded, not showing a trace of the frustration he felt. "Let's go then."

Camryn led the way to the thick ropes of twisted vine that extended to the next Wookie village kilometers above them. True to his word, the trip was actually less than five minutes walk; they were only two trees over from it.

"I hope you know how much farther up it is," he said, jumping over to the ropes, which barely swayed as the platform on the bottom kept them in place.

"Two hundred fifty yards up, then back towards the crash site." Fenrik informed him and jumped to his own rope to climb, keeping up with Camryn without passing him, every sense open and alert for trouble from anything.

Almost oddly, they didn't run into any. A few katarns hissed at them, but most of the forest beasts had been beaten away from this area by the Wookies over the years. The closest they came to an incident was when a tak jumped out and landed on Fenrik's head, the small primate seemingly content to perch there while the Panther climbed and muttered silently.

"Here," Fenrik told Camryn as they came near a huge limb suitable for jumping onto with minimal effort.

The two of them jumped off easily enough, though the little monkey-like creature that had been perched on Fenrik made the trip first, skittering off into the brush.

"So, how much farther to your ship?" Camryn asked him, stretching out his tired arm.

"Not far," he said simply and headed along the branch as wide as a road, one eye out for trouble, the other on the Iridonian. It was turning into one of those missions where he simply expected everything to go wrong. Murphy's Law' Jay had called it.

Whoever Murphy was, he really seemed to have it in for them today. He just really, really hoped the Gurath was going to be empty and not sabotaged ... he was going to have a hard enough time getting his Master back without having to deal with that, or more ambushes. The thought of just taking Camryn back occurred to him, but he dismissed the idea out of hand.

He wasn't going to lose another Master, not even like this, where he could be rescued later.

"Good," Camryn said, answering his statement of how much further they had to go. "Who was the one who stopped them while you were rescuing me?"

"My Master," he said quietly and looked around. "Time for a little jumping." He turned to Camryn. "How do you want to ride?" He offered politely.

"Preferably not over your shoulder again. Can't your ship come close enough we don't have to jump to it?"

"We're still going to have to make a few jumps to get to where we can reach him at all." Fenrik didn't display any of his growing irritation.

"Right. Whatever's easiest for you then," Camryn said easily. For all Fenrik wasn't showing his frustration, it wasn't hard to guess it was there and a frustrated Jedi was likely a more careless one.

"That is over my shoulder," he almost chuckled. "Least risk to you too." He added and swung the lighter male over one shoulder and back into the mindset he had when they were loosing the droids. He could hear the Gurath's engines, a distinctive sound after so many years of Jay's tinkering.

It wasn't long before they were back to it, the Gurath's green hull blending slightly with the shadowed leaves. Even with that blending, Fenrik could tell that the hatch was open, and ready for them to jump aboard. Camryn only then seemed to realize just how they were going to get from the branch they were on into the flying ship.

"Hang on a sec - you're not -" Fortunately, when Fenrik leaped off the branch, the Iridonian didn't scream, only tightening his grip as he panicked slightly at the thought that they were leaping for a target not too much larger than they were the better part of half a kilometer above the forest floor.

Camryn grunted at the impact on Fenrik's landing inside the small ship.

"You can relax now," the young Panther informed him as he set him on his feet and the hatch shut.

"Is everybody that crazy at the Temple, or did I just get lucky they sent you?" He asked, his voice still a little shaky.

"It is not crazy when it is well within one's abilities." Fenrik informed him simply and walked forward towards the cockpit. "I am afraid your departure from this world will have to be delayed until I retrieve my Master."

"Understood," Camryn nodded easily, trying to recompose himself. "I can probably help you with that, if you'll let me."

"What do you know?" Fenrik asked levelly as he brought up the information the Gurath had and sent a silent thanks to Jay once more for the improved sensors and recording system that kept info on everything the ship was exposed to. It may not be a lot on the facility, but it was more than he knew five minutes ago.

"Layout of the facility," Camryn explained. "May I?" He asked, moving over to the console.

"Yes," Fenrik nodded towards it and watched with decided interest.

The Iridonian sat down at the console, holding up his artificial arm and twisting the tip of one finger, pulling it off to expose a small interface rod. He slipped it into the computer's port, typing with his other hand as he brought up a full map of the facility.

"Unfortunately, they have a fairly effective set of holding cells," Camryn explained. "They're designed to hold Wookies when they get the chance. These schematics are most of what I'm bringing back, along with other evidence of what they're up to."

'What I wouldn't give for Jay right now' was the first thing that crossed Fenrik's mind. A moment later he set his mind to what _he_ could do. Czerka weren't known for smarts, and this was a relatively small facility. "Have any of the security codes or Intel?"

"I will soon enough," Camryn said with a nod, replacing the artificial fingertip and starting to key rapidly. It was distinctly different than watching Jay work, which frequently bore a closer resemblance to watching someone meditate, but it seemed to get much the same results. After a few moments of slicing, Camryn re-inserted his interface rod.

"Got 'em. They should be good for a few hours before they hit their next encryption shift."

Fenrik nodded as he took in the plans and Intel, then ran over the inventory in his mind for useful items as he formed a plan, and a few contingency ones. The first thing was to lock down the ship so it was where it should be when they needed it and hope that Jay's security programs were better than the defector's if he decided to take off on them.

"Might as well make yourself comfortable," Fenrik motioned to his guest toward the living part of the ship, "it could be a bit of a wait until I get back."

"I could come along and help," Camryn offered. "The least I could do, given that he was captured when you two were trying to rescue me."

"No," the Panther shook his head firmly and walked into the cargo hold to collect a few small objects. "Now that you have been rescued, you're going to stay that way."

"Very well," the Iridonian nodded. "I'll make sure the ship's ready when you get back. Coruscant after this, I presume?"

"According to plan at least," Fenrik nodded and stopped by his quarters to pick up the lightsaber Jay had made for him. It wasn't as easy in his hand as his own, but it was more powerful and it would be one Doruth could wield on the way out. He gave his equipment one last check and walked back to the pilot's seat to program the simple maneuver that would get him to the facility and then the ship out of the way while he did his damage.

"I'll make sure we've got the courses laid in then," Camryn said easily, sitting in the co-pilot's seat as the ship started flying.

"No need," he shook his head slightly and stepped towards the access hatch to make the jump to the tree the base was on. "The ship's on lockdown. Slicing would not be appreciated by maintenance."

"I'll keep it in mind," he shrugged slightly, watching the younger Panther leave. Once the hatch slid closed, he rolled his sleeve back to expose a comlink.

"He's on his way," Camryn said softly, turning the comlink off and settling in to start their backup plan.

* * *

Doruth groaned as he came to, the yellow glow of a holding cell's force field surrounding him. He didn't seem to be injured seriously... but what worried him most right now wasn't that, it was the sheer Force-silence of the area. He tried to reach out to his Padawan to nothing. Not the broken of death, but the silence of true unconsciousness. Only it was likely him that was the one with the problem. He slowly stood, the low hum of the force field much louder than usual, likely its power ramped up to keep him put. It was small too, less than eight by eight.

Not too unusual for maximum security... or temporary cells. Which meant they weren't likely to intend to keep him here too long.

He had to wonder why they had him here. First impression said to trade him for Camryn... but if that was the case, they wouldn't have prepared for a Jedi prisoner. The fact that he couldn't reach Fenrik, that he couldn't sense the Force anywhere near him, implied that they'd found _some_ way of temporarily cutting him off from it.

And that _definitely_ meant advanced preparation. A fair amount of it.

"Well, it seems you're awake," the Alsatian said as he walked into the holding cells. "I do hope our little friend didn't do too much damage to you. He wasn't thrilled when we told him to use the stun setting."

"Which does make me curious of why you would bother to," Doruth pointed out, his inscrutable Jedi Master persona on in full.

"Because you're no good to us dead," the Alsatian explained easily, walking around behind the force-field cell, his movements followed by the captive Panther.

"So what good am I to you alive?" He asked evenly with a touch of curiosity.

"Still pretending you're not looking to recover the defector we had?" The Alsatian chuckled, stopping and reaching behind some small storage lockers. He did something with his hands, and silvery-green leaves bobbed out from behind the obstructions, almost like he'd been petting something on a branch.

"Who is well on his way to Coruscant by now," Doruth said simply.

"Actually, he's still remarkably close. That's right, you don't know yet, do you?" He chuckled slightly, walking back towards the holding cell. "Your Padawan did get him to safety, and we're grateful for that. But he's making the mistake of coming back for you. Just as we expected."

That raised an eyebrow.

"That is a fair amount of trouble to go to for a couple Jedi." Doruth watched him calmly even as he desperately hoped that Jay would _not_ have a reason to come after them. Almost a Jedi or not, that Kat was positively sociopathic when it came to protecting those he cared about. "Why?"

"It's hardly about you being a Jedi," the Alsatian chuckled. "We haven't been looking for that for a few hundred years. It has much more to do with business... and with whom you can make do business with us."

Doruth wanted to groan, but he held it inside. This was adding up all too well, and true to form, they were not being smart about consequences. "You have no idea what you are getting into crossing him."

"He's a brilliant inventor, but no Jedi yet. Besides, if we can get our hands on his mate, he won't risk anything. And we all know the Order isn't the most cautious about recovering prisoners."

Doruth could only shake his head slightly and settled in to meditate in the Force-null zone until things came to a head, either by his Padawan or by Master Essani's.

* * *

Fenrik hurried quietly through the facility, pausing every once in a while to make sure there weren't any guards waiting for him. He'd already planted detonation charges in a few areas that should cause some serious confusion when he set them off; now, he was making his way towards the generators to give them a little TLC.

With a plasma grenade.

Suddenly, the alarms went off, and he started hearing the sound of guards gathering.

Damn it all. He _hated_ it when he was right about something being a setup.

"Attention all guards. An intruder has infiltrated the facility. Capture him and bring him to detention for interrogation."

"Damn," he muttered to himself and gathered enough Force to make his run to the generators before anyone had a real shot at him. When _those_ blew, they'd have more important things than him to worry about.

He started to run for the generators at full speed, knowing that the guards wouldn't take too long to find him. He darted down corridors, hoping they'd prepare for him to move for the detention area first.

Unfortunately, even if they were prepared for that, the sealed blast doors between him and the generators were going to slow him down. Even cutting threw them would take far too long. Time to shift gears and just blow the set charges and go for his Master.

He prayed he'd set the charges right as he pressed the detonator and turned around. He heard a series of explosions, but not as many as he'd expected; whether he'd failed to set them properly or they'd found and disarmed them, this was going to be a bit more difficult than planned.

"Halt where you are," a battle droid ordered as a small unit of them came around the corner to face him in perfect formation.

Like _that_ was going to happen.

Fenrik relaxed and cut through them with an ease that would have sickened Jay, his goal focused in his mind.

More droid guards fell as he worked through the facility; none of them managed more than slowing him down as he carved his way through them with the fast, graceful motions he'd learned from both of his Masters and his own training. Before long, he was at the detention area... and another door. At least this one wasn't as heavy as the last... but there was something strange about the room beyond. Almost like he couldn't feel anything more than a few feet into the room.

That was a _bad_ thing, but not one he could worry about more than superficially as he made short work of the door and stepped inside, his eyes taking in everything at once, even as his mind tried to grasp the concept of a null-Force zone.

He could see Doruth standing in one of the holding cells inside the strange void... well, that explained why he couldn't contact him across their bond.

"Fenrik, get out of here," Doruth called to him. "They're trying to get you, not me!"

"It's a little late for that, Master." He answered and plunged into the Force-null zone to the cell controls only feet from his Master's cell, his physical senses keyed for anything in the unnerving Force-silence of room.

He snarled as a blaster bolt hit the floor in front of him, clearly a warning shot, as his saber dimmed significantly.

"I wouldn't go any farther if I were you," the Alsatian said, stepping out with a blaster rifle in hand. "My next shot won't be aimed at the floor."

"No doubt," the young Jedi agreed even as he lowered his saber, his body language going slightly submissive.

His Master wasn't fooled, but he knew Fenrik well enough to look for what this was concealing. It was enough to make him smile. His Padawan was definitely taking strange tactics lessons from Jay. Using training spheres in combat was decidedly not anything _he_ would have thought of.

The Wolf took one step forward and was presented with five targets: three small spheres rushing towards him to attack, a lightsaber thrown at the control panel and the young Panther with a slightly brighter lightsaber in hand ready to take on whatever didn't work.

The console sparked as the lightsaber dug into the side, not doing nearly as much damage as it normally would have. Still, Doruth could hear the shift in the hum of the field around him, and knew it wasn't going to be as strong. He braced himself for what he had a hunch was going to come.

The Alsatian fired on the remotes first, dropping them quickly enough that he got his blaster up just in time to block Fenrik's attack. Thanks to the dead-zone in the Force, even Jay's lightsaber wasn't strong enough to cut through completely, but the impact drove the Alsatian back. Doruth motioned for Fenrik to keep him going, get him a bit closer to the energy cage.

There was no response, but as the fury of the attacks reached near-blitz levels, it was clear that the young Panther had gotten the idea and was doing his best to keep the Wolf off balance and driven towards the cell.

Once he was close enough, Doruth forced himself to plunge his arms through the electrical barrier. The pain the field caused was intense, but he'd dealt with far worse before. He wrapped his arms around the Alsatian's throat and pulled him back. Fenrik wasted no time getting to the control panel, ready to finish it off as he picked up his own lightsaber from the ground.

"Right now, I'm _almost_ regretting grabbing you," he growled. "Now, are you going to get the two of us out of here, or are we going to see what happens when your _head_ comes through the other way?"

"I'll get you out!" He yelped, not at all prepared for what he was facing.

The shield shut down almost in that moment, Fenrik not willing to allow his Master to be in pain any more than was required.

"You've got a comlink on you," Doruth said calmly, grateful for the field being brought down. He tightened his grip slightly in case the Alsatian decided to try something 'smart' like going for his lightsaber. "You're going to take it and give the stand-down order, then we're going to leave."

"And _this_ is ours," Fenrik snapped Doruth's lightsaber from the Alsatian's belt.

"All right," he agreed and activated the comlink. "All units stand down," he said nervously. "Deactivation code Alpha-Three-Zero." The alarms died out as he clicked the comlink off.

"There, I shut down the droids."

"Good," Doruth said simply. He tightened his grip further, holding it for a moment before the Alsatian fell limply to the ground, unconscious.

"Let's hope he didn't have too many living guards," the older Panther rumbled, taking his lightsaber back and moving towards the place where he'd seen the leaves before.

"Going to have to look into this later," he murmured, turning back towards the door. "Come on; let's get out of here before the living ones decide to come say 'hello.'"

"Agreed," Fenrik nodded, eager to get out of the dead space in the Force. He now knew the answer to what was worse than the Dark Side, and he wished he didn't. "We'll probably have a 'warm' welcome on the Gurath. I'm certain now that our defector isn't."

"No, he's not," Doruth agreed as they hurried out. Not far from the entrance, he became keenly aware of the background Force of the planet and facility, a welcome presence after spending the last few hours imprisoned away from it. "They were trying to capture you so they could blackmail Jay into working with them. Their plan all along; they even imported an ysalamiri. I had no clue they could do that," he murmured, the two of them speeding up once they could call on their talents again.

"* _An ysalamiri?_ *" Fenrik asked as he called the Gurath to meet them just below the defenses line of the facility, an easy jump down for the pair.

"* _Creature from Myrkr... I didn't know they could do that, something we'll have to look into._ *" Doruth holstered his lightsaber and made the jump, stepping into the ship warily as he waited for the expected attack... and none came.

"* _That's what caused the Force-null area?_ *" Fenrik asked silently.

"I am afraid I had to stun our guest. He was attempting to slice into the core systems." The Gurath's very rarely used voice informed them.

"I told him slicing wouldn't be appreciated." Fenrik chuckled softly and headed for the cockpit.

"Somehow, I'm not too surprised he tried anyway," Doruth observed and followed. "They really don't seem to think of Jay as anything more than a gifted inventor." 

"It's not like what he is exists to the outside world," Fenrik commented as they spotted Camryn slumped over in the pilot's seat, a remote hovering nearby, ready to administer another stun blast if necessary. "He's unique in every definition you can think of."

"So, leave him here with the rest of them, or bring him back with us?" Doruth asked, looking over at Fenrik.

"We do have grounds to keep him for a while," the younger Panther considered it, already long used to his Master asking him such questions to prepare him for when he had to choose by himself. "And he likely has useful information. I'd bring him, to find out what he tried to do to Gurath if nothing else. We can convert one of the rooms to a holding cell easily enough."

"Agreed," Doruth nodded. "Gurath, was there any tampering with the hyperdrive before you stunned him?" He asked the ship, working the Iridonian out of the seat.

"No," the ship replied. "Nothing was altered that I could not reset."

"Good," the older Panther sighed. "Hate to think something was going to blow when we tried to get out of here. Fenrik, would you mind taking the controls until we need to make the jump to hyperspace? I'll put our 'guest' in his room."

And put some burn ointment on his arms... now that the immediate threat was lower, the pain was starting to build up again. At least he hadn't scorched his fur.

"Of course, Master." He nodded easily, only just stopping himself from insisting that he see to his injuries as well as he took the pilot's seat and set course through the trees so they could clear some distance from the facility defenses before hitting open sky.

Doruth took Camryn back, dumping him on one of the bunks in the smallest of the side-rooms, keying in the sequence to lock the door and shut down all non-essential systems in the room. Wouldn't do any good to have him trying to take control of the ship again once he woke up.

He moved to his own room after that, sitting down and pulled out a medical kit. At least he'd be able to use it on himself. As he started to apply the pungent ointments to arms, he reached out to Fenrik again, grateful that their bond was restored. He had a feeling it wouldn't be there too much longer, at least not like this.

"* _Hey, Fenrik. You did good,_ *" he said with a sense of warm gratitude. "* _But next time I tell you to get out of somewhere,_ get out _,_ *" he added with a mental smirk, wincing a bit as he started to bandage himself up.

"* _No one is left behind._ *" He replied back firmly, something in his mental voice almost as much Jay's as his own; a lesson from his mate that had apparently taken root. "* _Thank you, Master._ *" He added more softly, the loyalty there no longer from their relative status, but from over five years of working closely together in life and death situations. "* _Just take care of your burns. I can handle hyperspace._ *"

"* _Just be sure you call me if you're having _any_ trouble,_ *" Doruth allowed, finishing the work of bandaging one arm, and getting to work on the other. In a way, he almost hoped the trip would take a bit longer than it normally would.

He was _so_ not looking forward to explaining what had happened to Tes.

* * *

"If the Council will tolerate a brief delay, I have a request I would like to make," Doruth said formally after Fenrik had left the room. The two of them had just finished reporting to the Council on what had happened. Camryn had been taken off to give what information he could; when he was given the choice between turning in evidence against Czerka or being taken to task for what he'd been involved with, he'd started talking quite willingly.

Now, all that was left was the unusual part of this meeting.

"Very well," Master Shan nodded slightly.

"I would like to propose to the Council that the requirement of a solo mission be waived for my Padawan. As we have both explained, after I was captured on our last mission, he planned and implemented a rescue mission that was successful, and carried it out without endangering the mission objectives we had arrived with. While it wasn't a formal mission, I believe he has amply proven his ability to work alone in the field, and to deal with adverse circumstances, not the least of which being the fact that he had to rescue me from an area where the Force may as well have not existed."

"We will consider it," the Dobie nodded. "He did do very well in his mission."

"* _We will also look into the issue of the ysalamiri._ *" Master Essani added. "* _Such a creature can not be allowed to become well known._ *"

"Agreed," Doruth nodded. "I doubt they are. I've heard of them before, but never that particular ability of theirs. Fortunately, as I understand, they're nearly impossible to export from Myrkr without taking the tree they're on as well, something that Czerka did in this case. I suspect the Alsatian I dealt with had suggested it."

"* _We will have to watch them more closely in the future,_ *" Master Essani stated firmly, even more displeased by the Corp's plot than most. "* _I do not like this idea of holding a Jedi as blackmail taking root in anyone else's head._ *"

"Agreed," Doruth nodded. "Is there any further business?" He asked politely.

"No," Master Shan said.

"I would suggest visiting Medical for your arms before seeing your mate," Master Ryul chuckled softly. "They may not hurt anymore, but she will not be pleased."

"A fact I am keenly aware of," Doruth chuckled ruefully. "Thank you, Masters. I look forward to your decision regarding Fenrik's progress." He bowed politely before starting out to follow the Wolf's advice.

* * *

Doruth drew a deep breath as he approached the block of rooms that he and the pack occupied. He could feel the conflicted feelings in the largest suite, his own, where all five Wolves were gathered. They were angry, frustrated, a bit understanding and definitely impatient.

For a moment, he almost toyed with the idea of _not_ going in ... but he knew full well that would only serve to make things worse. Instead, he opened the door, not entirely sure what sort of reception he'd be getting. He almost yelped when he was instantly surrounded and pulled into the room, noses and hands and Force-senses on him in the most invasive greeting he'd _ever_ experienced.

He could feel the threatening nature of the two males, Ragil and Fazer, their touch almost a challenge to see if he'd weakened. It was a reminder he didn't care for of how closely they still held to 'the best shall lead' ways of their animal ancestors. It was also a relief when they settled quickly, a choice that indicated they felt he was still their better.

The touch of the three females was distinctly different, though no less intrusive. Tulgwar and Hegrin had no interest in challenging his position, so their concern was for his well being more than his continued fitness to lead. Tes only really wanted to kiss him, her relief evident in her body language as much as her Force-signature.

"I'm all right!" He protested futilely. "I'm fine, glad to be home, and would _really_ like to know whose what is where before anybody has to apologize for something!"

"What _happened_?" Tes all but demanded, still close to him as her right as his mate while the others gave him a bit more space, the greeting turned happy again. "I heard you were in _Medical_."

"For all of five minutes while Master Ursal lectured me about acting on stupid ideas that end up working out better than the smart ones," he reassured her, wrapping his arms around her. They really did feel better now; for all that he was going to get another lecture for the fact that they'd been hurt at all. "Nothing serious, Tes, honest."

"How can you possibly call getting captured _nothing serious_?" She looked at him seriously, a bit of fear showing in her rich brown eyes.

"The injuries weren't," he clarified, wincing a bit inside as he thought about what would've happened if Fenrik _hadn't_ rescued him. "The entire mission turned out to be a setup. But if Fenrik hadn't rescued me, I would have gotten myself out before they did anything drastic." He caressed her cheek lightly with the backs of his fingers. "Everything's okay now, all right? It's not about to happen again any time soon, either."

"You are _so_ not going out solo again soon." She murmured and nuzzled him, her body relaxing as she let go of the tension that had built up as she had started to hear bits about what had happened.

"Soon, no," he agreed. "It probably wasn't half as bad as what you heard, love," he murmured, kissing her softly.

"Good," Hegrin grinned at the pair, then started to herd the others out of the room so the mates could get to the more intimate parts of greeting that Doruth refused to have them around for.

* * *

"So, you're the big hero of the day," Jay grinned and draped himself over Fenrik's shoulders when the Panther walked into their quarters. "I hear you rescued your Master."

"What else was I supposed to do?" Fenrik asked seriously, despite knowing a few possible answers. Still, he kissed Jay tenderly, wrapping his arms around his back.

"Doesn't make _succeeding_ any less of an impression," he chuckled and wrapped him in a welcoming hug. "Now what is this noise about this mess being about me?"

"Czerka took exception to your 'I don't work with assholes' policy," Fenrik shrugged slightly. "Seems they found out we were together and _seriously_ underestimated what Jedi can do."

"At least they kept up their rep for not thinking things through very much," Jay chuckled and kissed him, then again a little more passionately. "It's good to have you home."

"Better to be home," Fenrik murmured, scratching Jay's back lightly. "You already finished making sure our neighborhood plant didn't do any serious harm to the Gurath?"

"Yap. I set him up to survive it well." He grinned and nuzzled him. "Shower with me?"

"With pleasure," Fenrik rumbled. "Y'know, you've spoiled me for the sonic ones," he chuckled.

"Don't worry, the ship I'm building for you has water." Jay smirked and kissed him again before darting for the bathroom with a flick of his tail.

"I build a lightsaber, you build a starship," Fenrik chuckled, shaking his head as he started to follow, his own tail flicking behind him. "You, kat, are enough to give a guy an inferiority complex." He murmured softly enough that Jay wouldn't hear it.

* * *

  


* * *

"Council wants to see you in half an hour," Jay told Fenrik softly as the triad finished up their typical meat and spice heavy lunch.

"H- never mind, I should know better than to ask now," Fenrik chuckled slightly, shaking his head. "Any word about why, or is the Temple keeping that to itself?"

"Nope, but it's not a reprimand."

"Can't imagine _why_ they'd want to reprimand you," Shi said easily. "After all, you haven't been back long enough to do anything wrong."

"And you've been with us for most of it," Jay winked.

"Probably just want to sort out some minor detail I didn't mention," Fenrik shrugged slightly. "That, or see if I can help 'em figure out anything more about that creature Doruth spotted. Hopefully it won't take too long."

"Hopefully," Jay nodded and leaned forward to kiss him softly. "Have fun."

"I'll try," Fenrik chuckled, returning the kiss and turning to give Shivasta a brief one as well. "Be back once they're done picking my brain; let's just hope I don't have to pack for my solo already."

"Ugh, I hope not," Shi agreed. "You just got back, after all."

"No kidding," he nodded. "Ah well, we'll see." With that, he stood, stretching out and starting off for the Council Chambers, hoping this wouldn't take too long. Or that his mates would get into _too_ much trouble in the meantime.

"So how about a little work on your unarmed combat skills while he's gone?" Jay looked over at his mate seriously.

"Probably a good idea," she admitted, standing up. "I think my 'saber skills are almost up to par, at least. So, to the sparring chambers?"

"Works for me," he stood and wrapped his arms around her for a lingering kiss before they put on the serious, neutral faces for public.

* * *

"Oof!" Shivasta grunted as she hit the mat, rolling out of the way as Jay came after her. She was doing better; when they'd started, he probably would have had her pinned already. Instead, she was just panting, glad that they weren't practicing her defensive skills at the moment.

Jay usually managed to put her down every time she went after him, but it gave her time to recover between attempts. Just as she was getting ready to make her next attempt, she felt something from Fenrik, a sense of shock and disbelief.

"Time out," she said quickly. "Something's up with Fen."

"Up how?" Jay shifted his stance to a tense neutral and ended the match. "About the Council?"

"I'm not sure, but something surprised him big time. Enough that I'm having trouble getting through," she admitted. "Doesn't feel like something's wrong though... let's go find out what's happening."

"Definitely," Jay nodded as they headed off the mat. "There aren't many things that could do that."

"No kidding," she agreed, following him. "I think he's on the way back to our quarters."

"Probably looking for us," he nodded as they picked up the pace a bit. "Hopefully it's good news."

"Here's hoping," she agreed, quieting down and focusing on keeping up with Jay's longer and naturally faster stride. They had only gotten back to their quarters a few moments, not even long enough to consider changing clothes, when the door opened for Fenrik.

"Damn," Jay murmured at the blown away look on the Panther's face. "What happened?" He asked softly and walked close to hug him.

"I'm finished," Fenrik murmured, accepting the hug Jay offered him along with the one Shivasta gave him from the other side, still stunned. "They waived my solo," he added as a part of his mind reminded him that either one of them might take what he'd said first the wrong way.

"Waived ... you're a Knight now?" Jay's eyes went wide in shock almost as strong as his mate's.

"Yeah," Fenrik nodded slightly, the impact of the statement very gradually giving way to realizing what it meant.

"That's great!" Shivasta said, hugging him more tightly from behind. "Did they say why?"

"The rescue," Fenrik explained. "Said it showed that I had all the qualities a solo would normally prove."

"We could've told them that," the blue-skinned young woman chuckled.

"Yeah," Jay added with a grin and hugged him tighter with a solid kiss. "But that is _way_ cool. Any word on what's next for you?"

"Not yet," Fenrik chuckled slightly, his own grin slowly forming as he returned Jay's kiss. "Probably missions pretty soon, but they didn't mention anything yet."

"Which means we have at least a few days to celebrate with our first Knight." Jay rumbled playfully.

"Knowing you two that means I'm going to be more exhausted _before_ my first mission than after it," Fenrik smirked, turning to wrap an arm around each of them.

"Like you're going to complain about that," Shi smirked back up at him. "Though we'll probably find a few other things to do," she chuckled.

"I think we can manage to make sure you're more exhausted after it," Jay winked and pulled the Panther towards the bedroom. "I still owe you for the last time you tied me down."

"Like you minded," Fen smirked, following him in and starting to strip his robes off.

"All the more reason to make sure you get to enjoy too," Shi pointed out with a giggle as the three disappeared into their bedroom.

* * *

  


* * *

"Well now, what's the spread for?" Fenrik raised an eyebrow as the triad sat down for a private dinner in their quarters three days later. "We already celebrated my knighting."

"I'd say it's called 'working off stress without katas,'" Shi chuckled and kissed Jay as he set the last of the distinctly carnivorous with fruit meal down.

"We _do_ have a lot we really do need to work out now," Jay admitted and sat down after Shi. "Before we head to Yavin."

"Something wrong?" Fenrik asked as he took his own seat. "Or just a little nervous about the trip?"

"Not wrong, and not all that nervous about the trip," Jay shook his head as they started to serve themselves. "Master Essani just reminded me that we do have something to go over ... and it needs to be before we're off again." He shifted uncomfortably. "We haven't really talked about the Demon and my family Gift seriously. It's about to become a central feature in my life for a few years."

"You're going to be accepting your Gift soon, aren't you?" Shivasta asked him. "We'd been wondering how much longer you were going to wait," she admitted.

"I've finished or exceeded all the training I can," he nodded slightly. "If I didn't have that to deal with, Master Essani would start my Trials soon. This one just affects you two, possibly a lot."

"Besides having to help keep you from turning, how?" Shivasta asked him softly.

"There is a good chance that I'll have access to telepathy, something I have _no_ way to control yet. Add that to what I suspect is a direct link to the Dark Side and you could be having nightmares for a while. You're also going to be the first targets for anything nasty that comes after me, and the Demon if it gets loose."

"We can help you learn to control it," Shivasta said reassuringly.

"And we're not going to run out on you, Jay," Fenrik told him. "We've all known it was probably going to be part of the package. You're worth it."

"Thanks." He smiled slightly. "I didn't think you would, but we haven't really talked about what you're getting into much."

"We're both more concerned about what you're getting into," Shi said, reaching over to rub his shoulder. "If you really want to deal with it. You've said before that you're not sure."

"The last mission, Kraken, made it very clear I'm not going to be one who gets the choice." He shook his head. "I'm too driven to be the best, to make the best. It's not in me to ignore the potential forever. It's better to take it on while I still have a Master to help and time to learn how to deal with it."

"All right," she nodded. "Is this going to be before, or after, the trip?"

"After," Jay said simply. "I've got enough issues with them without having somebody in my head egging me on."

"I was going to mention that if you hadn't thought of it already," Shivasta nodded.

"Well, from what I've heard Tes say, this guy shouldn't set you off too badly," Fenrik said hopefully.

"That's the general idea at least," Jay nodded with a low chuckle. "And I _can_ behave myself when there isn't a challenge involved. This is just a non-violent kind of challenge."

"And I'll be there to make sure you don't do something you're going to regret," Shivasta smiled, squeezing his shoulder lightly. "Was there anything else about the Demon you wanted to tell us?"

"Not a lot is known," he admitted. "The Council is sure it's a Dark Side creature. Family history indicates it's very patient; it's spent generations breeding us to be Force-sensitive and doesn't give up trying to corrupt anyone in the family that takes on the Gift."

"And you're sure there's no way to use your gift without facing it?" She asked him.

"Sure there is, they just aren't viable." He shook his head with a chuckle. "If somebody killed the Demon, it wouldn't be there to bug us. That's just not likely to happen."

"No, it's not," Fenrik agreed. "Hard enough to kill a spirit like that when it's in this galaxy."

"I think it is," Jay shook his head; "though it can probably travel anywhere it has a door. We've got records of it still being active in alternate realities and in time jumps. The good part is that is only really talks and makes offers of power or comfort. No guarantees, but it's not usually directly dangerous. 

"Well, that's something," Shivasta said. "I'm sure you'll be okay, Jay, and we will too."

"I am too; it's just something we did need to talk out before it happened." He relaxed significantly, then cocked his head at Shi. "Got a clue how long before your Trials?"

"Not sure," she admitted. "Every once in a while, Master Ursal tells me I've done well at one or another, usually the judgment test," she chuckled slightly. "I'm not sure when I'll be taking them formally, but I have to get my lightsaber made first... I'd been planning on starting that after we got back, when you'd have Fenrik around while I was gone."

"Or you could make it while we go to Yavin," Fenrik suggested. "It worked for me when you two went after the Kraken. Face it, now that I'm a Knight, unless I'm _on_ a mission, there's no way I can be sure I'll be around for that long a chunk of time, even with Essani on the Council."

"True," Shivasta admitted. "You mind, Jay? He does have a point, and I probably will be gone a bit longer than usual. I'm going to have to go home for the main focusing crystal at least."

"I don't mind," he reached over to squeeze her shoulder. "In some ways, Fen's got some advantages in this one. He _is_ better at dealing with me when I'm angry."

"You're just lucky he is a bit of a healer," she teased lightly, smiling at both of them. "Or else I wouldn't be letting you out of my sight for this. I'll go talk to Master Ursal about it after lunch."

"How do you plan on getting home?" Fenrik asked her. "Garos VIII isn't exactly on any of the major shipping lanes."

"I'll have to set it up, but I was planning on getting passage on one of the supply ships. I'll sort something out," she smiled.

"You can probably take Kalrass," Jay suggested. "She's got an excellent autopilot, and Tes hardly needs her right now."

"To be honest Jay, I'd rather take a ship somebody else can pilot if something unusual happens," she explained. "And where I don't have to worry about something happening to my ride home, if something weird happens."

"I didn't mangle her _that_ badly," he sort of pouted, "but I get the point. It was just a suggestion."

"Jay, it's not that I don't trust your work," she smiled, "it's that I don't trust _my_ work when it comes to weird things happening."

"I'll just have to trust that supply ship," he accepted, though he wasn't all that pleased. "How long do you expect you'll be gone?"

"At least a month," she admitted. "Quite possibly longer, depending on how long it takes me to convince them I'm suitable to go into the caves and actually construct my 'saber. How long would it take you to make a miniature version of my refrigeration collar, Jay?" She asked him curiously.

"How miniature do you want it?" Her curiosity was returned as he tried to think of why she'd want it.

"'Saber sized, if possible," she said. "Possibly something that could be mounted at the mouth of the hilt. I saw something while I was meditating a few weeks ago, hadn't thought about it too much yet, but if you can, it might be helpful with something I'd like to try."

"That'll be easy," Jay chuckled softly. "Your pendant is smaller, just the wrong shape. Give me a couple days without distractions."

"Okay," she smiled. "I'll try to remember," she chuckled.

"Mmm... I think we can come up with things to do other than distracting him," Fenrik winked.

"You're as bad as he is," she laughed, shaking her head.

"What temp do you want it set at?" Jay asked with a smirk at the other tom that was all but a dare to prove her right.

"Below freezing at the very least. If you can set it colder, that'd probably be best. It'll be going on the inside, so unless I'm wrong about how it works, it shouldn't freeze the hilt, right?"

"I can set it that way easily enough," he nodded. "I'll just need the exact dimensions of the hilt you intend to use. It there a point that's too cold?"

"I'm not sure yet," she admitted. "I'll need to keep some crystals below freezing, but I don't think it gets any colder than seventy below most of the time, so it probably shouldn't be much colder than that. And I'll get you the dimensions from Master Ursal; she's providing the hilt and emitter."

"Forty below as a goal sound good?" He offered. "I'm fairly sure that would be easy to do."

"That'd be fine," she nodded. "Thank you," she added with a smile. "I'm not sure how well this will work in the end, but if I'm right, it should be unique."

"A fitting match for its wielder," he purred softly, earning a violet blush as she ducked her head slightly.

"Y'know, that _does_ explain yours, Jay," Fenrik chuckled. "Maker knows they're certainly close enough to unique."

"Only around here," he smirked back. "Back home they're nothing special."

"I'd be terrified if I didn't know what you meant by that," Fenrik chuckled. "But I guess it comes of living where everybody's at least a part-time inventor."

"C'mon, Fenrik," Shi giggled. "After this long, if he can say anything that still terrifies you, you're going to look like you belong on the Council before you've even taken on your first Padawan."

"I should probably mention about now that the trip to Yavin will be Sharufa's shakedown run." Jay almost snickered.

"Probably just as well I'm coming along then," Fenrik sighed dramatically. "I'm going to have to know what I have to kick when something stops working anyways."

"And what not to kick," Jay smirked for real. "She very much believes in her name you know. She doesn't take abuse from anybody."

"And just what _does_ her name mean?" Shivasta asked, not recognizing it as one used in the Republic.

"Distinguished or outstanding, depending on who you ask," he chuckled softly. "She's got an attitude to match."

"I'll keep it in mind," Fenrik smiled. "I assume you built her as a full transport, at least enough space for six?"

"Depends on sleeping arrangements. She's set up with a master bedroom for us and three other rooms for Masters or Padawans. A bit smaller than Gurath, but much more efficiently arranged for us. She won't be needed for more than a decade, if that."

"You have _definitely_ missed your calling, kat," Fenrik chuckled, shaking his head. "Something that I'm sure every corporate type you've talked to has agreed with."

"Mmm ... personally, I'm glad he missed it," Shivasta smiled, leaning over to give him a quick kiss.

"Clawsons are just not corporate types," he shook his head. "We're warriors with a knack for inventing our own gear for the job."

"I was joking, Jay," Fenrik chuckled, moving to give him a kiss. "After all, given everything that's happened, there are _some_ corp's I hope you'll never work with."

"Like most of them," he smirked with a wink and returned the kiss. "It doesn't make them any happier for my career choice."

"They'll live," Shi smiled, collecting their empty plates. "Mmm ... so, who's interested in dessert?" She asked with a wink, nuzzling Jay and Fen both.

"Does that mean you're on the menu?" Jay grinned up at her with a teasing gleam in his eyes.

"That's up to you boys," she teased back with a wink, standing and walking into the bedroom, slipping her robes off as she disappeared, followed quickly by her mates.

* * *

  


* * *

Doruth could feel the tension that was in the air as the Gurath set down on Kessel. He put his breath-mask on and looked back at the rest of the Pack, making sure they were all similarly equipped.

They'd been sent to deal with a rebellion amongst the miners, and it was obvious that nobody outside of the Order was particularly picky about how it happened. The spice that was being mined here was vital to several major pharmaceutical concerns throughout the Republic, and any disruption in operations was grounds for worry.

The fact that the officials in charge of Kessel were unofficially supplementing their stipends by selling that same spice to criminal organizations had _nothing_ to do with it, of course.

He was glad the Order had been as vague as they had with his orders, something he was sure was _very_ intentional. None of them particularly wanted this revolt among the miners to end the way the mine's administrators probably did - violently, but with work starting again with the minimum possible delays.

As the Gurath's hatch opened, he saw that the governor of this particular mining region was already waiting for them, his armed entourage immediately behind him.

"Greetings, Governor Rhyallis." Doruth appraised the male silver Fox and wasn't the least bit surprised that he was extremely nervous. It didn't miss anyone's attention that the four Wolves behind him had decided the same and took on an even more dominant and predatory air for the weakness in the smaller canine.

"Greetings, Jedi," the Fox said, bowing slightly. He tried to put on a look more fitting for the governor of a small planet, and managed with mixed success. "I presume you were informed of the situation here before your arrival?"

"Only that there was trouble with the miners and I am here to solve it." He said simply.

"Yes. Well, they're getting increasingly belligerent," Rhyallis explained. "They refuse to go into the mines, demanding all manner of concessions before they'll work again. I'm willing to meet some of them, of course, but the others... well, there's simply no way this facility could be run on the budget I have to work with if I met all of them. After all, while glitterstim has numerous medical uses, the mechanical costs make the profit margin exceedingly slim."

"What are their demands?" He asked simply as they walked towards the building attached to the landing pad.

"Increased security forces, restricting the mining operations to the uppermost levels, being armed with blasters rather than mining lasers... I'm sure you can see where that last one especially would be a problem, with an entire group of rowdy miners armed with blasters. They're also requesting hazard pay." He sighed and shook his head. 

"Those mines are no more dangerous now than they were when they volunteered to work here. I'm not running a prison mine like some administrators; I take care of my workers. But in an operation like this, there are bound to be accidents, which every one of those men knew full well before they signed on."

"I will want to speak with the miners about their demands, of course." Doruth said smoothly as if it was the only possible way things could go instead of the one those in charge wanted the least.

"Really, there's no need for that," the governor said just as smoothly. "It's simply a case of the miners deciding that they want better terms than they agreed to. These things happen all the time; it's just that normally our security forces are capable of handling it. This time... well, you'll see when we reach the mine itself." He led Doruth into the building, though only after one of the guards had opened the door and stepped in first.

The Panther had been on Nar Shadda long enough to recognize that Rhyallis was a man who'd had at least one attempt made on his life, and recently at that. No wonder he'd requested Jedi assistance.

Instead of replying, Doruth lead his Custos pack behind the Governor and waited to see the mine before he insisted on talking to the miners.

"My apologies for the delay," Rhyallis explained as one of his guards left to stand watch outside, "but I'm afraid my transport to the mines had to be replaced. It should be here any -" The familiar sound of a speeder whirring to a halt outside interrupted him. "Ah, there it is. Well, let's go see the facility, hmm?"

He led the way out, climbing into the large speeder along with one of his guards, though the other half-dozen guards had to stay behind so Doruth could get on along with the four Custos.

The trip was short, though it wasn't exactly uneventful. While there wasn't any overt violence, Doruth could feel the increasing tension and animosity the closer they came to the mine. This entire place was a powder keg waiting to explode. The only reason most of the miners he saw gathered were shouting obscenities was because their breath masks didn't lend themselves well to the exertion.

He was definitely going to have to find out what the reason behind the need for increased security was. This was going to explode, and soon.

They finally stopped just outside a large, well-built building, more guards waiting outside. Apparently, without having to watch the miners, Rhyallis could afford to bolster his forces with the security he did have down there. 

The rest of the buildings in the area were far more run-down looking, with miners moving in and out of them. The spice trade was more lucrative than he'd thought, if the difference between Rhyallis' home and office and the miner's buildings was any indicator.

It shouldn't have been a surprise, and wasn't much of one, really. Anything that attracted the underworld _had_ to be very lucrative.

The guards moved forward, making sure there was a clear path between the building and the speeder before the doors opened.

"Ehm... after you," Rhyallis offered, though they all knew it was less out of politeness than preferring that the Jedi be the first one to go into the line of fire.

It wasn't something that bothered Doruth as he easily got off the speeder and went inside with the pack. If the Fox was intimidated already, it would make it that much easier to push him into consenting to what he needed to.

Rhyallis followed behind him, closing the door to the office quickly and sitting down at his desk.

"I took the liberty of collecting all the information we have on the miner who seems to be leading this revolt," he explained, opening up the file. "It should make this somewhat easier for you."

The Panther nodded and skimmed the file, looking mostly for names and pictures to know who to talk to first.

"If you'd like, I have a datapad with the information here," he said, opening a drawer and pulling one out. "I do hope you can resolve this quickly. Monthly quotas aside, our product is vital to the Republic."

"That is why I am here, after all." Doruth nodded. "Are all the major players here?"

"They should be," Rhyallis nodded. "The ringleader and his friends are probably in the cantina now." Doruth frowned mentally as he got to the details on the supposed ringleader. This wasn't adding up; meerians _didn't_ revolt, it just wasn't in them. The diminutive humanoids were expert miners, but even hundreds of generations under the thumb of the mining corporations hadn't dulled their naturally agreeable nature enough that they would fight back, even on their home world.

This was _definitely_ a revolt to look into _very_ carefully.

"We will talk to them now," Doruth said simply and turned to leave, the Wolves at his heal. There were times he wished he didn't have them around, and this was going to be one of them. Even with all their Custos training and decades at the Temple, they still had a habit of looking at everyone not of the Temple as a threat to be decimated.

They'd saved his life many times, but they'd caused just as much trouble when such aggressive posturing wasn't needed.

That was the true reason, or part of it at least, that he'd left them behind on that last mission to Kashykk. No such luck this time. Hopefully this wouldn't be one of the situations where having them along would result in unnecessary violence.

They never behaved like this with Tes along. She was the only one who did any posturing then, unless a battle was immanent and it might actually help. It made him feel even more like he was being babysat than usual.

Fortunately, the miners didn't seem too inclined towards causing trouble for him. They milled about, occasionally glaring, but mostly making way for the Panther and Wolves to work towards the cantina. Maybe they knew that a Jedi wasn't just going to start taking heads until they were working again.

They walked into the cantina, the air a little fresher, more people not wearing their breathmasks, though most of them only took them off long enough to eat or drink before replacing them.

The meerian they were looking for, LirTan, was sitting in a repulsor chair, talking with some of his friends around a game of sabacc. He looked up as the five of them walked in, and the game was soon cleared from the table, space made for Doruth to take a seat.

"Thank you," the Panther nodded in acceptance and sat down. "* _Go talk to the others, and be _polite_ about it._ *" He added to the Custos so they wouldn't look so much like the body guards they tended to think of themselves as. "What happened?" He asked LirTan simply.

"You're asking?" The meerian asked, raising an eyebrow slightly. "Well, it seems the boss picked the wrong people to call for help. What happened is we've been losing more miners than usual in the lower levels. Don't care what that Fox says, this is more than the usual accidents. We can _find_ cave ins or sinkholes; we know where the bodies are after those. Miners just disappearing... that's something else."

"Is it in a particular area, or all the lower levels?" Doruth asked as he began to check things off the possible causes list.

"We don't know. Seems to be a specific area, but it happens sometimes all over. Just not as often as it has lately."

"Have you kept any records of the miners who have gone missing; where, when, their race, solo or not." Doruth considered him seriously. "I'd take your records over Rhyallis."

"I'd take a drunken wampa's records over his," the meerian snorted, shaking his head. "We don't have anything on record, but it wouldn't take too long to figure it all out. Just have to get the word out that somebody actually cares."

"I would appreciate it," he inclined his head seriously. "It will help a great deal when I go down there to find out how to stop it."

"Just make sure you and your friends are well armed," LirTan observed. "Everybody who disappeared had mining lasers, and knew how to use 'em in a fight if they had to. Didn't help them any."

"We will be," Doruth nodded. "How long do you think it will take to work out an map and timeline of the missing?"

"I should have it for you by evening," LirTan said easily.

"Good. Is there anything else you've noticed?"

"The ones who've disappeared the most lately have been working around a new vein we've been working," the meerian explained. "Rich vein, most of the reason Rhyallis says they've just skipped the planet. But we know who leaves and who doesn't. They haven't."

"I understand," Doruth said simply. He believed it too. Communities like these _knew_ this kind of thing, and even more, the situation here back them up. "It there anything unusual about this vein, or what comes out of it? Purity, quantity, how it lies in the rock?"

"The purity's normal," LirTan said easily. "Pure spice is common around here, that's why the mines have lasted as long as they have. What's weird is that this deposit just doesn't seem to end. We'll dig to the back of it, or think we have at least, when we come back the next day we find out we'd been reading the scans wrong or something. More bogies than usual back there, but they're not what the problem is."

"Like more has showed up over night?" He hazarded a guess as an idea started to form, no matter how strange it sounded.

"Not over night, but fairly quickly. They usually show up in areas we've mined out, they get caught in the spice otherwise. But usually we find a few there before, caught in the spice that we're mining. Here, we didn't find any until after we'd mined the main deposit."

"Interesting," he murmured, more sure of his idea than before. "Anything else you can think of that is different?"

"Nope," LirTan said, shaking his head. "Except for the way we keep finding more, nothing that weird about it but the miners we keep losing back there."

"Then I am going to investigate our records until you have put together the map of disappearances." Doruth said easily and stood.

"Will do," the meerian nodded, his repulsor-chair rising so he stayed at Doruth's eye-level. "Glad to see that somebody gives a shit about us around here."

"It's what I do on a mission." Doruth said simply and silently signaled the others to join him outside the door. "I will meet you back here in a few hours."

"See you then," LirTan nodded, starting to talk to his friends again as they gathered around him.

* * *

  


* * *

The Sharufa pulled into an open docking bay on the seemingly derelict space station orbiting Yavin 4. The entire place was ancient, thousands of years old as far as Jay could tell, and had been repaired and refitted hundreds of times in its life. Despite that, and despite the fact that it had been occupied for most of the last thousand years, it still looked like it had been untended since the day it was built, something Tes knew was a very intentional illusion its occupants had cultivated.

"Are you _sure_ this is the station?" Fenrik asked her from the copilot's seat. "Not even the Corusca fishers would live in a place this broken down."

"It's a show," Jay chuckled in mild admiration. "Some avoid trouble by looking too tough to mess with. Some avoid it by looking like they aren't worth the effort. She's old, but she's in pretty good shape."

"If you say so," Fenrik said, shaking his head. "They certainly do a good job of making it look dead. So... do we wait for him to come out, go in, what?"

"We'll probably have to remind him we're expected," Tes chuckled. "He's not exactly that good about remembering his appointments."

"That sounds familiar," Fenrik chuckled.

"Have Massassin do it, or do you want to call like normal people do?" Jay asked with a smirk towards his mate.

"Well, Tes knows the guy," he chuckled. "What's the usual way?"

"Knock," she chuckled, standing up. "C'mon, let's go pay him a visit. Fen? Might want to grab that box of dried Dantoon locusts before we head in. He knows me, Jay's a fellow techie, be good to give him a reason to like you too."

"Will do," Fenrik nodded, heading back into the hold to get the treats nobody else on the ship would touch before joining Tes and Jay at the hatch. Tes pressed a button on the console next to the door, and a grainy image of a disheveled Rodian appeared from the other side.

"Who's there?" Duvam Tam asked in Rodese that was dated, but still understandable to Tes and Jay both.

"It's Tes," she rolled her eyes. "We're expected, remember?"

"Tes?" Duvam peered into his own viewscreen, cocking his head. "How did you get out here so fast? Just talked to you a couple days ago, you weren't due for at least another two days...."

Jay and Fenrik couldn't help but snicker slightly.

"Check the date, we're not that early," she shook her head. "Open the door already."

"I'm sure that - oh! All right, I'll open up," he said, shrugging slightly as the blast door slid open to reveal a massive workspace littered with assorted half-finished projects from droids to small vehicles to exotic suits of armor to... really, it was probably a miracle if the station's _owner_ knew what everything was at this point.

"I was working on an inventory after I got back from my last... err... vacation," Duvam explained. "I guess I lost track of time." The end of his snout wiggled slightly as he looked between the Wolf and two felines. "So! Who are your new friends? Did you bring the supplies I asked about?"

"Of course," she chuckled slightly. "The red one's Jay, the techie I told you about. The Panther is his mate, Fenrik."

Fenrik heard his name mentioned, and saw Duvam's eyes stray towards the small bag he'd collected. Not for the first time he wished he'd had Doruth teach him Rodese along with Huttese during the past few years, but there wasn't anything he could do about that just now. He took the bag and passed it to the Rodian, who opened it up and looked inside with a pleased sound.

"Most polite your friends are!" He said with the closest a Rodian came to a grin, pulling one of the large dried insects out and popping it into his mouth, crunching down on it approvingly. "So, you built the ship you came in?" He asked Jay, looking at him suddenly.

"* _He likes your gift,_ *" Tes translated for him. "* _Most polite._ *"

"* _Thanks,_ *" the Panther replied silently.

"Refurbished, technically," Jay grinned back. "But she's not bad for a first try at a ship from scrap."

"Ah! So you are another who prefers to work with what others have left behind," Duvam said approvingly. "Are you planning on staying some time?" He asked hopefully, looking between the young tom and the Wolf who'd brought him.

"A few weeks, assuming nothing calls us away." Jay grinned back easily. He was still on edge, uncomfortable with what he was talking to, but the subject was so comfortable and Duvam was just not projecting the aggression his kin usually did.

"Maybe you can help with a few projects of mine," Duvam suggested. "We could compare notes; maybe I can help you with some projects of your own."

"* _I think this is the point where I go to help unload the ship,_ *" Fenrik chuckled mentally to Tes.

"* _Not a bad idea,_ *" she chuckled. "* _They're about to get techie on us._ *"

"Worth a look," Jay agreed easily.

"Well, you two have fun; we'll go work on unloading Sharufa." Tes told them and headed back to the ship, one hand on Fenrik's shoulder to bring him along.

"* _I take it it went well,_ *" Master Essani commented as the pair entered the ship.

"Quite well," Fenrik nodded with a smile. "They seem to be getting along as techies. The fact that he's a Rodian still has Jay a little on edge, but not nearly as bad as he can be."

"* _Very good,_ *" Essani said approvingly. "* _I assume your friend is doing well then?_ *" She asked Tes.

"Yes, his usual forgetful creative self." She chuckled. "We came back to unload the supplies for him."

"* _He sounds familiar somehow,_ *" Essani chuckled, chirping as her fur shifted to a light pink. "* _Would you like any help with the larger objects?_ *" She offered.

"Always welcome," Tes grinned. "I think we're all just avoiding the techies talking."

"* _Something that I can only imagine is harder to understand when they're speaking a dialect that's about fifty years out of date,_ *" Essani chuckled, standing up and following them back to the hold. "* _The greatest threat to Jedi inscrutability is that more people will meet inventors._ *"

"Fortunately they are even rarer than Jedi, and a lot more reclusive." Fenrik chuckled.

"Would you like to learn the basics of Rodese?" Tes offered him.

"It would probably be a good idea," Fenrik admitted. "Huttese usually works, but I'm not usually speaking to somebody who only knows Rodese either."

"Oh he speaks more than that," Tes chuckled. "He just doesn't let the Trandoshans know that until _after_ he knows if he has to jack up his prices to prove they respect him properly."

"* _He's not quite as scatterbrained as he acts, is he?_ *" Essani chuckled. "* _I have to say, I think I'm getting to like him._ *"

"He has a lot in common with Jay," Fenrik shook his head as they started to unload the supplies. "Let's just hope we can pry him out of the lab sometime this year."

"* _I'm sure we will eventually,_ *" Essani smiled, pausing for a moment to focus and move a large crate of foodstuffs. "* _I'm surprised you're just bringing these out to him,_ *" she observed, glancing at Tes.

"It's what's hard to get out here," she shrugged. "Food's valuable when it's a rare commodity."

"* _Very true,_ *" the kushiban nodded, moving another of the crates out with an ease that would have made most jealous, particularly when they considered that she was doing it simply through her skill with the Force.

Fenrik, on the other hand, was moving things in a much more traditional manner, usually taking the other end of whatever container Tes was hauling.

"I'm just worried about what Jay might end up coming home with from here," he chuckled slightly. "He manages to frighten enough people working on his own."

"* _On the plus side, I doubt he'll be able to find a way to improve on the lightsaber any more than he's already doing,_ *" Essani chuckled. She cocked her head slightly, her fur turning a light teal. "* _Though... before we leave, Tes, I would like you to introduce me to Duvam Tam. I may have some business to discuss with him._ *"

"Sure," she nodded easily. "We might want to time it for when Fenrik has Jay distracted though."

"* _Agreed, though once a good first impression has had the chance to sink in I think it would be safe to meet him while Jay's there._ *"

"I think she meant so that those two would pay attention to whatever business you might have to discuss," Fenrik chuckled. "If he's anything like Jay, it'd take a scream or the computer announcing that the station is about to be exposed to hard vacuum to snap him out of a project, _especially_ if there's somebody else there to work on it with."

"Yeah, they _are_ two techies in the same room." Tes chuckled. "Distracting one long enough to talk can be a trick."

"* _All right,_ *" Essani chuckled. "* _Let's just not forget it, that's all I ask. I feel something interesting here, now that I listen for it._ *"

"No problem. We can handle it when Fenrik coaxes Jay away for a 'nap'." Tes smirked at the Panther.

"Which will probably be in a day or two and for _actual_ sleep," Fenrik smirked back. "Trust me, I _do_ try to get him to behave when I can."

"* _And you have about as much success as anybody else does,_ *" Essani chuckled.

"The difference is that he doesn't glare at me when I do it," he smirked.

* * *

  


* * *

Doruth stepped from the Gurath, now sitting on one of the few stable areas for it near the town, with four Wolves not far behind. Despite that they'd all brought back roughly the same information from the miners and opinions of their honesty, there was _nothing_ in the databanks to indicate what could possibly be happening. It didn't squelch his suspicions that this was probably a predator of some kind, it only confirmed that no one had survived an encounter with whatever it was long enough to make it known.

That would be his job.

He noticed that the miners were gathered around the yawning maw of the spice mine, looking in almost like the entire lot of them was considering jumping.

Or like the gawkers that inevitably gathered around a fight scene. He had a bad feeling that whatever was down there had just claimed another victim.

He reached out, feeling for the disturbances that meant this was something he could actually help with and felt nothing.

"* _Fazer, Tulgwar, go see what is going on._ *" He instructed the smaller male and female of the pack, leaving the two largest Wolves with him as he went to the cantina to meet with LirTan.

"* _Right, boss._ *" Tulgwar nodded and led the lighter male towards the gathering.

The meerian was sitting at his table, but this time he approached Doruth in his hovering chair, the apparatus rising so he was on the same level as the Panther again.

"Well," he said, "I'm guessing you noticed the commotion out there."

"Yes," Doruth nodded. "What happened?"

"Officially, I'm guessing the boss'll say nothing. Or _maybe_ that one of his guards fell off the lift. 'Bout a half-hour ago somebody heard a scream. All the miners are accounted for; a couple of my boys went down to see what it was. Step a bit further inside, we'll see if I'm right," he said, moving his chair back to let Doruth in as a powerfully built Badger broke off from the crowd.

The Panther nodded and stepped inside the building, Ragil and Hegrin behind him.

LirTan moved around as the Badger walked in.

"They found a helmet down where the last guys disappeared," he said gruffly. "Blaster too, still hot."

"And of course, Rhyallis doesn't want anybody thinking this proves the mine's not safe," the meerian muttered, shaking his head and pulling out a datapad, adding something to it. "Thanks, Spike."

"No problem." He looked up at the Panther. "So, you're the guy who's gonna try and clear this mess up?"

"That is the idea," Doruth nodded. "Did you find any signs of blood, the guards or his attacker's?"

"No, but they could _definitely_ see that there'd been a fight. That's one of the weird things, really. The blaster was warm, but no scorch marks on the walls and no signs of blood."

"Which means that every shot hit his opponent, that opponent did not bleed and he did not bleed from being incapacitated or killed." Doruth rumbled, his voice low as he worked on the limited number of things he knew could accomplish that, and what _did_ work against them. "Ragil, go check on the ballistics. We'll probably need them."

"Yes, Master." The giant male rumbled and turned to trot back to the Gurath.

"You're going in after whatever's down there?" LirTan asked him.

"That is why we're here," Doruth nodded. "To stop the killings. That means we go in to find what's doing it."

"You've got guts," the meerian observed, handing over his datapad. "Just make sure you don't get 'em ripped out, hmm?"

"Nothing's managed yet," he said simply and nodded to himself as Ragil told him the weapons and pack was ready. "If this thing can take out a Jedi and four heavily armed Custos, you've got something that will take a not-so-small army to put down, and get a _lot_ of attention from the Council to what's going on out here. It's not a bad thing for you."

"Maybe not," LirTan chuckled slightly. "But it'd still kinda suck to be _you_."

"Perhaps," he acknowledged. "It is something that we don't think of much. It is a distraction from our mission."

"That's somethin' we can relate to," the meerian nodded. "Good luck to you," he said as Ragil, Fazer and Tulgwar returned with some of the heavy slugthrowers from the ship and extra body armor for Hegrin.

"Thank you," he nodded and skimmed the data on the pad, forming a mental map of the mine and the hits while Hegrin got her armor on and checked her heavy slugthrower. He looked up and glanced at the pack, who nodded to him before following him outside and into the mines.

As they worked their way into the mine, both Jedi and Custos were grateful for the built-in lighting. It was dark, but not impenetrably so, and the Wolves were able to leave the lights on their armor off for now. For a place with so little living in it, the shafts were surprisingly loud. Every motion they made, every drop of water from the ceiling, every single sound was amplified and echoed through kilometers of tunnel.

Between that and the darkness just beyond the main tunnels, it was hard to imagine that there _weren't_ bloodthirsty predators waiting in the wings. It made them all grateful for what Force-senses they had, and especially the finely tuned ones of the Panther leading them.

"* _Creepy._ *" Fazer commented. The smallest of the pack, almost as small as a Coyote and just as fast, he was always the jumpy one of the group, for all he could be as ferocious as any when the battle was joined.

He was right though. And as they drew closer and closer to the location of the last attack, he only seemed to be more correct. The bogies flitting through glimmered in the dark tunnels, passing through walls easily.

"* _Everybody be on guard. There's no telling if this thing's going to be hungry yet or not... or where it might come from,_ *" Doruth admitted. The bogies moved through rock, it stood to reason that any predator that might feed on them could do the same thing.

They progressed slowly, every sense on guard for motion or life from any direction. It wasn't long before they could see the end of the tunnel, and the pure spice there.

"Whoa," Tulgwar murmured in the dim light.

"Yeah," Hegrin nodded, stunned by the sight of what amounted to a block of pure spice at the end of the tunnel.

"* _We've got blood._ *" Fazer informed them silently as he sniffed around the spot where he could smell the guard's trail end. "* _And whatever hit him ... I've never smelled anything like it._ *"

"* _Not surprised,_ *" Doruth said mentally. "* _Whatever it is, it doesn't officially exist. Check your filters quick; there might be powdered spice in the air, don't want the breathmasks quitting on us when it'll end up with somebody getting high._ *" As they did so, he stretched out with his senses, searching for what he knew would tell them where the predator was.

The impressions the guard had left behind.

It wasn't hard to find him; the agonizing pain of his slow death was almost like a beacon.

"* _Behind us... the wall's not solid,_ *" he said. Not uncommon; water washed out cavities in the rock all the time. And when the sensors didn't indicate spice, the miners probably just ignored them.

Which, when there might be a predator's lair in them, could prove fatal.

"* _Break in?_ *" Ragil asked with a calculating look for the section of wall.

Doruth inspected it with his Force senses. There was nothing but blackness in the cavity, nothing he could see. He could smell the blood, the smell of death that was kept inside... and whatever strange predator had killed the guard, and the other miners.

He also knew that breaking in would likely put the beast at the advantage. This _was_ its lair, and it was a trapper. The only reason it hadn't attacked them yet was because it had already eaten today.

And, like all trappers, it had a way out to check on its traps.

"* _No. Weapons at the ready, I'm going to open its door. I doubt it's going to be happy to see us._ *"

The pack nodded and got ready, their heavy ballistic weapons aimed for where he indicated.

He ignited his lightsaber, not certain how much damage it would do against a creature that didn't care about blaster bolts, but intending to find out. He focused for a moment, then started to lift the heavy slab of stone opposite the spice deposit, a sort of 'lid' to a massive cave.

The response was almost immediate. A massive, grotesque creature that looked something like a blue-green spider with twelve legs and six tooth-filled mouths spaced around its body lunged out of the cavity at the Wolves and Panther to an instant explosion of bullets intended for both armored and unarmed targets.

The bullets struck its thick chitin, most of them stopping before they made it through, but a couple drawing spurts of green ichor. One of its legs was mostly ripped away, a process Doruth finished an instant later as he brought his lightsaber up in a burning arc that separated limb from body.

The strange spider-like creature jumped over them, coming down behind Hegrid in the tunnel and striking her with one of its remaining legs. The force of the blow knocked her back a few steps, her armor dented by the impact.

"Fall back," Doruth ordered them, moving to help the large female regain her footing so they could do that. Now that they knew what they were up against, he realized that they would need much more potent weaponry to really take it down properly.

He was obeyed immediately, Ragil taking up his habitual position at the rear to guard their escape with the only ranged weapon that made a dent on the creature.

The automatic roared as he fired another burst, more of the metal slugs ripping into his target and ricocheting off the walls, kicking up stone dust. It clicked at this clip was emptied, and he turned to run after the others while he reloaded.

The massive Wolf felt the ground beneath him shake as the wounded spider leaped towards him, enraged by the pain. Two of the powerful legs lashed out, wrapping around him and pulling him close. Ragil got a very, very good look at a mouth full of razor sharp teeth, just before two forward fangs sank through a joint in his armor, and the thing's poison knocked him out as he howled for help.

"* _Doruth!_ *" Tulgwar grabbed him even as they ran, now well clear of the creature's lair. "* _Ragil down._ *"

The Panther had heard the howl just as clearly, felt the Wolf pass out. He was injured, but not dead yet.

And there was no telling how many more of those things were down here right now, or where it was going. The compromised lair was a possibility, but he doubted it.

"You three, back to the ship," he ordered the others. "I'm going after Ragil. Get the miners to gather any explosives they can turn into weapons, collect the grenades from the Gurath. If I'm not back in an hour after you've reached the surface, come back after us."

There was a real hesitation for a moment, Tulgwar almost ready to challenge the choice, but she nodded and bolted towards the entrance, her packmates behind her.

Doruth turned and bolted back down into the mines, his senses alert for any signs of life. As he'd expected, the creature had continued on past the lair they'd found. He scored the wall with his lightsaber, making sure to leave a trail that could be followed back out ... or in by the three Wolves preparing for war the way only this pack did.

This was not going to be a pleasant hunt. He could only hope that it still wasn't going to kill Ragil until it was hungry again... and that it didn't have a mate.

* * *

It wasn't much of a surprise to the Custos when they burst out of the mine's entrance right into the middle of a gathering of miners, though their arrival at speed clearly was a surprise to those gathered.

"We'll need whatever explosives you have that can be fashioned into weapons." Tulgwar barked to the nearest miner, her gaze flashing across the crowd, looking for LirTan while the crowd parted, Hegrin and Fazer on their way to the Gurath for their heavier weapons and anti-armor ammo.

"You heard her," LirTan called from the back, his chair moving forward as some of the miners started to move. "What's down there?" He asked her.

"Biggest, nastiest spider I've ever heard of." She replied quickly. "Ballistics make a dent, but not nearly enough with what we brought down. Master Doruth went after it when it got Ragil."

"Told you to bring the heaviest stuff you have down after them," LirTan guessed with a nod. "Heading down once we've got it set up then?"

"It's not just a matter of heaviest," she nodded in answer to his question. "It's heavily armored. The rounds that do well against that don't do well against softer targets, and the rounds we'll need against that thing could bring the mine down on us."

"And we definitely don't want that," LirTan nodded. "On the other hand, that's mostly the concussive stuff. We've got some thermal charges we use for focused demo that some of the guys are after."

"While mine are after the armor piercing rounds," she explained as Hegrin and Fazer came back and she began to switch out her clips for the new ones.

"So, when does he want you going back down?" The meerian asked as his men started bringing back the charges he'd mentioned.

"An hour after we hit the surface," she shrugged, her tone indicative of just how unlikely that was to happen.

"Well, guess we wait until then," the meerian said, going to work putting the charges together. "After all, he knows what he's doing."

"He's Jedi. It's part of the job description, even when they don't have a clue." Hegrin shook her head and began to pace, anxious for the supplies the miners were bringing.

"He's hardly out of his element," Fazer said quietly, uneasy leaving their Alpha to hunt alone. "Hunting is what he _does_."

"Doesn't mean we leave him alone for it." Tulgwar rumbled.

"Especially not with Ragil down there too," Hegrin muttered.

"The charges should be ready in about five minutes," LirTan offered from where he was working.

"Any of you bother to check your chronometers when we got up?" The smaller female asked, offering an excuse for what they all knew they were going to do already.

"Nope," Tulgwar shook her head. "Other priorities."

"Guess we'll just have to guess then," Fazer said unrepentantly, waiting with the others to head down as soon as everything was ready.

* * *

  


* * *

"Lady Jedi, we can't land where we had planned to." The officer who had interrupted Shivasta's meditation sounded apologetic as she opened her eyes and tried to realize what he had said.

"Why not?" She asked, standing and looking at the lean Lemur.

"A sudden storm blew up as we were making our approach. We have an alternate landing site, but it's also undergoing some freakish weather we have a third landing site, but it's on the other side of the planet. We're about to start for it now, the Captain wanted to alert you as to the delay."

Shivasta frowned; two freak storms at their landing sites were too much to be a coincidence particularly given her family's gifts.

"Are there sufficient escape pods to spare one?" She asked.

"Yes, Lady Jedi, but it would be foolish to try and take a pod through those storms. Even if you made it to the surface in one piece, the temperatures are so low you'd be dead before you reached shelter."

"You underestimate me," she smiled slightly. "I was born here, remember? I'll be properly prepared and I suspect I'm expected. Alone."

"Very well," the Lemur granted. "I'll alert the Captain."

"Thank you," she smiled, moving to pull on the heavy winter robes she'd brought along for this trip as the Lemur left for the bridge, wondering just what it was they did at the Temple that made so many Jedi half-crazy.

* * *

Shivasta rested her hand on the launch console for the escape pod she was taking, calming her mind. She was no pilot, but she wouldn't have to be with this; the pod was pre-programmed to take her to the surface. The Captain himself had tried to talk her out of it, but she was convinced that she was meant to do this.

Even now, she could feel the swirling Force of the raging blizzard beneath them. Somebody wanted to keep the cruiser from landing but she could also sense the eddies in the storm. She would be safe, whoever was behind this would see to it.

She braced herself against the gravity couch, and initiated the launch sequence. The engines flared to life, the small ship firing into the atmosphere, accelerating painfully. She hurtled towards the blue-white planet beneath her, clouds swirling directly in her path.

A part of her wanted to scream as the pod entered the atmosphere and her mind realized that she was freefalling into a blizzard with nothing more than a disposable escape pod between her and a likely very painful death. Another part of her was riveted by the adrenaline rush and excitement.

A third part of her, the one that was winning out, wondered why it was that somebody was going to such lengths to keep the cruiser away. She had a bad feeling that things weren't going to be going well when she landed.

The blizzard caught the pod, tossing it around until it hit a calm spot and continued its descent, slowed by the repulsorlifts mounted into the hull.

After what felt like an eternity, the wind howling and buffeting the tiny pod outside, she touched down. She pulled her winter robes tighter around her body and pulled a piece of cloth across the front of the hood to protect her face from the cold. The hatch depressurized, starting to open, letting in the bitter cold of the outside air.

Shivasta stood easily, blinking as her pupils nearly disappeared from her dark blue eyes, a defense against the blinding glare the ubiquitous snow and ice created in all but the most cloud-covered conditions. She stepped out, looking around, not surprised to see that there wasn't anybody there to greet her. She caught the glint of metal in the snow, and moved towards it. Metal wasn't often used on Garosh, not for things that were intended mostly for use outside.

A little digging unearthed a snowspeeder, the display flashing a directional indicator that said it was probably pointed straight towards town or, at least, towards where ever the person who'd left it here wanted it to go. She checked out the controls quickly, nodding her approval as she found it was fully functional. Straddling the long, thin vehicle, she started it up, praying that the controls were close enough to the one Jay had tried to train her to use, and soon disappeared into the blizzard.

* * *

  


* * *

Jay frowned, lifting his head from the body armor they were working on and sniffed the air. Something was ... not quite right. A resonation deep in his bones similar to when he'd been tuning his lightsabers and different from anything else.

A generator calling for its weapon.

Two ... old and powerful ... and very lonely.

He wasn't exactly sure where they were, but he could feel them reaching out towards the people who could sense them, back with a number of other similarly neglected objects, though none of them came close to the power of the ones he was hearing.

Only the two power sources were practically begging for somebody to notice them. Nothing else cared.

"What's back there?" Jay asked curiously, motioning towards the general area.

"Back there?" Duvam asked, looking up from the light suit of armor they'd been tinkering with. "Oh, nothing much. Some old weapons from the last time Jedi visited the station, I think. Bad times, those were," he observed. "Much more violent than now. Good for business though, I understand."

"Mind if I nose around? Something interesting's back there."

"Go ahead," Duvam nodded. "Lemme know if you find anything unusual, I haven't finished my inventory of that pile yet."

"Sure," he nodded and headed over, trying not to be too eager as nosed around holocrons, heavy blasters, and heavier bladed weapons until he found what he was looking for; two half-built lightsabers.

"Find anything?" Duvam called curiously. "Ouch!" He swore as he shook his hand, glaring at the offending soldering rod he'd burned himself on.

"What I was looking for," he nodded. "A couple lightsabers. The remains of them at least." He could feel the power inside them, not just as objects, but as artifacts of the Force, warm and happy to be found.

"Hmm. Must've been from that Jedi who visited. She left a couple of them here... great-great... well, many-times great-grandsire Suvam must have tinkered with them after that." Duvam looked down at the armor, finishing the seal he'd been mounting. "I've got the overlay fixed here, why don't you bring them over; we'll take a look at them?"

"They're _old_ then," he nodded and walked over. That made sense. Lightsabers ... Jedi equipment in general ... hated to be abandoned.

"* _Master, there are some things here we will want to bring back._ *" He made the effort to contact her directly. "* _Lightsaber crystals ... _potent_ ones ... and several holocrons that are worth trading for. He says they date back to the last war._ *"

"Hmm... ah, I remember these now," Duvam nodded. "Mother said something about them. They should be functional with new emitters and lenses," he added, cocking his head slightly. "Should we see if we have any spares?"

"If you don't, I do." Jay nodded to him, his excitement carefully held inside where only his Master felt it.

"* _I sensed them,_ *" Essani told him. "* _Just recently... and I agree. I want to make an arrangement with him later on._ *"

"Well, that's even better," Duvam said enthusiastically. "I don't have many lightsaber parts here," he admitted. "They don't often find their way out here."

"* _I'll keep my mouth shut about wanting them, then._ *" He nodded. "I'm not surprised. It's a rather specialized market even on Coruscant. I'll be back in a couple minutes with the parts."

"I'm not going anywhere," Duvam chuckled, inspecting the lightsabers as Jay ran off for the parts he'd need, more excited than he had been since he'd started work on the Sharufa.

He smiled and bowed his head slightly when he stepped inside the ship. "Master."

"Good job finding those, Jay," she chirped approvingly as he returned. "I imagine it would have taken somewhat longer if I'd had to look for them." He wasn't surprised to see most of the parts he'd need already gathered and waiting. "How are things going between the two of you?"

"He's more weapons focused than I am, and definitely mercenary, but we're getting along fairly well." Jay admitted. "The holocrons in that pile are amazing too. Huge chunks of history that was lost is sitting right there."

"I'll keep those in mind," Essani nodded. "Do you think it's safe to introduce me to him now?"

"As safe as it'll ever be," he nodded and picked up the parts. "He's in a pretty good mood, burned finger aside."

"If you don't mind, I'd like to go with you to meet him now, maybe handle the negotiations before he has a chance to realize exactly what he's sitting on to us."

"Sure," he nodded. "Does he know we're Jedi?"

"Yes," she nodded, starting to follow him out of the ship. "I wanted Tes to mention that, just in case there were issues there. There are sometimes, with the more mercenary sorts."

"Understandable," he nodded and made easy time to the workshop. "Duvam!" He caught his attention in Rodese. "I have the parts, and my Master wanted to talk to you."

"Where is he?" Duvam asked, looking towards the door, clearly expecting somebody other than the tiny white kushiban beside Jay.

"* _Down here,_ *" Essani chuckled, hopping up onto Jay's seat. "* _I'm a little smaller than most Jedi._ *"

"Your pet talks?" Duvam asked Jay, cocking his head curiously. "Maybe I should have checked those locusts more carefully...."

"She," Jay rumbled, his temper tightly in check. "Master Essani." He indicated the long-tailed white rabbit in his chair. "She's not a pet."

"Oh. That explains why she talked," Duvam observed. "What did you want to talk about?" He asked, easily accepting the idea that, yes, this day was going to be stranger than normal.

"* _The crystals and holocrons you have here. It seems your family has recovered a good number of Jedi and Sith artifacts from the ruins since you arrived here._ *"

"Yes, yes," Duvam nodded. "Many Jedi things, many Sith things. Most people don't want to buy them though."

"* _Then this is a good opportunity, yes? Most people don't have any interest in them; they can't really use them. To us, they contain some interesting historical information, and we can use the crystals for lightsabers._ *"

"Hmm. How much are you willing to offer for them?" He asked her curiously.

"* _That depends on how many there are here. If you don't mind, I could look around and gather them up while you and Jay work._ *"

"All right," the Rodian agreed. "Just be careful. There might be a few booby traps I haven't found yet."

"* _Booby traps?_ *" Essani's fur flushed a grey-teal immediately.

"Yes. Woeful business with trandoshan mercenaries who skipped out on bill. They came back after weapons seemed faulty, tried to use heavy repeating blasters as clubs. They expressed their displeasure, I argued my side of the story, they planted a couple fragmentation mines while I was hiding on Rodia... I think I found most of them, but there might be a few left."

"* _I'll be careful,_ *" she agreed, hopping down and starting to search. "* _You be careful too, while you work, Jay._ *" She warned her Padawan over their bond.

"* _Of course, Master._ *" He nodded and looked up at Duvam. "Shall we see if these things work?" He suggested with a motion towards the parts he'd brought.

"Certainly," the Rodian nodded enthusiastically. "I've always wondered how these went together."

"With a _lot_ of work," Jay chuckled. "Took me six months solid to put mine together, though they are more complicated than most."

"Hmm. Well, these are _mostly_ together, that should make it a bit easier. If not... it's been a while since I've had a real challenge."

* * *

  


* * *

An hour of high-speed travel later and Shivasta could see the outlines of Stormwarden City's buildings ahead of her. She'd left the blizzard behind long ago, trading it in for the lighter snowdrifts that were a constant feature. Fortunately, with the directional indicator, it wasn't hard to find her way. All she had to do was keep the speeder steady and point it the way the arrow was pointing.

Now, she didn't need it. She pulled the snowspeeder up into the ice city, large buildings carved directly out of the ice surrounding her. She climbed off and looked around, wondering where she was supposed to go next in the city she hadn't seen in well over two decades She didn't have too long to wonder.

Before she'd spent too much time in the open, others started to come out of the buildings, dressed in light-blue robes that blended well with the surrounding ice and snow. She felt distinctly out of place in her own, a brown more common for the Jedi than for her own people.

"And who might you be?" One of them asked, an older Ice Walker woman whose few exposed features were weathered by years of hard living.

"Shivasta," she answered. "Given to the Jedi after my third Thaw," she added, not recognizing any of the faces she could half-see, and sure none of them would recognize her.

"Show us your face," the woman ordered her. 

She pulled the cloth mask away from her face, turning to expose the complex tattoo that marked her as a member of the clan. There were nods and murmurs of recognition as she brought the mask up again, blocking out the worst of the wind.

"Follow me," the woman said gruffly, turning to walk back towards the tallest of the buildings.

Shivasta did so silently, trying not to look around her at the eyes that followed her motion. Some of them were curious, she knew but she could _feel_ the animosity others among them felt towards her.

She wondered which end of the spectrum the woman who had greeted her was at.

The two of them walked into the building, the rooms much smaller than the size of the entire building would suggest. It was built less for space than to hold in heat, making it warm enough that both of them could comfortably remove their winter robes, which they did. Shivasta was better able to see the family resemblance between herself and the older woman now. She doubted it was her mother, but she was definitely closely related. Her pupils dilated in the lower light of the room and the older Ice Walker turned towards her.

"So, you did come back; Grandmother was right. I am Impana, Chief of the clan."

"Thank you for greeting me, Impana," Shivasta said, lowering her head respectfully. "If I was expected, then why the storms?" She asked.

"You were expected by some, but not all," Impana explained. "And even so, while you are welcome, those who brought you are not. Not here, at least. They can go to the reznin on the other size of the Wastes," she muttered. Shivasta didn't let her surprise show. Reznin was worse than calling them enemies; enemies were expected to work against you. It was practically calling them traitors to all the clans, their own included.

"What's happening here? The last I'd heard, the clans were at peace, and the Republic was welcome."

"The last you've heard was from some time ago," Impana shrugged slightly, taking her seat, one of the few in the entire city that was made out of wood. Most furniture was hewn out of stone like the chair Shivasta sat down in; trees were rare and metal required flame to work. The wooden chair the Chieftain had was a mark of her rank in the clan, though that was one of many things that might change in the coming years.

"You've asked me what's happening here. A better question to ask would be what has happened. The Great Peace has proven to be a lie. It lasted long enough for two generations to grow up without knowing a true war, but now." She shook her head.

"Why don't you start with where things went badly with the Republic?" Shivasta asked, suspecting that this was the reason she'd gotten the chilly reception she had from several of the others. She was a Jedi and more importantly, as far as she knew, the first Ice Walker Jedi. She hadn't been raised among her people, and as hard as the Jedi had tried to bring her up with a knowledge of her culture, she was almost certainly considered an outsider by most of them.

"They haven't yet," Impana snorted, "not for all of us. You were too young to remember, of course. But when the Republic came, they offered us technology that we were centuries away from developing on our own. Foodstuffs from far-off worlds, metal, weapons, vehicles, armor all they asked in return was that we trade them animal hides and crystals. Well, the crevasse cats have always been common, along with the frost wolves and sheeloth, so of course we agreed."

Shivasta nodded; it was in keeping with what she'd learned. The sheeloth hides in particular were desired for clothes in some parts of the galaxy, though they were a more recent market. The crystals were still the primary good and she had a feeling that was the problem.

"Let me guess," she said softly. "The Republic wanted to export more crystals. The other clans went along with it the Stormwardens didn't?"

"Not just crystals. The Jedi wanted to take all the children they could find who could feel the Force. Train them to become Jedi and let our ways quietly go extinct. Oh, they would teach them about our culture, the way they promised they would teach you, but have they taught you to master the storm? Have they taught you the rites of our people?"

"The ones they could," Shivasta answered cautiously. "And no, I haven't learned to summon storms yet, though as I understand it would be unusual if I had."

"True, but you would have started to learn here. But that's just the point. The Jedi ways aren't the ways of the spirit-walkers. In a few generations, if we let the Jedi take all the children they would want to, there would be only a handful of us left, if that." 

That much Shivasta couldn't deny and it was something she was concerned with herself, she had to admit.

"The Jedi don't plan to _take_ children," she explained. "They ask, but they accept a refusal as well as acceptance."

"The only reason they're _ever_ allowed near our lands," Impana allowed. "You were one too many for us to give up."

"What do you mean? I would have thought the Clan's chief would have had to agree before I could have been given to the Jedi?"

"Yes, she would have. But she didn't. Your mother gave you to the Jedi against your grandmother's wishes. It's why I serve as Chieftain now, and your mother does not." 

Shivasta swallowed, her eyes widening as she realized the level of crime that had been committed under Ice Walker law. She was keenly aware of the value they put on their children.

And the penalties for killing or giving one away without permission, even in marriage. To give her to the Jedi without permission.

"What happened to her?" She asked softly.

"Exile," Impana said, her voice carrying a trace of regret. "We suspect your father's clan took them in after they left, but they are dead to us."

Shivasta nodded, her training helping her to control her own sorrow over the news. She'd been half-hoping that she'd be able to see her again after all these years.

"You're her sister then?" She guessed.

"Yes," Impana nodded. "Back to your question, the Republic wants everything we have, everything we hold sacred. They're willing to compensate us well for it, certainly and that's where the Peace is falling apart. Most of the clans want to trade with the Republic. They see blasters and speeders, they see a way off this 'miserable ice-ball,' they've called it. The price is a small enough one to pay in their minds. But they don't have control over the best crystal mines."

"Because they've always been in Stormwarden territory," Shivasta nodded understandingly. "Because we've been here since the Great Migration, no matter how bad the ice became."

"So they have taught you some of our traditions," Impana observed approvingly. "You're right, of course. What's more, the crystals can't be replaced once they're mined. Not before the Walkers themselves have surrendered to the ice. We're willing to trade some of them, but not nearly the volume the other clans want. And they're willing to go to war against us, and our remaining allies, to change that. Which leaves one very important question right now," she said, looking at Shivasta pointedly.

"What is that?" She asked, fairly certain she wasn't going to like it.

"Why are you here?" 

Shivasta sighed mentally. She'd been right; she wasn't going to like it.

"I had a vision that I was to return here," she answered. "I've reached the point in my training where I have to construct my own lightsaber."

"And you returned here to claim the crystals for it," Impana said, a slight scowl forming.

"Yes, but only because that is what my vision led me to believe I was supposed to do," Shivasta said, inclining her head slightly. "And I know what will be involved in earning the right to go into the caves. I do not intend to break the laws of the Stormwardens." 

Impana looked at her appraisingly.

"And you think you stand any chance of winning that right?" She asked pointedly. "If the other Chiefs agree, you will be tested not as a miner, but as one of the shamen of old, seeking to claim her talisman."

"I understand Chieftain, and I am willing to undergo these tests. Perhaps, while I prepare for them, I will be able to help in other ways."

"You presume much, child." 

Shivasta's Jedi training told her to ignore the belittling comment but her nature, and her knowledge of her people, told her otherwise. She looked her aunt, her Chieftain, in the eyes, her own glittering dangerously.

"I have come here as a member of my clan. I can feel that half the people here despise me for a decision made for me when I _was_ a child. I accept this, and I accept your decision to present me with tests greater than others would face. But I am _not_ a child, Chieftain. I have faced death, faced the Dark Side of the Force, wrestled with them both and won. I may not have the wounds or trophies of a warrior, but I bear the scars of a healer's battles. I am young, but I am of age, and the only reason I have not passed the rites of our people is because I was not here to do so. I will be given the respect I am due as a young healer." 

Impana met her gaze for a moment, and then the habitual frown she wore turned into a slight smile.

"If you can show that sort of fire inside you, maybe you do stand a chance of passing the test. Come with me; I'll show you to your quarters. I'll speak with the Chiefs this evening. If they agree, we'll start the purification once I return." She stood up, Shivasta doing the same.

"Welcome home, Ice Walker," the older woman said, stepping forward to squeeze Shivasta's shoulder lightly before leading her deeper into the building.

* * *

  


* * *

Another scorch mark, another chunk of tunnel passed threw on the trail of the spider. His senses were at their limit, his entire reality limited to his target and where he was.

Fortunately, he could tell he was getting closer. Its injuries seemed to be taking their toll, the creature gradually slowing down. It was stopped now, in an area he couldn't find on the maps.

Another lair, probably, and down a tunnel that hadn't been considered. This just got better and better.

He scorched the wall again, marking his progress as he closed on the creature and his missing Custos. Ragil was hurt, he'd need medical attention and likely some down time, but he was still breathing and his subconscious railing out against his body's failing.

A few moments later, he found the well-concealed hatch of another lair. If he didn't know what to look for, he wouldn't have noticed it; no wonder the miners didn't know about these things. At least this one probably hadn't been used in ages; there was no sign of spice near it.

It made him wonder if this critter was intelligent, though the Force signatures were of an animal, if a rather bright one. He focused and lifted the hatch, ready for another attack.

He wasn't disappointed. The creature lunged out at him, one leg coming off at the foremost joint as he halted its attack and immediately went for another, aiming to cripple it before he killed it.

Unfortunately, for all that its legs came off easily, the creature seemed to have some sort of sense for how to fight and keep from being totally cripple. It had lost two and most of a third now, but with nine left, it was still able to stand. And with six heads, it was quite able to defend itself.

Especially against an opponent who wasn't wearing the armor Ragil was. The fangs of one mouth lunged forward, the fangs and head quickly falling to the ground. The stench of the thing's burning body was potent; it was going to die sooner or later at this point. More likely sooner at that, though it might be possible for it to survive if it was lucky.

Unfortunately for both of them, it seemed to realize that the best way to get that chance was to keep fighting. One of Doruth's sleeves was caught in a second mouth, quickly shredded by row after row of razor sharp teeth, but those same teeth ripped the fabric away before any fur or flesh could go with it. The head came off a moment later, though it left too many more.

Doruth gritted his teeth and pressed the attack. He was going to kill this thing, but he wanted enough of it left take back and prove it was real. At this rate, pulling that off would mean having somebody come down to pick up the pieces after he'd taken it apart!

Finally, he saw an opening; a shot straight to its bloated middle. Given the way it had reacted so far, he was fairly sure that would be the place to strike and he made a full lunge for it, driving his lightsaber up and into the body.

He could feel the difference between the muscle tissue he'd been cutting through up until now, and the softer flesh in the center protected by the thickest layers of chitin.

Unfortunately for the spider, while it might stop blaster bolts it didn't do a thing against a lightsaber. The body thrashed for a few moments, one of the legs battering Doruth's side as the thing's brain misfired randomly, but then it was still.

And very, very dead.

Doruth drew a deep breath to settle himself and stretched his senses out again, seeking both Ragil and any other spiders that might be around. 

Fortunately, this place seemed to be empty save for the Wolf in the back of the lair he'd just cleared out. He was still alive, though he'd have to get to a medical facility as soon as they could arrange it if he was going to make it through this without some sort of serious damage.

"* _Tulgwar, bring the pack down, with a stretcher. Spider's dead, Ragil's alive, but badly injured. I intend to bring them both back._ *"

"* _Right, Boss._ *" She shot back, relief in her mind even as it was clear they were already too far into the mines to have waited as he told them too.

* * *

  


* * *

"Hey Jay," Fenrik said, looking over the younger tom's shoulder at the lightsaber he and Duvam had just finished assembling. "Know how long you've been working in here?"

"Since you're asking, longer than I should be." He chuckled and shifted back to stretch in place.

"Well, Essani's starting to listen for replies to her message back home, and I've seen two flights of Corusca fishers hit the atmosphere," he chuckled. "C'mon, let's go get you some sleep."

"Not even a full day," Jay rolled his eyes, but he stood without any other protest. "I'll be back in a few hours," he added to Duvam.

"Sure thing," the Rodian nodded easily, still inspecting the reassembled lightsaber.

"So," Fenrik asked as he walked back to the ship with his mate, "how's it going?"

"Interesting," he shook his head a bit. "He thought Master Essani was my pet at first, but he's gotten the idea now. He's got some _good_ stuff here we'll be taking home."

"Sounds like it's going pretty well then," Fenrik smiled. "And I can't really blame him, to be fair. I mean, she probably has somebody try and turn her into dinner about once a week around the Temple. At least he didn't go that far."

"True," he admitted, even though part of him wasn't nearly as forgiving of the Rodian as he was of the new toddlers at the Temple. "I think he's gotten used to the fact that things are weird and going to get weirder with us here."

"To be fair, I think things are a little weird around here already," Fenrik chuckled slightly as the Sharufa's door shut behind them. "So, what's all this that's going on with these crystals and holocrons Essani's looking for?"

"The crystals are probably two of the most powerful in existence, and the holocrons are mostly history from the last war and before. Things long lost to our records."

"Whoa," Fenrik said, nodding slightly. "That's worth her attention, yeah. So those crystals are being built back into those lightsabers?"

"Yap, the ones they had been in since the war. Not sure if they'll stay in them."

"Hoping to put 'em into yours, or think the Council's going to assign them to somebody?" Fenrik asked curiously.

"Not the kind for me," Jay shook his head. "But if someone who can use them better can learn to use my type of 'saber I might be resetting them."

"Whoever does use them will probably reset them themselves," Fenrik pointed out. "Into their own lightsabers. Then again, they might end up in the Library until they're needed more."

"I'm not even going to comment on that one," Jay said quietly. "Or that half the holocrons won't ever be run. It's just how it works."

"Sorry," Fenrik apologized, rubbing his mate's back lightly. "C'mon, let's get to our quarters and get you wound down enough to get some sleep."

* * *

  


* * *

Shivasta drew in a deep breath as she meditated in a small stone building, sweat pouring down her skin as she inhaled the heady, aromatic scent of the incense burning nearby. Her old plague-scars stood out in stark contrast to her undamaged skin, flushed a deeper blue than normal with blood and heat. She was grateful for them for the first time; while Jay and Fenrik had helped her to accept them, being here where scars of one sort or another were marks of experience, she found that they had done much to help her acceptance for the tests she was going to face.

The sweathouse was the only building in the city that wasn't carved out of ice, but the reason for that was obvious; it was also the only heated building in the city. A small pit of heated gravel in the middle of the room kept the stone structure at temperatures Jay would have found remarkably comfortable. Shi had left her pendant with her robes outside the building, so she was as uncomfortable as everybody else in the room with her.

Impana and an older woman, one of the shamen of the clan, were both chanting quietly, the sound a gentle, almost calming murmur as they kept the incense burning and the room heated. Shivasta let the sound and scent carry her deeper into her meditative state, knowing that the purification ritual, for her, was simply to sit and endure the stifling heat until she was deemed ready.

As she let her conscious mind go, she began to sense the ebb and tide of the living Force of her home world. It was a soothing sensation, one she was used to on Coruscant, but far more vibrant and alive here. For all that her clan was concerned for the wellbeing of Garosh if trade continued unrestricted, for now the only pain the world felt was that of its people returning to wars they weren't entirely ready for anymore.

She let the flow of the Force guide her, immersing herself in it and surrendering to its will. As she did so, she began to see beyond the simple movements of the world's Force. She began to see the patterns it was forming, the points where important moments would occur and the points where the most trivial of moments would. She felt something unusual, a pattern that didn't quite seem to fit with the rest. Curious, she followed it, wondering where it would lead her.

She wasn't surprised when the vision started to form in her mind; she also wasn't surprised by the sense that she was involved in whatever was going to happen. She had an impression of tension, like a skin pulled too tight over a drum. She was calm though, one of the only people involved who was. The images started to clear, going from impressions to a clear scene. She saw Ice Walkers gathered, all heavily armed and ready to do battle. One of the combatants stepped forward, armed with a blaster on one hip and a chillsteel blade on the other.

She called for a battle of champions and Shivasta was the one to step forward for her side, her newly constructed lightsaber in hand.

What she couldn't tell was who was on which side of the conflict.

"Grandmother saw it as well," Impana said, snapping Shivasta out of her meditation. "It's how she knew you were going to return."

"Does she have any more idea what it means than I do?" Shivasta asked, looking at the older woman with a concerned expression.

"Not yet," Impana answered, shaking her head. "You're the part of all this we can't predict. You are a Stormwarden, and you seem to be faithful to our ways. Yet you are Jedi, a living symbol of the Republic. You know many of our ways, and seek to learn those you don't know. But you came back here to claim a crystal for your lightsaber. You yourself aren't sure which side you will go to that battlefield as a Stormwarden, or as a Jedi."

"You're wrong about that, Chieftain," Shivasta said, shaking her head. "When I go to that battlefield it will be as both."

Impana seemed to be ready to say something to that, but the shaman at the other brazier shook her head silently. The two of them returned to their chanting, and Shivasta fell back into her meditation as the ritual continued.

* * *

  


* * *

"* _Tes, may I have a word with you?_ *" Essani hopped up into the co-pilot's chair next to the Wolf once she was done reviewing the reply from the Council. Now that she had a budget to work with, she had to figure out the best way to get the most out of it she could.

"Of course," the shewolf nodded and looked over at her.

"* _I just got word back from the Council about the budget we have to work with. However, I'd like to get some suggestions for how to stretch it as much as possible; I rather doubt that Republic credits mean too much to him._ *"

"No," she chuckled softly. "But as you saw, except for the cost of getting them out here, things that cost very little do. Top tradegoods are foodstuffs, though he has a lot right now, parts, tools, medical supplies, weapons and armor he can strip for parts. They're worth a lot more than you buy them for because of the shipping cost to get them out here."

"* _And because of his relative isolation, I would imagine,_ *" Essani nodded, thinking about it. "* _That might work out much better, actually... do you think some company might be worth a premium to him?_ *" She asked.

"More than anything you could buy," she nodded with a curious look. "I'm not ... or do you mean droid company?"

"* _Unless we could find a volunteer from the Temple who was willing to move out here,_ *" Essani nodded. "* _There are a number of 'orphaned' astromech droids we're aware of who are very skilled, and would appreciate an owner who isn't likely to wipe their memories when they start to develop personality quirks of their own._ *"

"I'm sure Jay would be thrilled with that idea too," Tes chuckled with a quirk of a grin. "Yes, that would be worth a lot to him. Especially as you're asking for things that have a very limited market to start with."

"* _I have a feeling that, limited market aside, he still knows _exactly_ how much those crystals are worth,_ *" Essani said seriously. "* _And you probably don't want to know how much._ *"

"Given you actually talked the Council into buying them, I can hazard a good guess," she smirked. "That was my job for most of my life, after all."

"* _An excellent point,_ *" Essani chuckled slightly. "* _I still find working with sums that can purchase starfighters to be... daunting. If we can arrange for an astromech droid he gets along with to be shipped out here along with some supplies, that should stretch things out a bit better._ *"

"Very much so," Tes nodded. "I could probably stretch it further, if you let me handle the trading."

"* _If you're willing, that would be appreciated,_ *" Essani nodded. "* _I'm sure I can find a reasonable compromise, but it's much better when they agree to it willingly._ *"

"And my family goes way back with his, plus my couple decades trading with him. We've never screwed the other over. It does help."

"* _Very true,_ *" Essani chuckled. "* _Thank you, Tes._ *"

"You are welcome. Now, what do I have to work with?" She focused on the mission at hand.

* * *

  


* * *

Shivasta shivered beneath her heavy cloak and robes as she worked through the deep caverns, the cloth covering her face warm and wet from her breath. If not for the layers of cloth above it, it would have been frozen instead. She would have been more comfortable if she'd brought Jay's temperature regulator, but tradition forbid taking any tool other than those necessary for extracting the crystals down with her; surviving the mine was entirely up to her own abilities.

She had the parts for her lightsaber with her, so she wouldn't have to return to the city before leaving to finish its construction, but beyond that she only carried a small laser torch to extract the crystals, and a small glow-cube to provide enough light to see by.

She took that torch in her gloved hand, extending her senses to the surrounding area to search for the crystal that was meant for her. She could tell it was nearby, but exactly which one was more difficult. The entire cavern glittered with ice and gems, even in the dim light provided by her glow cube. Blue, red, yellow, green even stranger colors and shades that were hard to identify. In the end, it wasn't a glimmer of color that caught her eye, but the even sheen of a flat, polished surface where another crystal had been extracted previously.

She leaned in close to inspect the cavity, and smiled slightly. There was another crystal behind the ice, one the last miner hadn't taken. She raised the laser torch, and flicked it on, carefully starting to remove the ice, setting two large pieces of it to the side before she began the painstaking process of excising the crystal she was after from the ice and stone it sat in without damaging any other crystals nearby.

It felt like she spent hours focusing intently just to finish a few centimeters of work, even though it was likely only a few minutes. She could understand why the other clans were frustrated with the Stormwarden's insistence that they follow tradition; a single mining droid could have extracted a fortune in crystals and gems in the time it took a single miner to extract a literal handful of them.

Finally, she clicked the torch off, turning it around and extending a short set of pincers to grip the crystal and withdraw it, careful not the scratch it. Her work completed, she opened a small pouch, dropping the crystal and pieces of ice she'd collected into it, and started out of the mine.

Now came the hard part; cutting the crystal and attuning herself to the lightsaber it would become a part of.

* * *

  


* * *

No one was surprised to see the gathering of miners when Doruth and the pack came out of the mine, Ragil on a stretcher between the two females and the monster spider floating behind them, chopped off pieces and all. The first to react where the medics who'd been warned when the pack first came up that they would be needed for at least one badly injured Wolf.

They hurried forward, checking his vital signs and leading the pack towards the mine's bacta tank. The spider's poison had done a number on him; he'd be in there for some time, but he'd recover and go back to the field with his pack.

"This is what was killing us down there?" LirTan asked, looking at the 2-meter wide corpse and its assorted pieces.

"Yes," Doruth nodded as he set it down with relief. "I'm fairly sure it is what kept filling those spice deposits that you thought you'd mined out."

"What, you're saying this thing probably created the spice?" The meerian looked up at him dubiously, but then back at the grotesque creature. "Suppose it could be. Think there are more of 'em down there then?"

"Probably," he nodded. "It doesn't have the feel of a single, created creature. I suspect that the spice is its web, meant to catch bogies. You were just a last recourse from starvation."

"There's some news that puts a new spin on this," the meerian mused. "You can bet Rhyallis isn't going to like it. A lot of the miners won't either."

"Given how long you've been mining this planet, they are likely rare, and you haven't been mining active webs." Doruth pointed out. "Just stop mining any vein that is replenishes like this one did and you are unlikely to have problems again. Obviously _most_ of this mine system isn't inhabited."

"Or we'd have known about them before," LirTan nodded. "You're right, but you can be sure that if this gets out, _some_ body's going to argue that what we're doing has to be stopped. Quite a can of worms that'll work out to be."

"Yes, though it's not one they'll win," Doruth shook his head. "Spice is simply too valuable to too many powerful interests for environmentalists to get anywhere. Besides, now we know that at least on this world, it's a renewable resource." He cracked a grin. "The spiders obviously abandon their webs, so there's no reason not to harvest them. The language may change in time, but the practical aspects won't much."

"Very true," LirTan nodded, and then chuckled. "Who knows? Maybe we'll be able to talk an Ithorian into coming out here, maybe find a way to train 'em."

"I know a couple Masters who might be paying a visit along those lines too." Doruth said as he lifted the spider again telekinetically and began moving towards the Gurath. "After they finish with this one."

"Well, now that this one's down, we'll see about getting back to work," the meerian said. "Thanks, Jedi."

* * *

  


* * *

Shivasta slowly chewed on a piece of dried meat, eating as she worked. The half-eaten strip of jerky, her last one, sat next to her on a piece of leather with her tools. She hoped to finish her work soon; she was about to run out of food, and would have to start over if she returned to the city for more supplies. The presence of other living people would disrupt her focus.

The wind was howling outside the small shelter she'd made for herself to work in, but it was warm inside, her body heat held in by nearly a foot of snow and ice. She wore only the light trousers that went with her summer robe, the rest of her body exposed to her home world and the Force. She let it guide her hand, and the laser torch as she used it to carve the crystal she'd mined. The pouch she'd brought with her sat outside her shelter, holding the two pieces of ice she'd brought with her. She'd carved them into crystalline shapes before digging her shelter, knowing that they would melt inside, and that it wasn't time to mount them in her half-finished lightsaber yet.

That would come once she was finished with the crystal itself.

Small flakes of stone sat next to her, barely millimeters thick. The raw stone had lost nearly a third of its weight already, but it was taking shape as an intricately cut gem, nearly completed, dozens of facets reflecting the light of her glow cube through the crystal's depths. The Ice Walker swallowed her meat and held her breath as she made the final cut. One false move could ruin her work, and the crystal itself.

"Yowch!" She winced as the sound filled the small shelter, the crystal falling from her hand to the floor as she pushed her finger against the snow, letting the cool surface soothe the burn she'd given herself with the torch as she finished the cut. She flicked the torch off, setting it aside and picking up the crystal, inspecting it with the eye of a Jedi who knew they were staking their life and the lives of those they defended on the small stone and the quality of the lightsaber it would be mounted in. She could feel that the crystal was perfect as much as she could see; any flaws that a jeweler might have noticed, and she could see that there were some, were meant to be there.

Satisfied, she started to pack up her tools and dress herself to go outside again. She used the torch to cut her way out of her shelter, digging through the snow that had gathered on top of it to reclaim the pouch with the two smaller ice crystals she'd cut. She laid the parts of her lightsaber out, disassembling it quickly and opening the hilt.

She set the crystals in with intense care, one of the ice crystals at each end, the real gem set in the middle. A few minor adjustments to the setting points, and she had them properly balanced. She closed the hilt, mounting the emitter to the base and the focusing lens at the mouth, finally picking it up and giving it a slight twist at each end to properly set the latches and activate the cooling device Jay had given her. The ice crystals inside would stay frozen well above the temperatures she could endure, between his regulator and the ancient Ice Walker Force techniques she'd used to reinforce them, similar to the way her people made weapons and shields.

"Moment of truth now, Shi," she murmured to herself, taking the lightsaber in one gloved hand and pressing the switch. The brilliant silver blade ignited, glowing internally and seeming to glint in the light of Garos. Shivasta smiled to herself and turned it off, pulling out the last of her jerky and ripping off another chunk to chew on as she started to walk back to the city.

* * *

  


* * *

"* _I was reviewing the scans of the moon today,_ *" Essani said conversationally over dinner with Tes and Fenrik after three weeks on the station. "* _Tes, do you know if there are any rules, official or otherwise, about running salvage or exploratory operations on Yavin 4 without Duvam's permission?_ *"

"Nope," she shook her head. "It's open to anyone who wants to bother."

"* _I think we might want to take a look down there some time while he and Jay are working up here then. According to the scans, there are a number of structures that seem to be related to ancient Jedi architecture._ *"

"You think they have some old temples down there?" Fenrik asked her.

"* _Possibly,_ *" she nodded. "* _Though they may not be of Jedi origin. Rumor has it that Yavin 4 used to be a Sith outpost as well._ *"

"So be on guard for anything," Tes nodded easily. "Who's going?"

"* _Well, somebody needs to be up here in case there's trouble, so I was thinking you two should probably do a little discreet exploring._ *"

"Works for me," Fenrik grinned. "It's good that Jay's getting along as well as he is, but it's getting just a smidge dull up here if you don't speak tech."

"That's pulling it mildly," Tes chuckled. "A little exploration is good for the body and mind. Head out in the morning?"

"Good timing," Fenrik grinned. "I'm dragging him to bed after dinner, so we'll have a few days to play down there."

"* _Assuming you're in any shape to go exploring in the morning,_ *" Essani teased, munching on a berry. "* _Just be careful, you two. If Duvam Tam had the Heart of the Guardian and Mantle of the Force, that means that Exar Kun came here after his crusade against the Jedi. There's no telling what else he might have left behind._ *"

"Jay said that though were left here by a female Jedi after the last war," Fenrik shook his head. "Most likely Revan from what he'd gotten."

"* _True,_ *" Essani nodded. "* _But that's not the full story. She bought them from Suvam Tam before fighting Malik. She didn't name them in her story, but she did mention them. He found them on the planet, in an old temple. That temple I want you both to stay away from._ *"

"Do you know which one it is?" Tes leaned forward, sharply interested.

"* _No,_ *" Essani said, shaking her head. "* _Fenrik will undoubtedly be able to sense the power of the Dark Side there. Exar Kun was the worst example of a Jedi fallen to the Dark. If you _do_ sense that you are at that temple, Fenrik, do _not_ go in,_ *" she said firmly.

"I understand," he nodded. "No going into Sith temples looking for goodies. No problem. That round on Korriban was quite enough for me."

"* _Well, Force be with the two of you then,_ *" Essani said, finishing her meal. "* _Hopefully you won't need it too badly._ *"

* * *

"Touch down there," Fenrik said, indicating a clearing near one of the temples on Yavin 4. "There's something there we should look for."

"Any idea what?" Tes glanced over at the young Panther before concentrating on setting Sharufa down in the thick, soft jungle soil, near a small temple.

"I'm not sure," Fenrik admitted. "But it doesn't feel like most of them." 

It didn't look like them either. While it was a pyramid, it seemed to be made out of a translucent red crystal, polished so you could see very slightly through it.

"Well, it's different to be sure." She nodded and set Sharufa to defend herself before standing. "Ready to stick our noses where they no doubt don't belong?"

"Always," Fenrik chuckled slightly and stood up. He had to admit to a little nervousness; this was the first real mission he'd had, though it wasn't an official one. "Could you run a quick scan for any natives before we head out? It's hard to tell with everything else that's here."

"Already did," she flashed him a grin. "Nothing showing up, just small buildings of former inhabitants."

"Wonder what happened to them," he mused, moving towards the hatch. "Well, here goes."

"Could be anything," she shrugged and followed him out, her senses open for trouble of any kind as they walked the short distance to the ruby pyramid. Once they were there, they found a short stairway into what looked like a solid wall of the crystalline material the temple was made out of.

"This could complicate things," Fenrik murmured, starting to search the wall barely a tenth of the way up the pyramid.

"What direction is the call coming from?" Tes asked matter-of-factly as she checked her scanner for what kind of blast would make the most effective entrance.

"In and down," Fenrik said, frowning. "I don't think there _is_ a door here...."

"There will be soon," she picked a spot that looked good.

Fenrik got back out of the way, giving her a clear shot to fire her blaster and punch a hole through a weaker part of the wall.

"That's one way of knocking," he observed, moving up to finish breaking out a hole big enough for them to walk through.

"Whatever works," she grinned at his back. "Anything in there?"

"Whatever's in here is probably in deeper," Fenrik chuckled slightly, stepping in and looking around as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. "Don't recognize these symbols," he murmured, walking in a bit further to let Tes follow.

"Neither do I," she admitted. "But I can sure as hell feel that whatever it is."

"I think there's more than just one thing down here," the young Knight murmured. "It feels like multiple things... the weird part is that _things_ don't usually call out like these seem to. Come on, let's keep going."

"Right," she nodded, though something about the setup made her uneasy.

"You don't like it either, do you?" He asked her, guessing what was probably causing the nerves he could feel.

"On a normal world, it wouldn't bother me. On a Sith-heavy world ... this just screams of a trap of some kind."

"Well, it's not _just_ a Sith world," he pointed out. "The natives had their own traditions before the Sith subjugated them, I'm sure. Though you're right; I'm not entirely comfortable with this either. Let's keep an eye out; no telling what might be down here...." He trailed off, walking down the corridor slowly, searching for something.

"That's the only reason I haven't hauled you out by the scruff yet." She pointed out, keeping on a more general alert as he followed his trail.

Fenrik might have been a little wounded by the comment if he didn't know from experience that she was quite willing to do the same to Doruth. She definitely had the protective role of alpha down pat.

Including being overly prepared the way Custos tended to be with extra equipment that few Jedi thought to bring along. The sudden light of her flashlight, one he recognized as a Jay creation from years before, made him blink for a moment before his eyes adjusted to it.

He dearly wished his eyes didn't adjust to the light when things like this happened. Going from inconveniently dim to bright as day was not pleasant, even if it didn't last more than a heartbeat while he reflexively adjusted faster than most could.

"Do you have an extra power pack?" He asked, stopping to inspect a point along the wall. "I think I found the lights for this place."

"Always," she fished around in a pocket on her light cloth body armor to hand one over.

"Thanks," he nodded, taking the cell and looking between it and the location where it seemed it was supposed to go. A frown crossed his lips as he realized that there was a slight difference in the interface that would keep the cell from fitting.

"I can improvise, or we can trust to your light," he said, looking back at her. "Improvising might be risky, but I think I can do it without anything going wrong."

"Just don't blow us up, okay?"

"That I can guarantee," he nodded slightly, holding the power cell near the interface and focusing. He let his senses open up, seeking the energy in the cell itself. It wasn't quite the same as the Force, but it worked.

"What did you just do?" She asked curiously as an arc of energy passed between cell and interface just before the lights came on.

"Something I'm not sure I should have," Fenrik murmured, pocketing the discharged cell. "I drained the power from the cell and fed it into the system. Kind of like linking a power cable between the two of them."

"This is a questionable idea because ..."

"Just the way it felt," he said, shaking his head. "Don't worry about it; let's just keep going now that we can see our way better."

"All right," she nodded and clicked her light off before following him deeper into the solid red crystal pyramid, though it never completely left her awareness. Anything that 'didn't feel right' to a Jedi probably wasn't.

Both of them were finding things that didn't feel quite right as they worked in deeper. It seemed like every turn led to another puzzle, and some solution that either called on brute force, a starkly pragmatic solution to an ethical question, or some use of the Force that Fenrik was developing on the spot and Tes hadn't really thought of doing before.

After about a half-hour of these tests, Fenrik was looking a force field with another logical test to shut it down. A diplomat and her servant being escorted through no-man's land... out of food... the solution being to find the best way to handle the situation.

He couldn't get around the fact that the 'best way', as most of the other puzzles had interpreted the situation up to now, would be to kill the servant and use his remains to provide enough food to make it to civilization. The loss of the servant would be secondary to bringing the diplomat to the summit alive.

It also made him feel sick, even as he accepted that it would be a viable solution. And one that was definitely _not_ dreamed up by a Light Sider.

"It's a trap," he murmured. "C'mon, Tes, we're getting out of here."

"Wait." She was reading the puzzle too, and she could all but read the answer that came to his mind, even if she was at a bit of a loss as to how he'd gotten to _that_ solution. "You are _completely_ overreacting to the situation presented." She added as she began to type in her own reaction, to summon animals to her or use Force-flow to find things to eat. Even no-man's land had lots of little things. Small rodents and insects were everywhere and most were edible enough.

It raised an eyebrow when the computer said it wouldn't work for lack of life.

"Okay ..." She put her hands on her hips and glared at the console. "Have it you way." She typed in the answer she knew it would take even if she didn't agree with it.

"I knew it was going to protest to those solutions," he pointed out quietly, reaching up to take her shoulder before she progressed beyond the force field. "Like the one before about ending a war at the expense of allowing a devastating attack on your own people. Any suggestion it doesn't like has details added to the question until you give the 'right' solution. It's an old Sith security measure. If you answer the questions right on the first time, you're Sith. If you don't, you will be by the time you finish."

"Only if you actually believe what you type." She shook her head.

"How would you be prone to thinking after another hour or two of this place, these tests, and doing it all on your own?" He pointed out. "Do you think we should head back, or get creative instead?"

"Me? A good night's sleep would clear it out," she shrugged. "But I'm used to living like that from when I was still running the Outer Rim. You say what gets you through the day and keep your opinions to yourself. You're the one at risk, though."

"I meant a different type of creative," Fenrik said simply, igniting his lightsaber. "Tes? Don't tell Jay what I'm about to do? We're about to redefine straight-line movement to the middle."

"I won't if you won't," she laughed heartily and lit her own with a grin for his idea. "Let's go for it. I seem to recall it's as legal a solution as any."

"Yep," Fenrik nodded, driving his lit blade through the crystalline wall and starting to slowly cut through it. "And a lot easier to sleep with at night."

"True," she agreed and drove her own blade into the wall to meet him in the middle for a door, though her more powerful lightsaber made it more like two-thirds of the way.

* * *

After another hour of carving their way through walls, Fenrik and Tes could both feel that they were close to their goal, probably just on the other side of the wall they were facing now.

"Y'know, you wouldn't think it would be quite this tiring to do this work with lightsabers," Fenrik muttered, rubbing his shoulder lightly, his beam temporarily extinguished. "Just glad the power cables all run through the ceiling, or we'd be in the dark again by now."

"Just be glad no one _lives_ here," she shook her head and stretched before driving into the last wall between them and their goal, Fenrik's own 'saber sinking in to start the other end.

"Believe me, I'm already more than glad for that one," the Panther said. "I'm just glad this place doesn't have the Sith's usual punishments for wrong answers. We'd have been attacked by a small army of droids by now."

"It's not exactly their usual architecture either." Tes pointed out. "May not be actual Sith, just somebody not quite with our civilization."

"It's not that far off," he pointed out. "It's not normal, but if you accept that some of the other temples we've found were built during Exar Kun's rule, this isn't _too_ far off. But yeah... I've been thinking about that too. If this does turn out to be a burial chamber, should we still take whatever's down here?"

"Depends on what it is," she chose easily. "And who it is."

"All right," he nodded, grunting as he carefully lowered the cut-out panel of stone to the floor. "Think we might want to take a piece of this back with us, see if Essani recognizes the symbols." The chamber beyond was black except for a dim patch of light next to their impromptu 'door,' none of the artificial lights through the rest of the complex inside it.

"No need, I've been recording them." Tes flipped her light on, sweeping the room for trouble before focusing on the central object. "Impressive." She cautiously stepped forward to examine the expertly carved life-sized Massassi warrior. "Damn, the price this could fetch in the right port."

"Forget port, there are probably a dozen different Senators who'd kill to have it," Fenrik murmured, following her in and looking it over. "Literally, I might add." The statue looked almost alive, every feature painstakingly carved from the same ruby-colored stone of the temple. The humanoid's face was weathered and battle-hardened, deep furrows in his chin and around his eyes. Its long 'antenna' around the nose and eyebrows were carved with no less attention to detail.

Fenrik almost expected it to complete the swing with the strange pole-axe it was carved to hold, releasing the razor-sharp metal disk held in the head. The care taken in preparing the statue marked whoever this warrior was as almost painfully important to the makers.

The weapons and armor it wore, however, marked him as a dark sider of an age long past. While it was holding a weapon that was probably unique to his race, the sword at his hip was plainly of Sith design and the shield he wore strapped to his chest practically seethed with Dark Side energies to the young Knight's senses.

"If he wasn't Sith, he probably could have taught them a thing or two," he shuddered.

"Strange we couldn't sense the dark energies until we were standing right in front of it." Tes murmured as she began to investigate around the statue more carefully, looking for anything to indicate that this room was anything but a holding cell for the statue and its gear.

"Agreed," Fenrik nodded, frowning slightly as he looked around. It didn't feel like there was anything down there but them, the statue, and its equipment; no spirits, no ... anything.

"There's something about the room that limits our senses in here," he said. "It's not enough to notice unless you think about it, but it seems to dampen the Force before you can really sense anything. I wonder if it's the crystal," he mused.

"It could be part of the gear he's carrying, some tech, even the area ... they are all rare as hell these days, but there are a lot of things that can do it." She came back to consider the statue and its equipment. "So do we take it back, or leave it for the first Darksider to come by?"

"We're taking it back," he said seriously. "It's not a body that we'd be desecrating by taking it, and more importantly, I do _not_ want to end up on the wrong end of that gear in a fight. Besides, you know that if we leave it down here, your friend'll just pick it up on a scavenging mission and sell it off to the first person who's interested anyways."

"True enough," Tes admitted. "Levitate it out?"

"Actually, I was thinking we should grab one of the repulsor lifts off the Sharufa," Fenrik said. "We probably could lift it out without one, but it'll be a lot less tiring to use one, and there's no telling what might decide to pay a visit tonight."

"Works for me," she nodded with another look at the statue before they headed out to get the repulsor lift.

* * *

"* _Fenrik, I want you to go here._ *" Master Essani contacted him with a set of coordinates after they had finished loading the statue and its artifacts in the cargo bay. "* _There is an object of the Light that wants to be found there._ *"

"* _Can't blame it,_ *" he responded, the communication taking a bit of effort over the distance to the orbital station. "We're heading about half-way around the world," he told Tes. "Essani sensed something."

"Hopefully not another one of those," she motioned towards the cargo hold and the Dark artifacts there.

"No," he said, shaking his head and heading towards the cockpit. "She says it's a something of the Light. Mind if I try flying us there? I'm going to have to get better at piloting if I'm going to be using the Sharufa on a regular basis."

"Go for it," she nodded and easily took the co-pilot's chair. "She'll probably handle better for you. Even when he doesn't try, Jay tends to personalize his creations."

"True," he nodded, starting the take off sequence. "Though you're still talking about somebody who didn't even start flying a ship until a couple years ago," he chuckled. "You and Doruth usually took care of that."

"Going to have to change that for the next one," she mused and kept an eye on things without giving directions. "It's too valuable a skill to miss out on."

"Just don't tell Master Ursal that," Fenrik chuckled, handling takeoff easily enough and punching in the coordinates Essani had given him. "Shi can't fly anything larger than a speeder bike to save her life."

"Yeah, but they're Healers," she smirked. "* _They_ don't go out on missions where it's useful."

"I get the point," Fenrik chuckled. "Still, it's weird. We've both tried to help her learn, but anything where the controls handle most of the steering is just too much for her."

"You know, everywhere _but_ the Temple calls that a control issue," Tes mused mostly to herself. "Somebody who doesn't trust the equipment enough to let it do its job."

"I think she trusts it, she just can't visualize how what she's doing is affecting the ship," Fenrik mused. "She tends to miss the adjustments and not quite realize it. Works well enough when you can check the instruments," he said, looking at them himself, "but when you have to try anything fancy or make the fast decisions, you need to have _some_ instincts for it."

"True," she admitted. "I guess I just haven't met one of them outside of Jedi. Probably because they stay as far away from the controls as they can manage."

"Yep," Fenrik nodded. "Though to her credit, Shi does too, when she can. We've just agreed that if it ever comes to her having to get Jay and I out of a bad spot, she'll heal one of us enough that we can make it to hyperspace instead of trusting her to do it," he chuckled grimly.

"A good arrangement, honestly." Tes nodded in approval. "Though I wouldn't be surprised to see Jay next ship capable of getting itself into hyperspace and to a location all on its own."

"Neither would I," Fenrik nodded, handling the flight rather well. "Hell, they come close enough to it as it is, you'd just need one that looked up the location on its own instead of having to put in coordinates manually."

"True," she considered the control system and began to check a few things out. "I think he may have already. Only it's under emergency procedures and a destination has to be set beforehand. At least that's what this looks like. Of course, with Jay, all he has to be is conscious in the same system to set the destination."

"I am _so_ not surprised," Fenrik chuckled. "Mind if I practice below the canopy? The 'point A to point B' I can handle."

"Go ahead," she nodded, though she kept a bit closer eyes on things as he got out of his skill range.

Fortunately, he seemed to have an innate sense for when it was more than he was capable of handling. While he weaved between the large trees, he didn't push himself to do even half the things Doruth could, let alone that Tes could probably handle with her eyes shut.

In the end, it was a fairly enjoyable, if quiet, trip to the ancient, dust-choked ruins at their destination.

"I'll take a jungle any day." Tes shook her head as they looked at the only buildings within hundreds of clicks. "Are you sure this is the right spot? It's been gone over with a fine toothed comb already."

"These are the coordinates," he said, double-checking it. "Could be that whatever we're after is hidden pretty well."

"Or it's got issues with anyone but who it wants finding it." She frowned and got up. "I can't sense anything."

"Neither can I," he admitted. "Though I'm a bit off-center yet from earlier. How comfortable are you with spending the night down here? It's close enough to dark, wouldn't hurt to wait until morning. I might be able to get a better grasp on where it is after some meditation."

"I don't mind." She agreed easily. "I was figuring on a few days anyway. Go ahead and settle down. I'll lock us down for the night and run the checks."

"Right," he nodded and headed back to his quarters, taking his lightsaber from its holster as he moved. This was definitely not a night for quiet meditation. He suspected it would not be the last time he was grateful for the extra-large main suite Jay had build for them with kata-meditation and sparing in mind.

* * *

  


* * *

"Feeling more centered?" Tes asked easily when Fenrik walked into the galley for breakfast.

"Much," he nodded. "And I can feel what we're after, though it doesn't feel strong enough to be detected from an orbital station. It might react to the strength of the user."

"Or how strongly they are of the Light," she added and poured him a strong cup of tea. "I can't sense anything, you couldn't before but now you can, Master Essani's as Light-side as they get and it called to her."

"Very true," he nodded, taking the cup from her. "Thank you. Some days you should be glad you don't have the same senses we do. It can almost be painful to look at her like that sometimes. Soothing, but painful." He sipped the tea slowly, wincing and swearing under his breath as he added a little honey to sweeten it.

"Can't believe I keep forgetting that," he muttered to himself.

"You may be more centered, but something's off." Tes chuckled softly and offered him a plate of meat, eggs, fruit and bread.

"Thanks," he chuckled, taking the plate. "What can I say? Master Kiris taught me to wake up in an instant and be able to fight without losing any performance. Waking up and being functional without a five-minute walk to get the blood going and no emergency to get the adrenaline running is another thing."

"And no mate to get the blood flowing either." She winked at him and sat down to work on her own breakfast.

"Like you're one to talk," he smirked, starting on the eggs. "I _did_ live with you guys for a couple years, especially on missions. I swear, between you two and the Pack I'll never forget what horny Wolves smell like."

"Or sound like," she snickered. "Though you have to admit that Doruth has the loudest voice of anybody on board."

"Only when you don't howl," he grinned. "Trust me, roars don't carry _nearly_ as far. He might be louder through a couple walls; you're louder half-way across the Temple."

"You can't hear us outside our quarters," she smirked. "I _know_ the soundproofing is good enough."

"Tes?" He smirked back, trying not to giggle. "Be that as it may, _Doruth_ has never made me lose prey on a morning hunt."

"You were just hunting too early," she teased back, remembering the incidents clearly.

"Now why is it that I'm hunting too early when you end up scaring them off when you get off, but it's not a problem when I go upwind and bring home fresh breakfast?" He laughed.

"Okay, so you were hunting too late," she countered with an easy laugh of her own.

"And the only reason I can't say the same about you ever is because Jay and I aren't that loud," he chuckled.

"Maybe something you need to work on," she winked at him.

"Well, you can't say we don't get enough practice," he grinned back. "And if Jay _or_ Shi were here right now, I'd probably have been tackled and gagged already."

"And dragged off for more practice." Tes couldn't help but snicker. "I have to admit, you and Jay are seriously hot together."

"And just _how_ do you know that?" He asked her, raising an eyebrow slightly. "I _think_ I've always managed to get him back to our quarters first."

"Fenrik, dear, it is _so_ easy to watch the two of you when Jay's in the mood. Especially camping."

"And does Doruth know about this?" He asked with a smirk. "You should see us when Shi's around too."

"But she doesn't have a thing for water or outdoor games that Jay does." She let him wonder about his former Master.

"She's got her reasons for it too," he admitted, finishing up his breakfast. "Besides, if she found out she'd probably just about melt."

"True, though I understand she turns this lovely shade of purple first." Tes winked at him and helped with the cleanup. "Ready to track down this object of the Light?"

"That she does," he chuckled, purring lightly at the thought. "And yes, I am. Let's get going and figure out what it is that's bugging a Master in orbit."

* * *

  


* * *

"* _They're keeping something from you, you know,_ *" a familiar mental voice told Jay while he was tinkering alone one day.

"* _They always are,_ *" the kat shrugged with a bit of a mental sigh, absently wondering how much worse the taunting could get after he'd accepted his Gift. "* _Tell me something that's news if you're going to bother me._ *"

"* _Does a ship that makes Kraken look like a baby qualify?_ *" The Demon asked him with a smug tone, knowing full well, even before Jay went stiff, that he had the kat's undivided attention. He could feel the question that didn't quite come across in words.

"* _Oh it's much older. I'll admit, not that much bigger, but this is the masterpiece the Kraken was based off of. You haven't heard it yet because you're up here while the ship is down on the surface, long ago stripped bare by a Jedi._ *"

Jay stilled his mind and body, his attention focusing down to the world under them and listened for the distinctive resonance of a piece of technology that large and advanced.

He could feel it, faintly, almost silent after centuries of a jungle world's environment wearing it down. He could feel other things too, though that was one of the strongest.

"* _They're down there on that moon, you know,_ *" the Demon pointed out. "* _Hacking through walls and taking everything they can find at the kushiban's direction while they keep you distracted up here._ *"

"* _No surprise there,_ *" he said quietly, knowing that they'd rather find the objects than buy them or face them. It disturbed him, in a detached way, that he'd come so far into the local morals that he was not really be bothered all that much to learn they were using violence to get what they wanted.

He looked around the shop; he really was on his own. It was free time, time that was his to do as he pleased. He reached out to the station and smiled faintly when it reported that there was a shuttle he could take down to the surface.

* * *

"* _It's down there,_ *" the Demon told Jay in a soft rumble as the teen flew the small shuttle down.

"* _I can feel it, you know._ *" He shot back, though he wasn't as irate as he sounded. He was too focused on the huge ship almost completely concealed in the jungle to feel much of anything but the tingling excitement of discovery.

Even now all he could see was a corner sticking up out of the trees, but he could see it. It really was bigger than the Kraken... and, somehow, it seemed to have landed and remained mostly intact despite being decidedly not inclined towards planetary touchdowns.

He reached out with part of his awareness, seeking a landing bay that he could set the shuttle down in. It took some doing, and he could tell the ship wasn't particularly happy about it, but he also could tell it was opening up for him beneath the canopy and maneuvered the shuttle down, into the gaping blackness of the bay.

He reached out again, his senses caressing the ship from where he was, trying to assess its condition and what was still left of its systems, particularly life support so it would be safe to explore. Power was almost completely down... everything seemed to be offline, though it seemed livable. The atmosphere was breathable at least where it could reach.

He nodded to himself and focused on the computer system, feeding it power from the ambient amount available to coax it on line enough to check out what it still had left.

The computer seemed to be fine, though still mostly offline. He could sense that there was a break in the power system, something that had damaged some of the main cables. It had been running on its backup generator for centuries and shut down system after system to preserve what absolutely had to have power to survive.

That at least was good. The power-dependant information would have survived, though there was little telling how many more years it had left.

He stood and grabbed the small pack he'd put together for the trip; his travel tool set, a data cube to download the useful bits still present, a comm that could contact Sharufa if he couldn't, a breather with supplemental oxygen and a few odds and ends he found useful. First issue would be to get the power turned back on.

He just hoped there weren't any local critters looking to make life interesting. At least the Demon seemed to be shutting up for now. It was quite dark enough to require a flashlight, and he still needed on hand on the bulkhead to guide his way to where the power lines had been damaged.

He had to marvel at what the planet's jungle was capable of doing. Assorted mosses and vines seemed to grow through some portions of the ship, soil that had been blown and tracked in through assorted smaller openings providing them with the nutrients required.

This place clearly hadn't been _used_ more or less since it had landed, though he was now sure it hadn't crashed. As impossible as that was, it didn't feel that damaged.

A low, warning growl from the darkness just outside the range of his light told him he wasn't alone.

Instinct made him freeze for a fraction of a heartbeat, then his light focused on the source of the sound as one lightsaber dropped into his free hand and ignited.

A leopard-like creature was crouched in one of the nearby halls, still growling, though it didn't seem like it was about to attack him. He wished, not for the first time, that he could sense living things like most Jedi could. The feline didn't seem injured, or starving, and there was no smell of blood that marked a likely kill it might be willing to fight for.

He started to form a Force-wall to push it away, and then blinked as he realized what else animals guarded against damn near anything: their young.

He sighed and let the wall stay while he tracked the ship's layout to find another way to where he was going and eventually settled on just backtracking to the next access panel and fix the thing via Force. It wasn't quite as simple as when he could touch the damage directly, but it was easier than dealing with an irate mother and her young while he tried to work and fifteen feet wasn't that hard to deal with.

The big cat seemed content to let him work, though she occasionally growled slightly to remind him she was there in the darkness beyond his light. There were days he really didn't like animals, but he couldn't really hate her for doing what was so strong in his own instincts. He slid an access panel back and reached in close his hand around one broken cable and focused his will along it, summing the small energy and strength needed to repair it, then more as his orders traveled along the rest of the cable to continue the repairs.

It wasn't long before he knew the cables were whole again, the access panels sliding shut along their length so the cubs or mother couldn't get into them when he started the full power again. The main core was offline for now, but that had saved enough power and fuel that he could get it back online as soon as he was down there.

"Now for the power," he drew a deep breath and focused again, extending his mental map of the ship to find where he needed to go before he started to move, then headed out with a sharp ear open for more critters that he'd have to work around.

* * *

"At least the ship's intact." He murmured to himself as he shut the main generator down again, this time with the sequence that would put the ship into a planned hibernation rather than a forced one.

"* _I can tell you where the contents are,_ *" the Demon pointed out. "* _Maybe you can't right now, but I can feel them._ *"

"* _Where?_ *" He asked, curious and rather doubtful that anyone was still alive after so long.

"* _Hidden in that pyramid we flew by on the way here,_ *" the Demon explained. "* _The Jedi who stripped the ship is dead now, but his loot is still there._ *"

Jay considered that as he made his way back to the shuttle. By the time he lifted off and the bay door closed under him he pointed the shuttle towards the pyramid, curiosity overcoming cautiousness.

"Turn back to the station, Jay," Essani said from the back of the ship; stepping out of the shadows she'd been hiding in.

"Urr, okay." He glanced over at her, honestly only fractionally surprised to see her on board and obeyed without any real hesitation. "What's wrong with it?"

"That place is pure Darkness," she explained to him.

"* _The Dark Side again,_ *" the Demon said exasperatedly. "* _Doesn't it seem odd that a Jedi's lair would be so evil? She's trying to keep you away from the ship's contents, after what happened with the Kraken._ *"

"Jedi can turn," he countered out loud, though it wasn't hard to know he was pretty confused by the arguments. He knew he could rarely feel Light or Dark, but he trusted his Master.

"And the one buried there did so more than any other," Essani told him, guessing why he'd said that. "That's the temple of Exar Kun."

"* _Why would Exar Kun have stripped a Sith warship?_ *" The Demon countered. "* _He would have used it against the Jedi._ *"

"Only if he could have," Jay shook his head sharply, his mind countering with just how many reasons the ship would have been stripped and not lifted off, not the least of which was that it probably couldn't have gotten back into space.

"* _And because he _did_ turn it against the Jedi,_ *" Essani said, her presence in Jay's mind suddenly very noticeable, and very different from most of what he'd felt before. "* _Then, after his apprentice realized what he was doing and turned on him, he fled here._ *" Jay could tell that what she was saying wasn't directed at him nearly as much as it was at the Demon; any doubts he had were wiped away by what she said next. "* _And I will not allow you to turn my Padawan down the same path._ *"

There was a blinding flash of light, both in the real world and in his mind, and he felt a searing pain flash through his mind. It wasn't his own pain though; it was the Demon's response to his Master's manifestation of the Force.

For the first time in a long time, Jay's mind was silent once the sense of pain left. Essani was sitting at his feet, only her dark red, frizzed-out fur a sign of what she'd just done and how pissed she'd been to do it. She stood, the color draining back out of her fur as she carefully smoothed it out with her forehands.

"Are you all right, Jay?" She asked him, her fur the light grey of her concern for him as he reached down to pick her up and help smooth her fur with his fingers and tongue, more than a little dazed by what had just happened and reacting on his most basic level: caring for those close to him that seemed in distress to sooth his own distress and confusion.

"I think so." He said softly, a little weirded out by how quiet his mind was but appreciating the calmness that came with it too. "Thank you for shutting him up."

"You're welcome," she said, curling up in his arms as her fur lightened further. "Though I hope I don't react to him that way too often. How you deal with it all the time I'll never know. Let's get back to the station."

"Remember what I said when you took me as a Padawan, about not wanting to tempt fate?" He asked softly as the shuttle continued skyward. "Around the Temple, the worst he has to talk about are holocrons and other records that have restricted access. I can't get into _that_ much trouble going where I shouldn't."

"I can understand that," she nodded slightly. "I don't think I've lost control like that in a long time."

Jay smiled slightly and gently stroked her long ears along her back. "What did you do to him?" He asked curiously, more than content to have her sit in his lap and stroke her ears.

"It's the technique I've mentioned to you a few times," she explained. "I basically exposed him to the raw energy of the Light Side."

"Which hurts like hell to one who isn't," he nodded in understanding and resisted the urge to squeeze her tightly. "Do you think we can head back home when Tes and Fen get back from their expedition?"

"I was just thinking the same thing," Essani agreed. "They should be back later today. This is a bit closer to one of us ending up in that building than I like."

"Odds are pretty good I wouldn't have come out of it with my head in any kind of shape to be talked reason too." He admitted softly. "That's way more eager than he usually is."

"When Exar Kun was alive he and his apprentice turned dozens of Padawans against their Masters," Essani pointed out. "He likely wanted to give his spirit a chance to do the same to you, if it's still there."

"Not something I want to give a chance," he shuddered slightly before the fear of becoming what he fought passed. 

Even now, after a decade among the Jedi, his Master still knew that what he feared was not 'going Dark' but 'becoming an Omega'. It was a linguistic quirk that while she understood, did worry her at times.

"We won't," Essani promised him, settling in quietly. "Let's just get back to the station and I'll tell Fenrik and Tes to come back after their current job."

* * *

"Hey J-oof!" Fenrik grunted as the wind was knocked out of him by the flying tom that tackled him as he opened the door to the Sharufa, completely unable to do anything but reciprocate the nuzzles and kisses he was being given by his lover. He quickly realized that this wasn't for being gone for a couple days, but because Jay was still unsettled by something that had happened very recently.

"Why don't you get him to your quarters before this gets questionable." Tes chuckled at him with a smirk.

"Right," the Panther nodded, picking Jay up with another grunt and nuzzling him lightly, carrying him to their quarters and cuddling up with him before he even started to worry about what had happened.

Not like he was going to get anything useful out of Jay about what had happened before then anyways. Fortunately, he knew exactly how to do just that, and quickly. It just took a warm, closed space and being held tightly until he stopped shivering and relaxed into the comfort and security of his mate's arms.

"What happened?" He asked, once the younger tom was settled down a bit.

"Did you know that Exar Kun's tomb is down there?" Jay murmured quietly.

"I know there were places Essani wanted us to stay away from," Fenrik nodded slightly. "That'd be one of them... you almost paid it a visit somehow, didn't you?"

"Yap," he murmured. "Thanks to the Demon. Damn thing knows _exactly_ what to say to get me to do what it wants."

"It's okay," Fenrik murmured, rubbing his back. "You didn't end up going there in the end, after all. And it's not like you knew what was down there."

"No," he admitted. "That's half the problem. I still can't feel Light or Dark to save my life."

"It's something you'll probably get a better feel for with practice," Fenrik reassured him. "Let's be fair, you haven't been taken out to that many places where you'd experience it."

"I know, and really bad things happened both times." He sighed and closed his eyes, once again relaxing into the logic of his mate that made things so much less disturbing.

"Shh, everything still worked out in the end," Fenrik said, nuzzling him gently. "And before things went too far before they could be controlled. Just rest for now, Jay. We'll head back home soon."

"I know," he murmured and rested his head against Fenrik's broad chest. "Sometimes it just makes me wonder if I should go out more, or a lot less. Something like this happening during my solo would be really, really bad."

"It probably won't," Fenrik said reassuringly. "They're supposed to take the fact that you are still a Padawan into account, not send you somewhere you're probably gonna have to deal with something they'd normally save for an experienced Knight."

Jay couldn't help but chuckle. "It would be my luck to be the one to find the ancient unknown Sith tomb on mine."

"So we'll talk to Essani about making sure you get assigned to a well-populated world for it," Fenrik chuckled. "C'mon, you'll be just fine," he smiled.

"I know, sometimes," he nuzzled his mate, then stretched up for a kiss. "But since no one is going to expect us for a few hours ...."

"Mmm ... let's just be sure we don't disturb anybody," Fenrik chuckled, rolling on top of his mate with a tender kiss and felt as must as heard the low moan it earned. "Tes already has enough to razz me about."

"Soundproofing, a lot of it," Jay grinned up at him. "You wouldn't hear _her_ in here."

* * *

  


* * *

"I'm sorry to see you go," Impana said, holding Shi's hand and clutching her shoulder with the other hand in a traditional gesture the young Jedi returned.

"I'm sorry I have to," she admitted. "But I have my duties."

"And you have your people, if you ever choose to leave the Jedi. We might not be as civilized as the rest of the Republic, but I have a feeling we'll be able to use your talents in the years to come."

"If you do, let the Jedi know," Shivasta said. "I know you have a transceiver by now, you've been sending information for years."

"True," the Chieftain nodded. "Though there are still some who aren't sure whose side you'd be on."

"Are you one of them?" Shivasta asked pointedly. 

The older woman smiled slightly. "Not at all. You're a Stormwarden, and you're a Jedi. But I know what side you'll be on. I'm not sure how, but you'll find a way to be on both." 

Shivasta smiled slightly. "Some folks have said the Jedi's best gift is for not making up their minds," she said. "They just forget that there are more than two sides to every conflict."

"Very true," Impana nodded. "You're welcome back to our lands as long as I rule the Stormwardens, Shivasta. As far as I'm concerned, you're one of our clan, and one of our shamen. You may not be able to summon a storm, but you've undergone all the rights beside that one." Shivasta bowed her head respectively.

"Thank you, Chieftain," she said seriously. "However, I'm afraid that while I'm a Jedi, I can't claim that honor."

"I know," Impana nodded. "Consider it a standing offer. There are some here who might not appreciate it, but I can't see any reason you can't rejoin us if you leave them."

"I understand," Shivasta smiled. "Though don't alienate the clan for my sake. It's not worth it."

"You're right, it wouldn't be," Impana agreed. "However, they'll come to see what you really are. You're not just a Jedi in an Ice Walker's skin. It may be that your Jedi are better for training _some_ of our children than we'd expected. But we'll have to see what develops."

"That's all that can be asked," Shivasta said, lowering her head respectfully. She still regretted that her mother had paid the price she had to get her trained but, in the end, it might prove to have been for the best for everybody.

The blizzard that had raged for weeks finally started to clear as the Stormwardens let it fall away to let the transport land for her. She pulled her mask up in front of her face as she turned to face the landing pad and saw the massive ship start to land. Impana and the warriors with her would probably convince them that they were _only_ here to pick Shivasta up.

A boarding ramp extended, the airlock opening as she started up it, the same Lemur who'd warned her not to come waiting for her at the entrance.

"What happened here?" He asked her. "The storm just disappeared; we'd been getting ready to leave."

"The Force works in mysterious ways sometimes," Shi said simply, removing her mask and pulling back her hood once she was on the climate-controlled confines of the ship, the door closing behind her. "Though I suspect this won't last long, so we might want to leave some time soon?"

"The Captain's making ready to lift off now," he nodded. "Surprised to see you again," he admitted. "Pleasantly surprised, but we'd all been sure you'd be frozen by now."

"As I said, I was born here," she chuckled. "If you'll excuse me, I'd like to change into something a little better suited for inside wear?"

"Of course, Lady Jedi," the Lemur nodded, hurrying out and setting about his duties as Shi started to strip out of her heavy outer robes and gloves, chuckling slightly. Easiest way she knew to get a little privacy. She started back towards her quarters to pack everything up, something a little more confident in her bearing and step as she returned to the private room.

Looking out the viewing window, she watched her home world disappear, quite possibly for years before she would return again. Hopefully for years, given the circumstances that would probably call her back to it. She'd miss it, but she didn't look forward to the end of any of the paths she knew they were walking down.

She took her lightsaber, cool to even her touch, in her hand. She'd miss Garosh and her kin. But she was taking a part of them both home with her.

* * *

  


* * *

"* _I have to say, I'm not going to be sorry not to see this place again,_ *" Essani admitted. "* _I think it was good for Jay though._ *"

"It certainly proved that he can get along with a Rodian that isn't being a jerk." Tes nodded as the station retreated from view.

"* _Something I don't think even he was sure of,_ *" she nodded. "* _I'll have to keep closer tabs on that thing in his head though. So, how did the exploration go? I saw a number of artifacts that you'd brought back, though I haven't looked through them yet._ *"

"It was interesting, there's definitely a lot more down there to find." She nodded slightly and paused as they dropped into hyperspace. "Some serious Dark Side ones, a few Light Side ones and some I haven't got a clue on."

"* _I imagine the strongest are all gathered in Kun's temple,_ *" Essani said softly. "* _Almost found out the hard way today._ *"

"So that's what the sudden rush was about." Tes raised an eyebrow and set the autopilot. "Jay managed to get curious about them?"

"* _No,_ *" she said, shaking her head. "* _His 'friend' tried to trick him into it. Fortunately I'm better at stowing away on shuttles than he is at noticing me._ *"

"Bets he wouldn't have worried about it even if he knew you were there," she commented. "I doubt Jay thought he was sneaking out to do anything wrong."

"* _Agreed, and he wasn't,_ *" Essani nodded. "* _However, if he'd known, then the Demon would have known to be much more careful about exposing itself while I was there. I did manage to learn something about it at least._ *"

"A good thing, given how little we know." Tes nodded with a curious look on her face.

"* _It does have a bond to Jay, but it goes both ways,_ *" she explained. "* _A potential weakness if it continues to harass him like it has._ *"

"True," she agreed easily. "I would be surprised if it lets up on him in the long run. It's not how they tend to operate. Jay's too much of a prize to let go of."

"* _Yes,_ *" Essani nodded. "* _Though a few more times like today might convince him otherwise. I found out that there are ways to hurt it, for all that I'll need some time on my own later to deal with what happened._ *"

"Do you want the time now, or after we do a real inventory of the haul?"

"* _After,_ *" Essani said easily. "* _I just don't usually respond like that. I'm not about to do it again any time soon,_ *" she added with chirp, standing up. "* _So, why don't we start that inventory?_ *"

"Sounds good," Tes agreed and stood to follow her back, not really wanting to press for details about what had happed.

"* _You two did manage to find that second artifact I sent coordinates for, yes?_ *" she asked, easily slipping into the role of the senior Jedi.

"Yes, though what it does is anyone's guess. It doesn't seem to like me at all."

"* _It will probably like Jay less,_ *" Essani admitted. "* _At least while he's still grappling with the Demon. I have a few theories about it, myself. Was it difficult for Fenrik to find?_ *"

"Not after he meditated and centered himself again, but while he was still dealing with Sith security measures in his head, he couldn't sense it at all."

"* _I think I know what it is,_ *" the kushiban nodded. "* _There are legends of some items that give a great sense of calm to the people who used them; according to legend, they hid themselves from the impure._ *"

"Which pretty well explains its dislike of me," she nodded. "Even on my good days I'm in the grey end of blue."

"* _Very true,_ *" she nodded. "* _While Fenrik was undoubtedly dealing with a fair amount of turmoil it didn't want to deal with._ *" They walked back into the cargo hold, the kushiban walking straight towards the opalescent sphere almost a foot across that they were talking about.

"If he hadn't settled enough by morning, you may have had to come down to find it." She nodded towards the object that she knew was there and still couldn't see. "Hiding it is _damn_ good at."

"* _You can't see it at all, can you?_ *" she asked curiously. "* _You're right, it is good at it. It calms the Force, and wraps it around itself more tightly than most any Jedi can manage._ *"

"No, I can't. The only reason I know where it is is because I know where Fenrik put the thing." Tes shook her head. "I am _not_ going to touch it again. Thing burns like hell."

"* _This one's more aggressive than most it seems,_ *" the kushiban said, inspecting it. "* _Why don't we look at the rest, I'll take a closer look at this during the trip?_ *"

"Works for me," the Wolf nodded easily.

Essani hopped down from where she was standing next to the sphere, walking over to the secured statue and its equipment.

"* _Some of these weapons haven't been seen since the Hyperspace Wars,_ *" the kushiban said, looking it up and down. "* _These were in the first temple?_ *"

"Yes," she nodded. "The point of the place, it seemed."

"* _The only thing a Sith who found them would be missing would be transport of some kind,_ *" Essani said, frowning. "* _The armor is the worst part. The rest of it has been modified alchemically, but the armor goes well beyond the simple preservative steps taken for the rest._ *"

"How so?" Tes regarded it curiously.

"I suspect you'll find that it is lightsaber resistant, most obviously. Not like a cortosis weave in modern armor, but instead turning the blade like it was a physical one. It can probably withstand an average blaster shot as well. This isn't the armor of a Sith assassin or spy; its user had no intention of being subtle. It's like whoever made it forged the power of the Dark Side itself into the armor."

"Impressive," she raised an eyebrow. "No need to block the 'saber when your armor can take it. Completely changes the dynamics of combat, and not many Jedi would survive long enough to pass the info along."

"* _And those who might survive probably wouldn't know,_ *" Essani pointed out. Her lightsaber suddenly flew in from her room, igniting and striking the polearm. Despite the crackle of lightsaber striking metal, there wasn't even a scorch mark left on the handle.

"Whoa!" Tes jumped back, half expecting the statue to come to life in protest to being attacked.

"* _The weapons both use a more traditional cortosis alloy. They're as effective for blocking as another lightsaber is. A warrior with these weapons could wreak havoc against any Jedi combatant, quite possibly even take on two or three with a reasonable chance of winning and the proper training._ *"

"Sounds like Jay," Tes observed with a more critical look. "Only with much better defenses."

"* _And much better training,_ *" Essani nodded. "* _My apologies for the flamboyant display; I was pretty sure I knew what would happen, but I wanted to be certain. Should have warned you._ *"

"It's okay, that thing's just had me jumpy since I first saw it." The shewolf shook her head. "It's a bit too lifelike for my tastes."

"* _Agreed,_ *" Essani nodded. "* _Though the craftmanship is exceptional. I don't think there are any records of a display like this. Usually a Sith Lord's equipment would be buried with him; I think this is proof that between the two wars, there was another culture that developed, or at least reasserted itself._ *"

"They were something before the Sith claimed them," Tes pointed out. "Few cultures can be destroyed so completely that nothing remains while the people still do. Remove the influences, and old ways tend to reassert themselves. It can happen fast too."

"* _Very true,_ *" Essani nodded. "* _Though the Sith were likely in control for some fifteen thousand years. Of course the Republic itself is proof of how thin the veneer of a so-called 'common culture' can be. It's still quite interesting, from an archaeological standpoint as well as an artistic one. The only records we have of what the Massassi looked like, before this, are records of Exar Kun's invasion._ *"

"This one good enough to take to a geneticist and have it brought to life." She considered the statue. "Though I'd be willing to bet there is plenty on that planet to give more info."

"* _Possibly,_ *" Essani nodded. "* _Unfortunately, a fully equipped expedition will have to wait a while. Given what's involved, we can't risk sending anybody who's sensitive and any less well trained than a Master along long-term._ *"

"Especially not for the raid on Exar Kun tomb," she nodded. "That won't be an easy run."

"* _No it won't, and likely one they just won't make,_ *" Essani agreed. "* _Too dangerous._ *"

"A foolish choice, though I understand it." Tes said softly. "The odds are you won't pay for it."

"* _And if something goes wrong, the price will likely be far greater,_ *" Essani pointed out. "* _Have you ever flown through the Ossus system?_ *"

"No," she admitted, not in the mood to try to counter whatever logic the Jedi Master had to back up her side.

"* _I'm not too surprised,_ *" Essani said. "* _There's not much there anymore, just a star and the ruins of a once-great world. The trick is, a thousand years ago, there were two stars there. The second was one of Exar Kun's casualties. The risk of releasing that... we'll watch Yavin 4, certainly, but that's one tomb I'd rather not have opened._ *"

"The problem with that logic is the assumption that you will be able to stop whoever _does_ go in next before anything happens." She countered without any real interest in the outcome. "And now that its location is confirmed, someone will go after it. It is far too great a prize to leave be for most of the interested parties."

"* _I did say watched,_ *" Essani chuckled slightly. "* _And we likely will explore it eventually, I just don't know anybody I'd ask to go in, rather than letting them volunteer. Jedi archaeologists, especially Masters, tend to roam where they feel capable of roaming. So, did you find anything else while you were down there?_ *"

"Half dozen holocrons, couple lightsabers that need repairs, some crystals and books I can't read." Tes ran off the inventory. "And a dozen hours of recordings from walls of the buildings. Looks like a pictograph language of some kind."

"* _You do realize that you've just guaranteed we won't see Master Kareth in the Council chambers for a month?_ *" Essani chuckled, her fur shading a light gold. "Though I don't doubt it will prove fascinating, assuming there actually is a meaning to it, rather than merely being decorative."

"Unfortunately the fastest and easiest way of finding out is not much of an option now." The shewolf chuckled softly. "Jay could probably translate it in five minutes."

"* _Probably,_ *" Essani nodded. "* _Ah well. Later maybe. If you'd like to go rest, feel free, I think I'll poke around the sphere a bit longer. I could use the meditation._ *"

"I'll see you then, Master." Tes inclined her head slightly and headed back to her quarters as the kushiban hopped up next to the iridescent orb and settled in to meditate.

* * *

Fenrik stretched languidly after he finished meditating, holstering his lightsaber and starting out of the room. Jay wasn't in the room, which wasn't surprising really. He did, however, have a feeling he knew where he was... and that it might be a good idea to go check on him before he stumbled onto something dangerous. The statue and orb weren't the only things they'd brought back, after all, though probably the ones he was interested in.

The Panther walked into the cargo hold, seeing Jay sitting calmly before the Massassi statue, meditating for all appearances.

"Finding out anything interesting?" He asked quietly.

"A great deal," the young tom nodded. "I should be able to create Light-side variants when we get back to the Temple."

"Really?" Fenrik asked, sitting down next to him. "That's good news."

"I think so," he nodded. "We'll see what the Council thinks of it when I sort it out."

"You'd actually stop if they told you not to?" Fenrik asked knowingly.

"Not a chance in hell." He grinned at his mate. "I just may be the only one who gets any use out of it."

"If you can find a way to do it, _I_ have a few ideas that might get some use out of it," Fenrik chuckled. "I don't know about you, but if you found a way to do with robes what that guy did with that shield, I think it'd make fights a lot safer."

"It will," Jay nodded. "I don't know about robes, but a light body armor to wear under them is definitely viable. Ditto with my Glovatrix. It's an interesting concept. They wove Force directly into the objects."

"That's definitely tricky," Fenrik observed. "Though similar to how you build a tuned lightsaber. Not the same, but kinda similar ... probably more universal though."

"It's all a matter of how you look at it, and power in general." Jay smiled slightly. "I look at it a little differently than most here. Makes things like this easier."

"Just keep me up to date on how it works," Fenrik smiled, kissing Jay lightly. "Be good to see something the Sith used turned to a good reason for once, instead of the other way around."

"Yap," he grinned. "It's easier than they'd lead you to believe too."

"Just remember that you're the one who can make gadgets tell you how they work," Fenrik chuckled. "You don't have to trial-and-error it based on what you saw before what you're trying to recreate was too hacked up to be fixed."

"I know," Jay chuckled and nuzzled him. "Everybody's got their gifts."

"Very true," Fenrik smiled, returning the nuzzle. "Out of curiosity, anything unusual about the statue besides the obvious?"

"Not really. Though it has a lot of strong impressions of the artist's feelings towards Ludo Ragnos."

"And what were they, if I dare ask?" Fenrik chuckled slightly, looking up at the fierce warrior.

"He's a hero, pure and simple." Jay said softly. "A Sith, yes, but an honored and respected one by his own people."

"Different standards I suppose," Fenrik murmured, though Jay didn't need to feel it to know that the response surprised him.

"It's all about perspective." He said simply. "It's the winners who write the history after all. Not every monster is one. Some just lost."

"True," Fenrik nodded, wrapping an arm around Jay lightly. "Just kinda hard to think of somebody who probably worshipped the Dark Side as being a hero, even in the eyes of somebody else who probably did."

"I know," he leaned into the embrace. "But not everyone thinks like that. My family is close enough to the line to make it easy to see both sides. I'm still not sure how history will remember us, once we're no longer part of the picture."

"No way to know for sure," Fenrik agreed, rubbing Jay's side lightly. "For anybody. The mistakes usually live on long past those who try to remember the good, even for the Order."

"Yeah," he sighed and let his eyes close, content to be in his mate's arms for a time. "One thing we've learned is that recorded history is rarely reliable, even when there is an effort to make it that way. Details are lost, future generations change it, reinterpret it, or just change themselves so the truth no longer means what it used to."

"And often all of the above," Fenrik nodded. "Or they just forget it altogether when what was recorded is lost. There's a lot of that in here right now," he mused, looking around the cargo hold, knowing just how much supposedly lost history had been found on this trip.

"And a lot that's still there." He added. "It's hard to comprehend just how much has been lost, just of the Order's history, never mind the rest."

"Well, twenty-five thousand years _is_ a lot to keep track of," Fenrik chuckled slightly. "And that's just the Republic era."

"I know, it just ... it seems so careless, if not downright intentional. It's not like there has been any major disruptions that could take out the records."

"Jay? We're leaving one of them now. There was so much lost when Exar Kun wiped out Ossus and attacked Coruscant. Between that and theft, a lot of the Jedi's history was lost that way. The rest... well, it could well be intentional on some parts. After all, it's not like most planets particularly want to remember the rough patches when they're living in the 'pinnacle of all civilization.'"

Even though he bristled, the rage and outrage just barely contained, Jay kept his voice calm. "New subject. Before I decide it'll be good to finish the job."

"Right," Fenrik nodded, seriously wishing he hadn't brought it up. Sometimes it was a little too easy to forget that Jay had very different hot buttons than anyone else he knew and reacted more strongly than even Master Kiris had to slavery. "So, looking forward to seeing Shi when we get back home?" He asked, picking what he thought was the safest possible topic to discuss.

"Yes," he smiled and worked to settle himself, shoving the history lesson to the same place in his mind as he kept his belief about droids. "Hopefully things have gone well for her."

"I'm sure they did," Fenrik smiled, kissing Jay lightly. "Probably going to be sitting there waiting for us when we get back too, and ready to explain just what the heck she needed that cooler for in her 'saber."

"Probably to increase the efficiency of it. Her crystals are from an ice world."

"True," Fenrik nodded. "Just seems odd. I know there've been other 'sabers with crystals like that that haven't used 'em. Not something I've really seen before." He chuckled slightly. "What can I say? You're not the only curious one."

"It's like mine," Jay nuzzled him. "They _work_ without the enhancements, but they work _better_ with them. It's not like anyone else has had the choice to super cool their crystals."

"True," Fenrik admitted, nuzzling him back. "Maybe hanging around you's rubbing off on her," he grinned.

"I can think of worse things." Jay snickered and kissed him softly, a lingering contact that heated Fenrik's entire body.

"Mmm ... and I can think of a few better things we could be doing with our time than sitting in the cargo hold and chatting," the Panther purred.

"Like being in our quarters making you whimper for more?" Jay grinned at him with a low rumble.

"Mmm ... or making you do the same," Fenrik purred, standing up and helping Jay to his feet. "Either way, testin' out the soundproofing you put in here," he winked.

"I've got time to study them later." Jay chuckled and slid a hand down Fenrik's back to cup his ass while they walked through the halls. "You _are_ going to be on the bottom today."

"You say that like I haven't made you whimper from there," Fenrik smirked, rubbing his back then pulling him close for a heated kiss that left no doubts that they were both physically turned on enough to go for it where they stood. "Though you aren't gonna get any complaints from me," he purred.

"Good." Jay licked his whiskers back and all but pulled his mate into the large quarters. "Because I'm in the mood to fuck you senseless on both ends."

"Promises, promises," Fenrik smirked, stripping Jay's robes off as the door closed behind them. "You're welcome to try though," he winked and found his mouth claimed by a kiss that all but made him whimper while he was stripped to the fur as well. Before it ended, Fenrik was reminded of Jay's best Force-skill as invisible hands caressed his cock and gently began to stretch his ass.

"Let me taste you?" He asked with a soft moan, kissing Jay's neck hungrily.

"Yes," he rumbled and guided his lover to his knees and caressed his rounded, velvety ears.

Fenrik nuzzled his crotch eagerly, licking at his sheath and fondling his balls. He reached back with one finger to tease Jay's own ass, his rough, warm tongue caressing Jay's silky sheath. The pleasure and affection that all but rolled from Jay as he worked on pleasing him was an intoxicant of a very real kind, one that only got stronger as he breathed in the rich male musk that smelled of his mate concentrated.

Fenrik could feel when Jay wanted more; for all the kat was gifted at hiding, he never hid anything in the bedroom. The Panther grinned as he took Jay's cock into his mouth, suckling it hungrily and squeezing his balls. He teased Jay's barbs with his tongue, purring deep in his throat as it gained a low moan and Jay closed his hands around the back of his head with a light thrust.

He rumbled hungrily as he pleasured his mate, letting him thrust, bobbing his head in a counter to his thrusts. He looked up into the younger tom's eyes, his own shining lustily. Jay knew all his weaknesses, but he knew of all Jay's in return.

In a mood like this, it was giving the smaller tom the illusion of using him. It didn't surface often, but Jay did have a potent dominant streak in him.

The up side was that even in this mood, he was still considerate of his lover's pleasure, unlike so many who wanted control.

Fenrik mumbled and relaxed when he felt more of Jay's weight lean against him, pulling his head forward to be fucked until Jay's pleasure rose to his limit.

He relaxed his throat, still working Jay's shaft with his lips and tongue, knowing it wouldn't be long before he'd get the first blasts of his seed.

Jay growled, his claws pinpricks against Fenrik's skull. Damn it was good when he let himself go like this and took his pleasure as he wished. Even as he shuddered and thrust hard into the Panther's mouth he could feel the willingness in Fenrik's relaxed body and let the pleasure take over with a roar.

Fenrik drank down his hot, bittersweet seed hungrily, savoring the taste of it as it hit the back of his throat, the last spurts landing on his tongue before he eagerly licked Jay clean, enjoying the way Jay felt as he came down.

"Now," Jay rumbled hotly as he pulled his lover to his feet and to the bed. "Let's see that vaunted Jedi self control in action."

"Now you _know_ you won't beat me like that," Fenrik smirked as he got comfortable on his arms and knees with his tail raised shamelessly and his hard cock a tempting black rod hanging down between his legs.

"We'll see," he grinned down as Force bound Fenrik where he wanted, adjusting the Panther's position slightly, while he got the real bindings and secured his wrists, calves and thighs in place.

"What do you have in mind now?" Fenrik asked, looking back over his shoulder with an inquisitive smirk.

"Make me come before you do." He rumbled and cupped Fenrik's face for a searing kiss.

"Oh I think I can manage that," the Panther grinned as their lips parted. He shuddered and moaned throatily when his ass was stretched open again, the Force stroking his body inside and out.

"We'll see." Jay grinned and stroked his ears before pressing his hard cock into Fenrik's mouth again, this time to enjoy the Panther's skills.

Fenrik rumbled, trying to focus on getting his lover off again, teasing each of his barbs with his rough tongue and skilled mouth. The fullness in his ass, and the invisible hand now stroking his cock made it hard to concentrate, but he had plenty of experience at this particular game, one of Jay's favorites.

"Mmm, that's my Panther." Jay rumbled, his pleasure unrestrained and hot despite the orgasm only minutes before.

"All yours," Fenrik managed to mumble around his cock, bobbing his head and wishing he could use his hands right now, but knowing he wouldn't need to in order to win their little contest.

He moaned as Jay's telekinetic thrusting rubbed against his prostate, but tried to focus on the flavor and feel of the shaft in his mouth, a sort of meditation that neither of his Masters would have been all that likely to think of, or necessarily approve of if they had. It still worked, and worked well, even with the uneven nature of their current arousal levels.

"Oh, yeah ... suck me off." Jay closed his eyes and let his head drift back, letting the pleasure wash over him and not challenging his shift in mood so much earlier than it usually happened.

Fenrik grinned and purred, working his cock and trying to give him the pleasure they both enjoyed so much. He could tell Jay needed it tonight, and he wasn't inclined to deny him in the least. He shuddered slightly when Jay's hands tightened around his skull. It wasn't just the physical pleasure coming from Jay, or his own body, but the emotions and half-worded sentences of how much he meant to the rusty-furred tom. Jay all but offered his soul to his mates at night.

He wished he could say even half of it back right now. Instead, groaning as Jay's telekinetic fingers worked his body expertly, he took Jay's shaft into his mouth until his nose was pressed into the younger tom's slightly rougher pubes, inhaling the potent scent of his arousal and purring around his tip.

"Ohhhh, yes." Jay's throaty groan was the only warning either of them got before his body stiffened and shot a load of come into the waiting mouth.

Fenrik drank down the hot fluids, letting himself go as Jay's attentions forced him over the edge, his balls emptying themselves onto the sheets.

"Mmmm, so does my Panther want his reward for winning?" Jay rumbled excitedly as he was licked clean.

"Yes please," Fenrik rumbled deeply, swishing his tail excitedly as he wriggled his rump.

"Such a hot ass you have too," he grinned and moved down the bed, his hand stroking his lover's back until he squeezed the Panther's ass and hot between his legs. "So kissable," he added as he kissed his way along his ass before teasing the well-stretched pucker with his tongue.

"Ooh..." Fenrik groaned, then giggled. "So you're saying you like kissing my ass?" He asked, teasing his lover's ears with the tip of his tail.

"Same as you love kissing mine," he grinned and caught the wayward tail in his jaws before driving into Fenrik's body with a lusty rumble.

"Oh yesss," Fenrik groaned, squeezing down around the length invading his body. The pleasure and his mate's hand kept him hard as he was fucked relentlessly.

He panted hard, milking Jay with his shaft. His mate's pleasure and desires washed over him, sweeping him up into a potent combination of lust and love. As difficult as it was to focus on anything but not coming immediately, he couldn't miss the desire rising in his mate to reverse their positions, only with brute strength holding him in submission.

Jay growled and let Fenrik's tail go to lean forward and grab his scruff, pulling his lover off the bed by it until Fenrik's arms were stretched tight between his bonds and Jay's jaws.

He purred through his tight throat, milking Jay's shaft and preparing to break loose as soon as the younger tom was finished.

He was going to give Jay a night he wouldn't forget for a long, long time.

He felt the tightness building in Jay's body, the rusty tom close to the edge despite having come twice already.

"Fill me, Jay," he groaned, tightening his body eagerly mere moments before Jay let go of his scruff and roared, his balls emptying their hot load deep into Fenrik's body, a pleasure that easily overcame the pinpricks of Jay's claws digging into his hips.

Besides, he fully intended to return those pricks tenfold before he was done.

He let Jay finish, rumbling deeply, his cock rock hard as the younger tom pumped his bowels full of seed. As soon as Jay was done, Fenrik pulled off of him, ripping free of the tie-downs and rolling over on top of Jay with a lusty, possessive rumble that was met with a moment of tension from surprise, then a hungry rumble and complete surrender.

"Use me, lover." Jay breathed.

"Like you've never been used before," Fenrik promised, sinking his length into Jay's barely stretched ass with a deep groan before he bit down on the younger tom's shoulder roughly, fucking him for all he was worth.

Despite the sound of surprised pain, Jay soon groaned and wrapped his legs around Fenrik's while his hands rubbed the Panther's back and his ass tightened around the hard rod pounding into it.

"Ohhhh, you are in a _mood_." Jay arched up as his prostate was driven into relentlessly, keeping him hard and trembling.

"Like you're not?" Fenrik asked with a smirk as he released Jay's shoulder. "You know what to do if it's too much," he rumbled, biting the other shoulder roughly, though not enough to break the skin as he groaned and pumped a load of seed into Jay's ass.

"Like you've ever pushed me that far." He whimpered at the hot fullness of Fenrik's come inside him, soaking his insides in a pleasurable, slick warmness.

Fenrik let out a deep, satisfied rumble as his tail lashed above him. He started fucking Jay hungrily again almost before his cock had stopped spasming, raking his sides with his claws. 

They'd played rough before, but Jay couldn't help the feeling that this was only going to get more intense. Just the thought that Fenrik was going to push the limits for real made Jay shiver in excitement before he relaxed with a deep moan and gave himself over to the Panther's will without reservation.

Fenrik slowed his thrusts, pulling out of Jay with a moan.

"Hands and knees, lover," he purred lustily. "Want to be able to _really_ get inside you."

He nodded and rolled over, taking the same position that Fenrik had been in a few minutes before, his tail waving over his back.

Fenrik completed the reversal by sinking himself into Jay's body, biting his scruff hard and gripping his hips tightly. He pounded himself into the younger tom's ass eagerly, his barbs raking the nerve-dense flesh of his anus as he slammed his tip into his prostate. The mewing and shuddering pleasure that crashed into Fenrik with each thrust gave him the perfect way to time his actions, when to push at just the right moments and to brace himself for the intensity of his lover's orgasm when it began to spiral out of control.

He pulled back slightly so Jay could climax without pulling him over the edge with him quite yet. Still, his claws pricked through the rusty fur as he came close, finishing Jay off as quickly as he could so he had a panting, lax tom under him with no real ability to fight after four orgasms in less than an hour.

He released his scruff, licking the back of his ear tenderly before kissing his head.

"What would you say if I told you I was going to take you until I couldn't take it anymore, or until you begged me to stop?" He asked with a rumble and relished the shiver that brought.

"Please." Jay moaned. "Please take me."

Fenrik didn't need to be an empath to feel just how much he meant it. He started thrusting into Jay's willing, compliant body hard and fast, his claws digging into Jay's thighs lightly. He began to take the younger tom just as hungrily as his second Master had ever taken his own mate. 

It was intoxicating to let go like this, and even more so to _feel_ the partner under him getting off on it just as much. Mews and whimpers reached his ears, but it was the Force and scent that saturated the air around them that guided Fenrik's growing savagery and let him ignore the smell of blood that was slowly growing.

He sank his teeth into Jay's shoulders, the metallic flavor in his mouth reminding him to take a little care for his partner as he kept pounding his ass, pumping his seed into it at least twice more before he even started to slow down. It was obvious enough that Jay wasn't going to stop him, at least not short of a crimpling injury.

He'd have to make sure he stopped himself short of that. Whether or not Shi could patch up anything he did, which she probably could if he couldn't, he didn't like the idea of hurting him _that_ badly.

"More," Jay shuddered in response, his cock hard and dripping come.

The submissive plea was enough to make Fenrik focus on him again, starting to pound into his prostate even as blood matted his fur, staining Fenrik's teeth and claws.

* * *

"* _Jay, are you awake?_ *" Essani asked her Padawan mentally when neither he nor Fenrik were present for breakfast. She knew they'd been rough the night before, but hadn't expected they'd be so rough as to cause any serious damage.

"* _Yes, Master._ *" He responded quickly, the shadow of pain still present in his mind, though nothing indicated he was in trouble.

"* _Do you want me to come check on you?_ *" She asked, her concern clear. "* _You feel like you could use a healer._ *"

"* _I'm sure I do,_ *" he admitted. "* _I'm not hurt bad, things got a little rougher than planned._ *"

"* _Not so rough we can't fix up the worst,_ *" Fenrik added, breaking into the telepathic communication. "* _Though it would probably be a good idea if you checked him out later to make sure we've done enough,_ *" he added.

"* _I will,_ *" the kushiban agreed, her disapproval of what had happened as clear as the fact that it wouldn't help to argue the point with her.

"* _Yes, Master._ *" Jay replied, acknowledge her disapproval as well as the fact that he didn't regret what he'd done.

"* _Can you answer something for me, Tes?_ *" Essani asked as the Wolf sat down to eat and she focused on the world around her again. "* _It's somewhat personal._ *"

"If I can," she nodded, curious what the Jedi Master could be wondering about.

"* _What's the appeal of the sort of rough 'play' so many predators seem to enjoy? Jay and Fenrik are currently practicing their healing skills on account of it._ *"

"That one's complicated," Tes admitted as she tried to form a coherent answer. "I can't speak for them, but for most people, it's erotic to surrender that much control to someone, to trust that they won't go too far and hurt you more than you can take. It seems to be normal for Panthers too, to get off on that level of domination."

"* _Might be a feline thing,_ *" Essani mused. "* _Still, I would imagine the pain would offset any pleasure involved, especially when your partner _isn't_ capable of healing you later._ *"

"It doesn't." She shook her head. "It is present in most races to some extent. It's probably more prevalent in canines than most; we just don't have the claws that inflict damage that they do. Pain and pleasure are very close to each other at a certain intensity."

"* _I suppose it just doesn't make too much sense when pain usually means becoming lunch,_ *" Essani said, chalking it up to yet another of the oddities involved in sex. "* _I don't suppose you have any advice for how to be involved in that sort of thing without leaving your partner unable to move comfortably the next morning?_ *"

"What they already have, honestly. Practice and a good Healer nearby." Tes paused. "I'm sure Shi usually takes care of whoever was on the bottom on a given night. The boys were both really wound up from the last couple days. It's a hell of a stress relief method for both sides."

"* _I suppose,_ *" Essani granted. "* _Though they usually don't end up being that rough._ *" 

Just then, Fenrik and Jay started into the room, cutting off Tes' response.

"Hi guys," she smiled at the pair, assessing just how rough they _had_ been, given how Jay still was. "Two Tetinol will work wonders on that."

"You have some on board?" Fenrik asked as Jay sat down and claimed his share of the breakfast she'd put out. "I can go and grab a couple for him if you do."

"In the cupboard," she motioned to one of the top ones in the galley. "Standard bottle."

"Right," the Panther nodded, moving to reach up and pull the bottle down, shaking a pair of pills out and putting the bottle back, handing the pills to Jay before sitting down next to him.

"* _Were you two able to take care of most of the wounds?_ *" Essani asked Jay and Fenrik after Jay had downed the pills.

"Yes," Jay nodded after a bite of scrambled eggs and meat. "The bleeding's all under control. I'm just a bit sore."

"And he wasn't still bleeding this morning," Fenrik added quickly, knowing that was what Essani was about to ask next as her fur instantly became a dark grey. "He just opened up a couple of the deeper scratches when he tried moving. We managed to get them closed up, though I think Shi'll want to hurt me later for not being up to her par."

"He _wouldn't_ hurt me that badly, Master." Jay said firmly, an almost exact tone reversal of most lectures. "I'm sore, but I'm not _injured_."

"* _Very well,_ *" she allowed. "* _Though I still want to make sure I don't have to do any work myself before we get back to Coruscant later._ *" She started on her breakfast, her fur shifting back to white.

"Yes, Master." Jay nodded without hesitation.

"We'll be more careful in the future, Master Essani," Fenrik promised. "Seven years and this is the worst that's happened, I don't expect it'll happen again any time soon."

"Yeah, it's not like we play rough all that often anyway." Jay added with a bit of a blush as he realized his sex life was the subject of breakfast conversation.

"You should've heard what we were talking about on the ground," Tes teased, earning a blush from both felines before Jay heard the Sharufa telling him a message had arrived, marked for Tes and listed at a high priority, though not urgent.

"Tes, Doruth sent a message. High Priority." He went for the change of subject.

"About what?" She focused instantly.

He paused reviewing it quickly. "His mission. You should hear it from him." He decided rather than being the one to tell her one of her packmates had been in critical condition for over a week.

"All right," she nodded and grabbed her cup before heading to the bridge to view it.

"Tes, it's Doruth," the brief message started. "I'm gonna keep this short, I have to go meet Ragil in a couple minutes. Turns out there was some sort of new species down on Kessel that was munching on the miners. I can kinda understand why they didn't want to work, and that's before you look at the conditions they work in normally.

"I wanted to be sure you heard it from me first though. When the thing first showed up, most of the Pack's weapons weren't doing any serious damage, and Ragil took rear guard while I got the others out. The spider-thing got close enough to bite him and headed back into the tunnels along with him. I got him out, but he spent the next few days in a bacta tank before he was back up on his feet. He's doing pretty well now, no permanent damage, but he'll probably be on light duty until you get back. Hope it's not too much longer before you are, hon; I miss you, and so do the others. See you when you hit Coruscant." The message ended; to judge by the date stamp for when it had been sent out about half a week before, Ragil had _better_ be off light duty by the time they got back.

"I miss you too, Doruth." She said softly and double-checked the navigation. "Two days and we're home. It won't be soon enough for me."

* * *

  


* * *

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say they were rolling out the red carpet," Fenrik chuckled as the Sharufa flew into its docking berth. It was easy to see why he was saying that; unlike most arrivals, when there were only one or two people there to greet them at best, there was a small crowd of Wolves eagerly awaiting their Alpha's return, a familiar Panther in front of the pack.

"* _They are, in their way,_ *" Essani chuckled, sitting near the two younger Jedi and waiting for the sleek transport to land.

"Wolves hate to be separated." Jay added. "Tes' return is a big deal for them, even before you take into account her mate's there."

"Didn't say I was surprised," Fenrik pointed out with a chuckle. He reached out mentally, expecting to find Shi was behind the crowd, only to find she wasn't there yet.

"Think Shi's still in transit," he told Jay.

"It's not like she had a transport at her disposal," he said softly, though the disappointment was there too. "Come on. Let's get unpacked. Maybe she's sent a message."

"Probably," Fenrik said, reaching over to squeeze his shoulder lightly as they finally landed and the hatch open opened. "She probably misses you just as much."

Tes was first out to no one's surprise, and was almost immediately assaulted by four Wolves who touched and sniffed and licked to reaffirm their pack bond while Doruth held back from the tangle of bodies and wagging tails

Hanging back or not, they all knew that he'd be in there just as soon as the pack was starting to back off slightly. As Jay and Fenrik were starting off the ship, he got his opening, moving through the group and hugging his mate tight, kissing her tenderly.

It made both toms wish their own other mate was there too as they started back towards their quarters.

"I hope everything works out for her with her lightsaber." Jay said softly with a slight smile for the energetic welcome going on behind them. 

"C'mon," Fenrik half-grinned. "Let's get back to our room and see if she's left word. With our luck, she's stuck catching up on her training or something."

"Mmm, or waiting in our quarters." Jay rumbled.

"Now that I could live with," Fenrik grinned, his stride quickening slightly.

"Well, if she's not, we'll just have to pretend, won't we?" Jay grinned and opened the door to their quarters.

"Looks like we'll be pretending," Fenrik observed as he stepped inside, unable to hide the slight disappointment he felt. "She's left a message though, from the look of it."

Jay nodded and brought the message up with a thought.

"Hey guys," Shivasta's image said as it appeared in front of the projector. "Afraid I might not be there when you get home; I ended up taking a bit longer than I'd expected. Things were a little rough on Garosh; I had to go through a few days of extra rituals before they were convinced I wasn't coming to help take them over. I'll tell you the story when I get home, should be later tonight according to the Lemur who's been fussing over me." She chuckled slightly, smiling.

"I'm not sure if it's his Captain's orders or if he's just worried, but I think somebody on this ship is convinced that all Jedi need somebody to keep an eye on them so they don't accidentally hurt themselves.

"At any rate, just a quick message to say I should be home soon. Gods I've missed you two - so no fair tiring each other out before I get home," she winked, "that's gonna be my job. Love you both! See you in a few hours." The projector turned off, the message finished.

"Figures that something'd go wrong," Fenrik chuckled slightly, nuzzling his mate and starting to unpack.

"Yeah, but she's going to be home _tonight_." Jay grinned and hugged him.

* * *

"I got a message from Mother while I was gone." Tes rumbled happily, snuggled up against Doruth's powerful body as they cooled down from their reunion. "She'll pay for two cubs for us and has the lawyers who know how to talk to the Kaminoans."

"Great," Doruth smiled, kissing her softly. "You think it's best to go through her resources instead of the Order's?"

"I'd rather the Order did not have a claim on them," she said softly, a bit uncomfortable with the truth. "I've given them four of four pups already, I'm sure they will want most of this litter too. Maybe they will become Jedi, but I don't want them to have been paid for by the Order."

"All right," Doruth nodded. "Do you want to try and make either of the kits sensitives?" He asked her with a nuzzle.

"Inclined to, yes," Tes nodded. "Give them the same chances as their siblings."

"All right," Doruth nodded, nuzzling her throat. "I'll want to send your mother's contacts some genetic data we have. Nothing that proves sensitivity conclusively, but we have some stuff that seems to be common among sensitives more than the general public."

"Good," she shifted to kiss him softly. "Just so you're warned, Mother is going to have a fit if she doesn't get an heir out of this litter, Sensitive or not. It doesn't look like any of the first aren't going to find a Master."

"Understood," Doruth nodded slightly. "Though it's a little young to be sure yet," he pointed out. "The Order won't object _too_ strongly if they don't get all the sensitive pups, they're just concerned with what might happen to them if they aren't trained. We might find a work-around that'll make everybody happy."

"Home schooling, Custos training," Tes suggested. "It's not like we don't know what we're doing."

"That's what I'd been thinking," he nodded. "They probably wouldn't get the full Jedi training, but they'll probably have more than enough other things to worry about with being the family heir."

"Yes," she agreed with a smile. "There is a great deal to learn, and the hands on solo training tends to begin around fourteen."

"Is that when you took off across the galaxy?" Doruth asked teasingly.

"Yap," she smirked back at him. "Had my own ship and pack by then."

"Mmm ... just a little smuggling prodigy, weren't you?" He asked, kissing her and rolling over on top of her. "Not that that's your only skill," he purred.

"Or I wouldn't have held your interest for so long," she grinned and reached between them to stroke his half hard cock, playing with the barbs to encourage him.

"Mmm ... you might be surprised," he rumbled, sealing his muzzle against hers and pressing himself into her tight, slick body that was still soaked with his seed from previous hours.

* * *

Shivasta rolled her head with an internal groan, feeling the vertebrae in her neck pop as she stretched out after the interminably long ride in the air cab from the landing site. She wished that she'd been able to get a transport from the temple, but that just hadn't worked out.

Ah well. She was going to be perfectly honest; she could have had to climb her way out of a trash pit by hand and she wouldn't have been any less happy about getting home. As much as the ride sucked, what she knew was waiting for her was more than enough to make up for it.

The cab touched down in the Temple's courtyard, and Shi stepped out with a grin as she saw Jay and Fen hurrying over to meet her.

"Welcome home," Jay rumbled and swept her into a tight embrace and nuzzle to her neck as he breathed deeply of her scent.

"Good to be here," she sighed happily, hugging him back just as tightly and nuzzling his neck as Fenrik hugged her from behind. "Mmm ... feels _so_ good to feel you guys again," she murmured, closing her eyes contentedly for a moment.

"In the mood to feel a little more of us?" Jay purred throatily and stepped back slightly to look at her.

"Mmm ... you tempt me," she grinned. "Though we should _definitely_ get back to our quarters first. Want to play, or hear how things went first?"

"Let's hear how things went," he purred and brushed a strand of blue hair from her cheek before guiding her into the Temple and the room none of them had seen enough of recently.

"Definitely not how I'd expected it to," she admitted as they walked on in. "And a story better told in our rooms, maybe over a little dinner?" She asked hopefully.

"Anytime, Shi." Jay smiled and sent an order ahead. "Should be ready when we get there."

"Didn't they feed you on that ship?" Fenrik asked with a chuckle.

"Yes," she said, rolling her eyes slightly and leaning over to nuzzle his shoulder lightly. "But somehow, it's never quite the same as when you've got company."

"And when the food hasn't been sitting in the cargo hold since you left Coruscant," Fenrik chuckled knowingly.

"I'm not even going to dignify that with an answer," Shi said with a giggle.

"Then some dantari steak will be a nice change." Jay purred as the door opened to their quarters.

"After seven years with you guys I'm lucky I'm not spoiled," Shivasta grinned.

"Only because you spend too much time trying to spoil us right back," Fenrik chuckled as the door closed behind them. "So, got your lightsaber built?"

"Of course," she smiled. "Not as fancy as either of yours, but it should do the trick."

"Did the temperature regulator do what you wanted it to?" Jay asked curiously as they sat down to a set table fragrant with meat stewed in fruits and other goodies.

"Yep," she nodded, taking her seat and enjoying the smell of the fresh, hot meal. "Thanks for putting it together for me. I ended up using a regular crystal for the main one, but I actually used some of the ice from the cave walls for the other two."

"That's definitely... unique," Fenrik admitted. "They hold up to use?"

"Just fine," she nodded. "The heat isn't an issue until after the focusing lens, after all, and with the regulator it keeps the internals at a low enough level they won't melt."

"And by the time it's out of its range, it honestly won't be much of an issue anymore." Jay nodded thoughtfully, though he had to admit he did not like the idea of her lightsaber being so much more fragile than most. "Sounds like you had quite an experience."

"By the time it's out of it long enough to cause any damage, I'll be long dead," she nodded seriously. "And before you start worrying, it's not just raw ice, I did a little work on them while I was prepping them, a technique the Walkers use to build their traditional weapons and armor."

"All right," Fenrik nodded, relaxing a bit. "That sounds better. So, what happened there?" He pressed, as curious as Jay was.

"Well, I found out that there's a civil war brewing," she admitted. "It might take a while to come to a head, but some of the clans are extremely for the Republic, others are more of an isolationist group, or at least don't want as much to do with them." She sighed, shaking her head a bit. "And of course, the Stormwardens are on the isolationist side."

"When it happens, do you plan to fight for them?" Jay asked seriously after a bite of steak.

"Probably," she said quietly, earning a slightly surprised look from Fenrik.

"Shi, I know they're your clan, but you're not a warrior...."

"No, I'm not," she admitted. "But I saw it already. I will be involved, and I can't imagine fighting against them. Besides, if I involve myself that way, I might be able to bring an end to it without too much bloodshed."

"Don't discount the possibility that you'll be fighting for them as a Healer, not a warrior." Jay added. "I know enough about visions to know they aren't literal."

"I know," Shivasta nodded. "Even if it wasn't literally though, this vision was fairly explicit that I'd be involved centrally. For obvious reasons, I'd like to try and keep the whole thing quiet," she said softly. "The Jedi could be interpreted as having a duty to intervene on the side of the Republic if this got out. There's already been enough pain because of how we _have_ interfered."

Jay nodded. "And the Jedi have a vested interest in having the war go against your family."

"I'm afraid that might influence things," she nodded. "I don't think the Order would interfere without a direct request, but I don't think they'll take well to the idea of me going to interfere on the other side even if we get one from the Stormwardens."

"They'd probably complain more about you going into a war zone," Fenrik said softly. "Are you sure it's going to go down that way?"

"Unless somebody manages to bring the two sides together one way or the other, yes," Shivasta nodded. "It's not just a clan war, or a territory war, like we used to have. This one is a full-blown war to control the future of Garosh. To be honest, there are probably Stormwardens on both sides of the conflict, not that they'd admit to it."

"I doubt those who go against their clans stay with them long after voicing it." Jay shook his head. "Or still be claimed as members."

"Depends on how they voice it," Shivasta said softly. "Some of them probably leave for the other clans that would agree with them. Others are exiled ... it depends on the laws they break in disagreeing. Had a hell of a time convincing them that I was worth being allowed to do what I had to because of it."

"I can't say I'm surprised," Jay admitted. "War does that to people, even when you have the best intentions."

"And when you have a clan that's understandably proud of their heritage, which you only know based on second-hand information," Shi nodded. "That's why I took as long as I did; they didn't exactly think it was a good idea to skimp on the purification rituals before I went in."

"At least they _did_ accept you, in the end." Jay pointed out, a small voice in his mind wondering if he'd be so lucky when he finally met his people again. "No one ever said a Jedi's life would be an easy one."

"Don't get me wrong, I'm not really complaining," Shi smiled slightly. "And it's true, nobody ever did. I just wonder if it'll really be possible to be faithful to both. I can see why the Jedi prefer that people try to avoid those sorts of strong ties... the conflicts can be nasty."

"They want your first, and preferably only, ties to be to the Order." Jay shrugged. "No different than most groups, really. Jedi are just better known for it."

"There is a bit more to it than that, Jay," Fenrik said softly. "Like Shi said, it can be pretty nasty when you have to choose between the two, especially if you don't know how to choose."

Both of them could feel him disagree, and that he just didn't feel it was worth debating.

"Just glad they don't mind our ties," Shi said, shaking her head slightly. "So, how'd your trip go? I've been talkin' about mine, you guys haven't said a word yet," she smiled, trying to change the subject.

"Mmm, lets see, we found the Heart of the Guardian, the Mantle of the Force, dozens of holocrons from the time of Exar Kun and before, a way to create Force-imbued armor and weapons, something that Master Essani _really_ likes and I still can't see and a statue that looks like it could come to life at any second," Jay counted off on his fingers, going through one hand twice. "For the high points."

"You win," Shi chuckled, shaking her head in disbelief as she ate. "What about what you were _trying_ to run into?"

"Jay and Duvam got along pretty well, from what I saw," Fenrik chuckled. "And the thing he can't see is some sort of meditation orb from what I can gather. We're still working on some of the stuff he mentioned too. We found some Sith gear, for example, that he's still trying to figure out how to duplicate for the Jedi."

"I've only had two days to work on it!" Jay protested playfully.

"What? And you _don't_ have enough prototypes to outfit half the Order yet?" Shi asked, giggling as she leaned over to kiss him lightly on the cheek. "Mmm ... don't worry; we'll give you at least a week before we get on your case."

"A week if you don't see me," Jay countered with a smirking grin.

"Now that's just crazy talk," she grinned. "After all, I just got home!"

"And the faster we finish dinner, the faster we can welcome you properly," Fenrik grinned at her.

"You can't have both me and my inventions in half normal time," Jay winked at her. "You want to play with the kat, you've got to give him longer to work."

"Oh all right," Shi giggled, kissing him again and received a lick on the nose in return. "A month maybe."

"That'll give plenty of time to attend to my duties to my mates." Jay rumbled with a lusty grin.

"And for us to attend to you," Fenrik grinned back, finishing his meal and leaning over to kiss Shi's cheek. "I think we're entitled to a bit of R&R tonight."

* * *

Hours later, the well-sated threesome was snuggled up in bed for the first time in months. Shivasta held Jay close with a happy sigh, Fenrik snuggled up against her back. She really didn't want to do anything to break the mood, but as her hands strayed over Jay's thighs, shoulders, and the wounds on both, she had to ask.

"You and Fenrik get a little rough a couple nights ago?" She asked him quietly.

"Yeah," he murmured. "A lot rough, really."

"This is after you two tried to heal it, isn't it?" She asked. That meant a lot more than she'd known them to ever do before.

"Uh-hu," he nodded and nuzzled her.

It sent a twinge of frustration through her that she tried to keep hidden fairly successfully. This was a _lot_ more than she'd ever been interested in, granted, but it was just one more sign of how much more comfortable the two toms were with each other than they were with her.

"Want me to try and finish the job?" She asked him.

"Yes, please," he kissed her softly.

She focused for a few moments, visualizing her lover in the Force, finding the disturbances his injuries had caused and fixing them. Before long, she knew that the only damage left would be cosmetic, and minor at that. But that first day ... Jay must have been sore as hell if he still looked like this three days later and after they'd done what they could.

"Might take a little bit for the fur to grow back in those spots," she murmured, "but it's fixed."

"Thank you, love." He purred and snuggled close to her, his affection and appreciation clear to her.

"You're welcome," she murmured, scratching his back lightly. She couldn't understand it, especially times like this. She couldn't quite figure out what it was that let the two of them be so much closer so often, and still let Jay feel the way he did for her. She couldn't believe he was really holding anything back there. "Jay?" She asked him softly. "Why is it the two of you are so much closer like this?"

"Urr?" He shifted to look her in the eye, confusion written on his face.

She sighed mentally, trying to come up with a better way to word it.

"You don't hold back with him," she explained. "I know you love us both, but sometimes... it feels like you're more comfortable with Fenrik."

Jay dropped his eyes. "Because I am." He admitted softly. "I love you, Shi. But you're not feline."

"Is that it?" She asked softly, rubbing his back gently. "Or is there something more to it? I just want to know if it's anything I can change to try and make you more comfortable," she explained, kissing him softly.

"I can't take hurting you, even when you enjoy it." He whispered and looked up to meet her eyes again. "There's no reciprocation, no ... balance to it." He struggled to explain a difference between making love and stress relief with a trusted lover.

"You don't think it's fair unless I can claw you back?" She asked him, wondering if it was because he didn't feel it was fair to him, to her, or to both.

"It's got nothing to do with thinking," he shook his head. "You have no fur or loose skin to protect you, no strength to make the fight or surrender feel good, no claws or teeth or cock to turn on me. It doesn't _feel_ good."

"All right," she nodded slightly, snuggling a bit closer to him. "I wish there was something I could do, but it sounds like there's not much."

She just wished she could make herself feel like there wasn't something wrong about that.

"Give me time," he murmured and caressed her smooth body. "Maybe I can talk myself into it ... see if I can."

"You don't have to force yourself," she murmured softly, running her fingers through his fur. "If there's anything I can do... let me know, okay? Maybe I can put on some muscle or something," she suggested with a soft smile, shivering slightly as he caressed her slender body.

"It bothers you that I can't," he gently slid his fingers along her cheek. "I'll at least try to do what you desire. Even if it's only once."

"It bothers me that I can't give you what you enjoy," she corrected him softly, giving him a soft, tender kiss. "That's the big part," she admitted. "I know how much you like the other way, I can feel how intense it is for you... and I can't do that for you."

"Shi ... you do give me what I enjoy." He kissed her softly. "I don't _want_ from you what I want from him. Please don't go comparing it that way. You're the Healer, he's a Warrior."

"I'll try," she promised, nuzzling his neck lightly. "I love you, Jay," she murmured softly.

"I love you." He kissed her back and snuggled close.

* * *

  


* * *

Master Essani trotted through the Temple gardens a few days later, returning to her quarters after a day of long meetings and reports in the Council chambers. She paused as she noticed Sharo lying down in the gardens, watching something intently. Oddly enough, her body language didn't seem to suggest she was hunting something.

Curious as to just what the young saber-toothed feline might be watching, she moved quietly to watch with her and followed her gaze to what was of such interest: her own Padawan.

Jay was working through weaponless katas, something he'd picked up from Master Pr'tan from the look of the slow, smooth motions that were more about muscle control and physical condition than combat.

It had Sharo transfixed.

Essani watched quietly, reaching out with the Force to feel both the unwitting performer and his silent observer. It was fascinating to watch her watching him, though she wondered what Sharo's fascination was, this young.

It wasn't hard to pick up that the Remok was watching him through the Force more than normal vision, and what had her transfixed was a feeling of home and rightness that Sharo didn't feel from much around the Temple. Something about Jay, or at least Jay doing his meditative katas, made him feel like a Remok to her.

It was an interesting, and rather fascinating, development that Essani wanted to follow. For now, she just kept watching, wondering if Jay would notice. She knew from experience that he was prone to obliviousness to the universe at large when he was meditating like this; it was how he tackled problems that required less thinking and more intuitive understanding. He could also keep it up for _hours_.

"* _He'll probably be here for a long time,_ *" Essani told Sharo mentally, and chirped reassuringly when the young feline jumped and spun around to look at her. "* _You enjoy watching him?_ *"

"* _Yes,_ *" Sharo nodded, her mind-words much more coherent than the last time they had encountered each other, though she was still far from skilled at it. "* _He looks so healthy._ *"

Essani could sense the implication that it wasn't that Jay didn't usually seem to be healthy, but that he was unusual compared to the other Jedi she felt weren't.

"* _Healthy?_ *" Essani asked, fairly sure that Sharo wouldn't really be able to explain it any better, but willing to try.

So was the cub, though she offered two mental images in her attempt; one of Jay, shrouded in his blue Force-aura, the other of Essani herself, glowing bright white. Then a series of auras around a generic adult Remok: black, grey, blue, gold and white. "* _He is ... in balance. Jedi too white. Healers. Confused. Unhealthy. Unbalanced._ *"

Essani thought about that. She'd have to do some research into the Remok Force traditions, though it seemed like they believed in balancing the two sides more than following one or the other.

Of course, it could just be Sharo's inexperience.

Still, it would be likely that she and Jay would get along well once she was older and she could talk. Their beliefs were similar.

"* _I suppose that makes sense,_ *" Essani said after a few moments. "* _Though there are reasons we don't balance things like that._ *"

"* _So the crèche-master keeps saying._ *" She nodded, though there was no missing that she didn't believe in she'd been told in the least.

"* _So the crèche-master keeps saying._ *" She nodded, though there was no missing that she didn't believe what she'd been told in the least.

Very much like Jay. Essani couldn't help but wonder if it would change as she grew up, before she tried to find a Master. It could be difficult, if it didn't. She also couldn't help but wonder if Jay would take her, she was young enough that he could well be looking for a second Padawan, if he decided to train one shortly after being knighted. It was a situation that would require careful watching.

It was odd, to say the least, thinking about saving a Master from a potential Padawan.

"* _He is definitely unusual,_ *" she said, turning the conversation back towards Jay. "* _In a good way, generally. I don't suppose you have any idea why he's here?_ *"

"* _To learn?_ *" She looked over at the lion-tailed rabbit.

"* _I mean here, meditating like this,_ *" Essani said. "* _He usually only meditates like this when there's something bothering him, I was wondering if he might have mentioned it to you._ *"

"* _No, I don't think he's noticed me yet._ *"

"* _All right,_ *" Essani nodded slightly, standing up. "* _You want to stay here and watch?_ *"

She nodded, her gaze still focused on the young adult.

"* _Don't stay out too late,_ *" Essani said with a mental smile. "* _He may well be out here well past dinnertime._ *"

"* _Yes, Master._ *" The cub agreed obediently.

* * *

  


* * *

Jay smiled when he walked into his quarters to find Shi there, reading on the couch, and Fenrik was elsewhere.

"Hi, love." He murmured and knelt to kiss her on the cheek.

"Hi," she smiled, turning to kiss his lips lightly. "Fen's off working with his class," she added, "I just got back from my shift in Medical."

"Does it still bother you; that I play rough with him and not you?" He asked her gently.

"A little," she admitted after a moment's hesitation. "I try not to let it though. Not your fault, after all," she smiled slightly, reaching up to scratch his neck lightly and moved with him when he wrapped his arms around her and urged her to her feet.

"Can you tell me why it bothers you?" He asked gently.

"Sometimes because I can't help but watch how much you both enjoy it, and I know you're not willing to share it with me," she admitted, ducking her head slightly. "I know I shouldn't feel that way, and I don't most of the time, but sometimes I can't help it."

"Even though I share pleasure with you that I don't with him?" He kissed her gently.

"What?" She asked him softly. "Everything you do with me, you do with him too. Maybe not as often, but only because you're doing other things instead."

"Here I thought you were the empath," he smiled slightly and tipped her face up. "The acts may be similar, but it's not the same."

"How is it different?" She asked him, her eyes searching his. "Make me understand," she said softly.

"Even if you might not like what I've got to say?" He hesitated, realizing that with her interest in pain she may well not appreciate what he saw in her as a lover.

"Please," she said, nodding slightly. "It's better than guessing."

Jay slid an arm around her and guided her into their bedroom to the full-length mirror. "What do you see?"

"What do you mean?" She asked him, looking back at him in the mirror, not quite sure how to answer.

"Look at yourself, not me." He chuckled softly. "What do you see?"

"Your lover," she said softly, trying to put her emotions about this aside and look from his perspective. "A healer... somebody who can't keep up with you."

She knew with the second word she'd surprised him, and the last was dead wrong even before she'd finished saying it.

"I guess the first is correct if you want to be technical." He spoke quietly. "It's not what you are to me, though. Ceremony or not."

"What do you see?" She asked him.

"My mate," he said softly. "A Healer, the heart and morality of this family. A beautiful woman that has made a great deal of my life."

"And Fenrik?" She asked him.

"My mate," he smiled and nuzzled her. "A partner that understands the violence and darkness. A tom that balances your Light with me."

She closed her eyes, wrapping her arms around his and pressing back against him. She wanted to understand, and she _could_ , as far as being able to say it.

"It'll take me a while to convince myself, Jay," she murmured softly. "It makes sense... I just need to make it make sense," she said, chuckling slightly.

"All right," he nuzzled her. "Do you still want to feel what it's like, to submit to our violence?"

"If you're willing," she nodded, though she felt he was. "Not like that time on the ship... but what you're like normally," she said. "You don't have to worry about hurting me," she added, "I can fix anything you'd do to me."

"I know," he ran his teeth along her slender neck as his claws unsheathed, catching on her robes as he began to undress her, his manner shifting to a level of aggression that she'd never experienced directed at her, but had seen turned on Fenrik more than once.

"Mmm...." She arched her neck for him, helping with her robes as she felt a shiver of anticipation and adrenaline run through her body. She knew, could feel, that he was doing this for her and not for himself, but he was no less honest for it. He'd done the same for Fenrik, and had it done for himself.

A growl, more felt than heard, reverberated between them as her only warning before a hand was between them, slicing threw her trousers before he slammed her against the mirror with his teeth against her neck, his face buried in her hair. His rough, barbed cock spread her ass open as he sank into her with a lusty groan.

"Nnngh!" She bit her lip as her bare breasts were pressed against the cool glass of the mirror, her ass spread wide without any prep or warning at all. Pain shot through the nerve-dense flesh, but it was joined with pleasure on a different level entirely. Physically, it hurt like Hell right now, but emotionally, even Jay could feel how much she was enjoying it, being taken and dominated by her mate.

She forced herself to bear down around his barbed length, tightening her already-tight body as she groaned and he continued to thrust, his rough cock drawing blood and tearing flesh as he pounded into her relentlessly. She could feel his confusion at her pleasure even as he accepted it and raked his claws along her bare sides, drawing tiny rivulets of dark red blood to stain her blue and white skin.

"Gods, Jay," she groaned. Her body was protesting the rough treatment, but at the same time her keyed-up nerves were tingling all through her, the feel of her blood trickling down her sides strangely sensual as she started to adjust to the pain.

His only reply was a growl, a feral sound that warned that his body was at the edge, just before his jaws tightened, drawing blood from her thin skin as he came hard in her abused ass.

She whimpered softly, feeling his hot seed fill her, her own body on the edge between agony and ecstasy. She barely got a chance to catch her breath before he pulled out of her and threw her to the bed on her back. He was on top of in before she registered the shift in position and pinned her there as he drove into her wet pussy, his jaws on her neck again, this time across her throat.

For a moment, she tried to struggle, but he was holding her in place through the Force as well as with his hands and teeth. Then she was bound in place by leather and steel and his hands where free to roam over her body, drawing blood or just leaving angry red marks.

She whimpered again, a soft, submissive sound as her sex spasmed around him and she tried to focus enough to make sure nothing would get infected inside. As soon as she could, she forced the Healer part of her mind back and let herself give in to Jay's rough attentions, coming hard around him, only not crying out by virtue of his teeth on her throat as he continued to take her with all the violence in him.

She lost track of how long he took her like that, how many times either of them had come and how many times he'd dragged her into different positions as he fucked her every way he knew how. All she could focus on was the mix of pain and pleasure shooting through her abused body, and the intoxicating feeling of Jay's own pleasure, though it was more purely physical than she remembered ever before. She tried her best to hold out as long as she could, even after her training told her she should have stopped.

In the end, it was Jay's response that brought it to an end. She felt the slight tremor in his jaws against the back of her neck, and knew he was losing the fight to keep from using his teeth the way he wanted to, the way the toms did on each other on their scruff. The thought of what it could do if he lost that shred of control with his teeth around her spine....

"Jay," she panted, half-whimpering against the pillow her head was pressed against as he took her ass again, "please, too much!"

It took him a moment, a couple more thrusts, before it sunk in enough that he let her neck go and withdrew much more gently than previously.

Her body was trembling, sweat and blood mingling on her skin as she felt the end of the almost ritual begin with his rough tongue gently licking her skin clean of blood.

She moaned softly at the tender touch, reaching down to take his rock-hard shaft, slick with a mix of their juices and her blood. She could tell he wanted to finish, badly. And she wanted so badly to give him something back for this.

"How do you want to finish?" She asked him softly.

"Stroke me," he breathed against her skin, his attention on cleaning her and soothing some of the pain he'd caused.

"With pleasure, she murmured, starting to stroke him lightly, teasing his barbs with her fingers as he moaned and thrust lightly into her hand, the pleasure from him shifting from purely physical to the mix she was more used to feeling as his breath quickened.

"Yesss," Jay moaned, his tightly clenched teeth pressed against her shoulder as he came into her hand, his hot seed splashing across her stomach with a long groan as he relaxed.

She was tempted to keep going for a few moments, but instead just snuggled up to him, licking her hand clean quickly before she started to focus on healing her injures.

"Thank you," she murmured softly into his fur as he held her, his tongue instinctively licking at blood until it stopped flowing.

"You are welcome," he smiled and nuzzled her. "Feel like a tongue-bath when you're healed?"

"Mmm ... sounds wonderful," she smiled, shivering a bit as he licked her shoulder. "Or I could shower, if you don't _want_ to help me clean up that way."

"I can at least get you started," he chuckled and slowly moved down her body, cleaning the blood from her soft skin as he went.

"Mmm... Jay?" She asked him with a soft murmur, rubbing the back of his head as he cleaned her up.

"Mmm?" He glanced up at her as he worked on her flat belly.

"You don't have to do that again, if you don't want to," she said softly, reaching down to scratch his neck. "But thank you again, for this time." She smiled softly, honestly grateful for being able to share it with him.

He shifted his body up to kiss her gently and lightly fondled her breast with a free hand. "I will, if you feel you need it." He told her softly. "I've done it for Fenrik; I will do it for you."

"Mmm ... he might enjoy it more too," she murmured, returning the kiss and holding his furry body close to hers. "It was good, but not as good as when you enjoy it too."

"I'm sorry," he relaxed in her embrace and nuzzled her. "It just goes against what I am to hurt a Healer."

"Don't be sorry," she smiled, nuzzling him back. "It's a good thing, most of the time. Mmm ... and I've gotta admit, I don't know how often I could take that," she chuckled slightly.

"Good," he smiled and slid a hand down her chest to tease her clit. "Want me to finish your bath?"

"Oooh...." She murmured softly, rubbing his back. "I've got a better idea... I go clean up, then we spend a little time doing it the way you like?" She half-grinned. "Unless you like the... uhm... extra flavor."

"Go clean up," he chuckled and rolled to his side, off of her so she could get up.

She did just that, though she groaned a bit as she tried standing.

"Mmm ... another perk of fur," she giggled as she walked into the bathroom, "bruises don't show. Be out in just a few minutes." She stripped down the rest of the way, stepping into the shower and turning the water on to a comfortable level for her, quickly cleaning the blood and cum from her tender flesh. Healed or not, she'd be feeling this in the morning.

And, she had to admit, she didn't mind in the _least_.

She took a few moments to examine herself, ignoring pleasure or pain except as an indication of whether or not she'd fixed all the damage. She paid special attention to her sex and ass, the parts of her that had probably taken the most punishment, using the showerhead to make sure she cleaned herself out thoroughly. Looking at the amount of red going down the drain, she reminded herself that she'd have to be more careful about that the next time, if there was one.

It wasn't enough to be dangerous, but she knew she'd be getting a lecture from Master Ursal the next time she saw her.

Soon enough, she headed back out to the bedroom, blushing as she saw Jay changing the blood-stained sheets, his fur matted every which way with blood, sweat and cum.

She moved around behind him as he finished putting the new sheets in, pressing against his back.

"Want some help cleaning up yourself?" She asked him. "You look like a bigger mess than I did, almost."

"You don't like my water," he smiled back and nuzzled her over his shoulder. "I'll be clean in a few minutes."

"I'll be here for you," she smiled, settling into the fresh sheets and giving him one of her sweetest, most loving looks.

"Rurrrr, you are a temping creature." He rumbled before heading for the bathroom and a fast, hot shower to clear his fur of the evidence of his actions.

"I do my best!" She called after him, laughing a bit before she settled back to wait for him.

* * *

  


* * *

Essani finished setting the table with Fenrik's help, a family meal like none before, but so were the concerns about the one member that wouldn't be joining them. Between orders and cooking, it was a varied table as well; though only she didn't eat meat.

"How's Jay doing?" The Panther asked as he went back into the kitchen to check the assorted dishes being prepared. He and Shivasta's were the most meat-heavy, though Master Ursal's plate was hardly a vegetarian one. It was just heavier in fruits and breads than either of the younger Jedi's. "Haven't heard from him in almost a week."

"* _Still oblivious to the universe at large,_ she admitted with a click of her teeth. "* _I felt a significant surge in the Dark in him when he began, but nothing unusual since._ *"

"Which means he's probably still working on his tesseract," Fenrik nodded. "I can't help but wonder how it'll hit him. It's not like he's had the easiest time staying with the Light up until now, let alone after he's got the Demon bothering him constantly."

"* _He has you and Shivasta, and a belief in doing the right thing._ *" Essani said quietly. "* _It will have to be enough._ *"

"It's just going to put a lot of weight on that belief when we're both on missions," Fenrik said softly. "At least Shi'll probably be around the Temple more often."

"* _It will be a rare mission that he goes on alone._ *" She said simply, the weight of her standing on the Council behind her words. "* _When he is here alone, I will be here to help keep him in the Light._ *"

"I know," Fenrik nodded, chuckling slightly. "I just still worry, I guess. Though he really does do his best."

"* _That is why I believe he will make it. That and a bit of common sense when assigning him missions. His triggers are fairly easy to keep track of._ *"

"Yeah, Rodians and anything involving treating droids like objects," Fenrik nodded as the door to the room opened, letting Master Ursal and her Padawan enter.

"* _And keeping him away from Darksiders at all likely to talk to him._ *" She added and chirped a greeting to the Healers.

"Mmm ... I know who cooked tonight," Shivasta chuckled as she stepped in.

"Is it my fault I don't have the broadest set of recipes?" Fenrik asked his mate with a chuckle, moving to kiss her lightly before he bowed respectfully to her dark-furred Master.

"You just have two mates who like spicy meat." She smirked back.

"So how is our resident Darkside beast doing?" Ursal asked simply.

"* _Quiet,_ *" Essani answered. "* _Though I doubt it has a choice at the moment. Jay is oblivious to everything but his work._ *"

"And given just how engrossed he gets, it probably knows better than to waste its time," Fenrik added. "Though once he's done, it'll probably get started."

"I'm not sure about that," Shivasta said, moving to help her mate with the food. "It's just a hunch, but I think it might have been active for a long time now."

"* _Quite possibly, but the odds have now changed. There is a direct opening to the Dark Side in Jay's mind that was not there before. He is much more vulnerable._ *"

"I know, Master Essani," Shivasta said respectfully. "I only meant that I don't think it will be trying to convert him any more often than it had been, though it might be more successful."

"I have to admit, I'm more worried about those around him," Master Ursal rumbled as she sat down with the others. "He seems to be fairly used to it. But I'm sure we all remember the day it nearly escaped on its own."

"* _Yes,_ *" Master Essani's fur went dark grey for a moment. "* _Possession instead of conversion may be its goal with him. We will simply have to be ready for it._ *"

"And the possibility it might find a way to try and convert those around him," Master Ursal nodded.

"That's a possibility we're ready for," Fenrik said softly. "And that he is, I think."

"* _It is something we all have to be ready for._ *" Essani nodded gravely.

"We will be," Shivasta nodded. "Though I don't think it will do that. It seems content to work on him." She licked her lips. "I think it knows he can do more damage."

"* _It is not wrong, either._ *" Essani admitted as they sat down for the meal. "* _He is very dangerous. He is also one of the Jedi least likely to fight back if he turns. He has learned a strong sense of self-sacrifice from his family, even as young as he was. It will give more of an opening than most._ *"

"He also has two people willing to make it fast and quick," Shivasta said softly.

"* _So how are your studies coming?_ *" Essani changed the subject.

"Well," the Ice Walker smiled. "I should be ready to finish my Trials and take my solo soon."

"Three or four years, I would say," Master Ursal nodded with an approving smile. "I still think you chose to build your 'saber early, but I have to agree that you're coming along quite well."

"Thank you, Master," Shivasta said, bowing her head respectfully, and to hide a slight blush.

"I love that shade on you." Fenrik snickered between bites of spicy meat.

"I think everybody does but me," Shi giggled slightly, eating her own dinner.

"It's certainly striking," Master Ursal chuckled. "Though I imagine it's not quite as common for you the last few years."

"You don't know my mates well enough then," she grinned at Fenrik. "Seems they always know how to see it when they want to."

"We can cheat," he winked. "Embarrassment isn't the _only_ way to see her that shade."

Everybody at the table had to laugh as Shivasta managed to turn one of the deepest shades of purple any of them had seen in some time.

"It's all right, cub," Master Ursal chuckled. "You're young."

"And very healthy," Fenrik purred throatily, enjoying the color on his mate as much as the game that was turned on him as often as her.

"Thank you," Shi managed to giggle. They all knew it was just joking, as much as it did embarrass her to be talking about this in front of her Master.

"You three make entirely too much of a game out of this," Master Ursal chuckled, though they could both tell her disapproval was mostly show.

"You know who's responsible for that," Fenrik chuckled. "Jay likes games."

"* _And this is one of the few he particularly enjoys that you three can play in public,_ *" Essani chuckled, her fur a light pink.

"Not that the boys have _always_ let that stop them when they were on the ship," Shi teased, winking at Fenrik, who blushed faintly beneath his black fur.

"Only because you've always managed to get back to quarters first." He protested.

"And whose fault is that?" Shi grinned, taking pleasure if having turned the tables, even if she knew he was going to turn them right back.

"Yours," he retorted with a smirk. "Though I swear you enjoy the feel of grass more than either of us."

"Only because _I_ can actually feel it, and it doesn't count when the only 'people' around to watch are taks," she giggled. "Besides, I was still in the tent."

"Under it maybe," he shot back with a chuckle. "But you were hardly _in_ it."

"Jay was... energetic... that morning," she giggled, blushing as Master Ursal gave her a quizzical look.

Fenrik was about to add something when Essani's suddenly grey color stopped him. "What's wrong, Master?"

"It's Jay," Shivasta said, knowing that it was the only possible explanation. He was ahead of schedule by a day or two.

"* _Excuse me._ *" Essani said hurriedly as she jumped down from her seat at the table and rushed from the room to her Padawan's side.

She knew the others would be shortly behind her, but she wasn't about to wait. She could sense that Jay was grappling with the Demon, more than he ever had before. A head to head contest of wills and beliefs, not the subtle seduction it usually used.

She was going to be there if he started to lose.

He wasn't yet, but it was a savage enough a contest to get her attention, and that of half the Council. It wasn't often the Temple itself saw an entity so purely of the Dark Side that so very few of them could fight.

When it did, it was usually a disaster, and she wasn't going to let that happen. She just hoped that Jay could deal with it herself. If not, she was sure she could.

But she didn't know what damage not being able to handle it might cause Jay's psyche.

She skidded sideways as the door to his workshop opened for her and she followed the bond to the struggling tom.

On the outside, everything looked fairly normal. He was straining, stressed, but nothing was obvious. In the Force, the duality of minds in his body was clear. 

One was pure Dark. Not corrupted, but _created_ of the Dark itself.

The other was blue with a grey tint. It wasn't an even match in raw power, but Jay had a real advantage in having the battlefield be in his own mind. All he truly had to do was hold his ground and raw stubbornness, something he had in abundance, would manage most of that. She could feel that, being of pure Darkness or not, it couldn't keep this up for long.

No wonder this was so draining for the other Clawsons who'd had to deal with it. To win this battle every morning for life ... even if that wasn't literally what happened ... it was an amazing feat for someone untrained.

Even as she marshaled her energy to intervene if it was needed, she could feel the others enter the room, the younger Jedi going to their mate and try to offer what support they could. She could feel them reaching out to him unconsciously, practically see the bonds between them glowing in the Force as they lent him what strength and support they could like this.

The instant their minds touched his, both Masters saw the balance shift. What Jay could barely do for himself, he easily marshaled the strength for when reminded it wasn't just for him. He didn't need his mate's strength for the battle; he needed to have someone he cared about enough to win that fight.

It was an eerie reminder of his words when he'd first explained how things worked for his kind, back when he was too young to know the Demon or desire. When all he could do was tell them what he had been told as a young child.

Both Masters could tell that, as much as the Council had doubted it, it had undoubtedly been true. The Demon simply wasn't able to get more than a foothold that it could hang on to. Before too much longer, it had no choice but to retreat, or exhaust its powers.

Jay growled softly, a sound of a victory hard won and a warrior still keyed up from the battle.

"* _I'm all right, Master._ *" He told her along their bond first, though physically he leaned against Shi with an appreciative nuzzle and squeezed Fenrik's hand.

"* _You are,_ *" Essani said approvingly. "* _You should go rest. You did well, Jay._ *"

"* _Yes, Master._ *" He murmured and stood shakily, one hand still on the bracer he'd been working on all week. "You guys free for the night?" He glanced between his mates.

"Yeah," Fenrik nodded, kissing Jay's cheek lightly.

"Just finished my studies a bit before coming down," Shivasta smiled, giving him a gentle kiss. "Let's get you back to our room and help you wind down."

"Then some real sleep." He added and slipped and arm around each of them for a hug. "Thanks." He murmured against them.


	7. Trials and Pain 1/2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adolescence left well behind for the triad, bonds of loyalty strengthen even as they spend more time apart. As Jay masters his new Force-skills and begun to work with Shi on projects that even the Council is interested in, both Padawans near the end of their formal training and their Trials. Some go well, some less so, but all go roughly as expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written with Karl Wolfemann

Shi shivered internally. Jay was waking up, and she could already feel that this morning would be typical of those of the past four years. He was shifting, just little, but it was the restlessness of distress. She turned in bed, wrapping her arms around him and nuzzling his neck lightly. She hated that he had to go through this every day, both as his mate and as a healer. The benefits of his 'gift' were undeniable, but she had to wonder if it was really worth the curse that went with it.

She knew he wondered the same thing, sometimes. It was mornings like this that she could kick herself for ever encouraging him to go through with accepting it. Still, it had been his choice, and she as fairly sure that even without that encouragement, he would have gone ahead with it. He'd as much as said so, several times.

The last four years had taught them all just how accurately he had been taught by his family from the very beginning what it meant to be one of them. He had only been eight when those lessons had ended, but he still knew what was coming accurately enough to warn them what was happening and what was to come. Every time what he'd been taught turned out to be true, it strengthened his beliefs in the rest; in the things that made it difficult to be a Jedi.

Even with all that, he was determined to make Knight.

She had no doubts he would, without any special considerations. It was just who he was, and now he had enough raw talent to do just that.

Her mind was drawn back to the present and the tom in her arms when his claws pricked her skin and a low growl reverberated threw her.

"Shh, it's okay. I'm here." She murmured automatically, holding him and stroking his hair as she pressed her face against his neck. It was over, for today. There was that much to be grateful for. These battles were regular, but much less violent than the first.

He settled for a few minutes, still only half conscious but more aware of her than anything else as he wrapped his arms around her and snuggled close, the tension draining from him for the start of the day.

"Morning," Jay murmured with a nuzzle.

"Morning," she smiled, nuzzling him back and kissing him softly.

"Sleep well?" He purred softly, his hands moving along her body in a lover's caress.

"Mmm ... reasonably," she rumbled, kissing his neck and scratching some of his pleasure-points lightly and welcoming the way his body responded so easily and naturally to her. "You, at least for what you normally do?"

"Yes," he smiled and kissed her firmly. "Feel ready for your Trials?" He murmured,

"Yes," she nodded, returning the kiss. "Just a few more weeks and I'll be finding out what they've got scheduled for my solo. Think you'll be okay, if Fen's off on a mission then?"

"I'll be fine," he assured her. "I won't be completely alone."

"All right," she murmured, nuzzling him lightly, licking his neck suggestively. "Mmm ... so, think you're awake enough to work off a little of that tension you've got?"

"Always, for you," he chuckled and ran his hands down her sides to squeeze her ass and pull her close.

"Mmm... horny kitty," she chuckled, rubbing herself against his groin and rolling on top of him to straddle his hips.

"It's morning," he grinned up at her and thrust up lightly, rubbing his hard cock against her mons. "It's _you_." He added throatily.

"Mmm ... flatterer," she rumbled, leaning down to kiss him hungrily, moaning into his mouth as she took his barbed length into her sex. It was one thing that had changed since he'd taken her so roughly not long before he'd accepted his family gift; he wasn't quite so stuck on always using the lube and she relished every day of it.

"Truth," he rumbled as his hands closed on her hips as he thrust into her, guiding her body with his to heighten their pleasure without pushing it too fast.

"Ooh... so good to me," she sighed happily, squeezing down around his length, pulling at the stiff barbs as the two of them made love.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Master Essani mentally looked around the Council, judging them for temperament and interest in the upcoming demonstration by her Padawan. She knew most were wondering when she would begin his formal Trials. He had as much training as any Padawan, and more skills than many Knights half again his age. 

Today, however, was one of his projects, a rare joint one with Shi, which had them all very interested. Even Master Noloth was eager. Well, as eager as the Frilled Lizard was about anything.

The two new members of the Council, Masters Jamni and Dyba, were interested despite not knowing most of the back-story of the one presenting first hand. She would miss the old Wolves, but true to form, it was another Wolf pairing that took their place. Master Jamni, her fur still thick and lush in relative youth, and her mate, one of the few Togruta females in the Order.

Master Ursal was there as well, though she was sitting back, only there to watch her Padawan give the presentation. Even now, the two young Jedi were setting up, a full set of cream and light brown robes hung up in the center of the room for all to see.

What was unusual was what all the Masters could sense. The robes themselves seemed to glow with the same sort of aura a prospective Initiate had.

"* _If everybody is ready?_ *" Essani asked politely once the two Padawans seemed to be prepared and all the Councilors were settled.

"Yes, Master Essani." Jay bowed to her and the Council politely.

"Then begin." Master Shan nodded to them.

"This is what we refer to as LSEA, or Light Side Enhanced Armor robes." Jay began simply. "It is a combination of two enchantments via Force-embedding. The first is its defensive properties. It is as strong as light body armor without any of the detriments. It can also turn a lightsaber or blaster as well as a lightsaber can." 

"Additionally, it was treated to 'guide' the flow of the Force through the wearer properly, to help restore its normal balance and movement," Shivasta explained her addition. "The immediate practical benefit is that the wearer's body heals from minor wounds more quickly, and it has a calming effect similar to meditation, even in stressful situations such as combat."

"How difficult are these LSEA robes to make?" Master Bas'rath leaned forward, her dark multitude of braids moving with her.

"It depends on the ability and training of the one creating them." Jay told the Lioness politely. "Once we figured out the how of it, this set took us two months to enchant in our spare time. I expect that the time could be shorted to as little as a week for a Healer who is strong in the Force, has experience in creating them and can devote most of their time to it."

"Does the effectiveness decrease as they are damaged?" Master Charn asked thoughtfully.

"As armor, any gaps are unprotected." Jay admitted easily. "It is difficult to damage, relative to what most Jedi are used to."

"As for the healing effects," Shi added, "they didn't seem to work any more slowly, but we didn't damage them that badly in testing to this point. It should be noted that the healing effect isn't at the point of closing major wounds, but more healing the minor ones and helping the wearer to keep from tiring as quickly, even when being bruised and battered in combat. The armor qualities help keep most blows that could _become_ major wounds at that level though."

"How difficult are they to repair?" Master Kareth asked, her thick multi-colored twitching in interest.

"They can't just be sewn up," Shivasta admitted, "but it seems that with a little careful repair work and meditation to 'repair' the force energy in them, they're as good as new, as long as material hasn't been replaced. Unfortunately, material replacing some that has been torn away has to be enhanced in order to have the same abilities. Cheaper and faster than making a new set, but not something you want to do in the field."

"How much of the robes must be intact to maintain the meditative effects?" Master Kareth continued.

"They should remain effective as long as roughly a quarter of the robes are left; enough to wear. The healing effects are somewhat less durable, I think about half of it would need to be remaining," Shi said after a few moments to think it through.

"The robes are effective separately in the healing and meditative qualities, and come in three parts." Jay continued. "They work best together, but effects are noticeable when only one part is worn."

"How noticeable is the effect, compared to when the full set is worn?" Master Noloth asked.

"Approximately one quarter effect with one piece, one half with two, full effect with all three." He explained.

"Impressive," the Lizard observed. "Is this a project that will be reproducible, or is it another of your unique devices?" He asked the young tom, most of the Council well-aware of his numerous previous projects that couldn't be reproduced by any known means.

"With the knowledge of how, it is reproducible by anyone strong enough to make Knight, and likely some others." He inclined his head slightly. "That is why it has taken four years to create."

"For the armor properties, or the rest as well?" Master Ursal asked, looking at her Padawan.

"The entire project, though the creator does require some training in how to heal another. Not a true Healer's training, however," Shivasta explained. "We found ways to simplify the process without sacrificing capability."

"We have also learned that instilling only the armor _or_ healing capabilities does not significantly reduce production cost, or the energy required." Jay added.

"No," Shivasta agreed. "It is also a process that works best when started when the cloth is being produced, starting the enchantment during the weaving."

"That would certainly slow down the process," Master Surool observed.

"Yes, but it allows the Force infusion to be begun while the natural patterns of the material are still reasonably fresh," Shivasta explained.

"The Force patterns?" Master Surool clarified.

"Yes, Master Shan," she said, nodding to the twi'lek. "The more the material is processed, the less there to work with innately. Synthetic material can be used, but natural materials are much easier."

"Are there any more questions, before a demonstration begins?" Master Shan asked.

"* _At least the first one_ without _anybody wearing them,_ *" Essani warned Jay over their bond, knowing her Padawan far too well not to preempt his inclinations.

"* _Yes, Master._ *" He accepted her instructions and let one lightsaber slide into his hand from its place in his Glovatrix. He lit it with a single blade, taking the role of a traditional one.

Shi stepped aside, heedful that her Master did not want her in line with the strikes to come, no matter how unlikely they were to get through. She watched with as much interest as the gathered Masters. No matter how many times she'd seen it, watching a set of Jedi robes deflect lightsaber strike after strike as Jay moved through the common hits was breathtaking.

It made her feel a lot better to know that Fenrik was going to get one of the first sets soon.

After a few moments of practice, with nothing more than some light scorching of the cloth that was quickly brushed aside, Jay extinguished his blade, and the Council was clearly impressed.

"Do you plan any additional demonstrations here?" Master Shan asked. Jay could feel something about Shivasta's manner shift as she looked at the Doberman, more curious about something, though she didn't betray the reaction externally.

"Would you like to see something we haven't shown?" Jay asked politely.

"If you are willing, we would like the opportunity to have Artisan Shen'ri study them," Master Surool said. "Your demonstration and report have been most interesting, but his opinions would be appreciated as well."

"Of course, Master Surool." Jay bowed his head slightly. "He is welcome to study them."

"Then I believe we can save any further demonstrations for after that," the pink-skinned twi'lek said easily, his lekku shifting to suggest he was satisfied.

"Though we do look forward to them," Master Noloth said, the closest to praise either of the Padawans could remember hearing from him in a long, long time. "This is an interesting development, though one we'd like to keep quiet until we are ready."

"Yes, Master." Jay said easily, having kept it fairly quiet for four years already.

"Then you are dismissed." Master Shan ended the meeting even as the Masters were talking about it quickly and quietly before the Padawans took their leave after bowing to the assembly.

* * *

"So what caught your attention when Surool asked if we were done?" Jay asked as they sat down to dinner in one of the dinning halls.

"It wasn't that," Shivasta said, shaking her head. "It was at the end of the demonstration, I just couldn't place it exactly until then. Master Shan's reaction to the demonstration was... unusual. He was impressed, but he seemed to be concerned about something too. Just not sure what it was."

"They try to shelve this one like the rest, and I will leave the Order." He shook his head, not angry so much as resigned.

"I don't think they're going to try that, Jay," Shivasta smiled, leaning over to nuzzle him lightly. "I think he was more worried about how they could keep the news from getting out than anything else. A couple of them seemed to feel like that."

"I hope you're right, and it's not going to repeat history." He said softly, only a little regretful he'd jumped to the worst possible conclusion. "Guess I still haven't accepted the constant loss of advancements around here."

"I know," she murmured, kissing his cheek softly. "Don't worry... I don't think they want to bury it. It's too valuable to all of us."

"Something made them burry it a half-dozen times that I know about." He pointed out with a bit of a shrug. "The more I learn about things here, the more it creeps me out. It's just not right to put politics above the lives of so many."

"Yeah, but this is a different council, and different circumstances," she pointed out. "We'll have the set for Fenrik we've made already... and we can make others, even if they don't know about it," she said soothingly.

"I know," he smiled slightly. "It just riles me sometimes; thinking about how much further along the tech could be if it wasn't buried so regularly."

"The Republic's worse about it than the Jedi," she nodded with a sigh. "But you're changing that, slowly. More of the corp's are paying attention to inventions from all sorts of folk, even if it is just faster hyperdrives and such."

"True," he admitted, though that _he_ could do that still confused the hell out of him. "It means they might just have a prayer of surviving the next unfriendly encounter."

"Unless it's somebody who really, really works differently," Shivasta nodded. "Though I've got to admit, even when the tech was increasing, the Republic doesn't really handle invasions well when they start."

"Largely because there isn't enough of a military to protect the space they claim against that kind of force. There just isn't the need to warrant the expenditure. It would be a different story if they faced it once or twice a generation, or more." He nodded.

"And the time they _did_ run into that, it nearly crushed the Jedi and Republic alike," Shivasta nodded with a shiver. "Of course, the fact the last invasion of the three was led by most of the Republic's soldiers from the second didn't help."

"It's not a normal kind of invasion though. That's more like a rebellion." He said thoughtfully between bites. "I meant it more along the lines of what both our people knew. If there wasn't a major state of war, it was just the lull in the storm and everyone knew the next big one couldn't be more than a decade or two away. Someone could be a soldier in one war, a field commander in the next, a general in the third and see a fourth and sometimes even fifth before they die."

"Yeah," Shi nodded. "If that. It's one hell of a difference from out here. Even after a couple generations haven't had to deal with it, my people are still all capable warriors. Here... if it weren't for the Jedi, I think the Hutts could take us if they wanted to."

"Nah, the Corps would never let them." He chuckled. "Never underestimate their power."

"I meant without anybody but the Republic's forces," Shivasta chuckled. "Let's face it, if the Hutts snapped their fingers, about a quarter of Coruscant's senators would probably turn tail and run back to the ones who own 'em."

"I don't think anyone with a clue would deny it either." Jay shook his head with a chuckle of his own, though his distaste for that truth was clear as well. "I don't think many of them aren't owned by one special interest or another."

"Well, I don't know about your people, but I'm afraid I can't honestly say mine are immune," Shivasta admitted with a sigh. "There's no proof, but I have a feeling some of the clan leaders are being bribed by the Republic to be 'reasonable.' Not really bribes, but more the sort of promises that won't really _hurt_ the clan, and they'll obviously favor the leader too. It's hard to fault them for it... but I can see why the Stormwardens and their allies think of them as traitors."

"Politicians are the same everywhere," he said softly. "Main thing that's kept most of ours honest recently is lack of opportunity. It's kind of hard to become corrupt when everyone is watching, and politics is more military than civilian. I understand it's very different on Aristal, where there are a few billion people and a lot of infrastructure."

"The more government there is, the easier it is for somebody to grease palms," Shi nodded. "Honestly, makes me glad Jedi aren't _allowed_ to play politics on a large scale. I can't imagine having to deal with that sort of environment every day without getting frustrated enough to start bending all the wrong rules."

"Like we don't anyway," he chuckled low in his throat before drinking. "Jedi only follow rules when it's convenient."

"Those are the right rules," Shi smirked, sipping her juice and rolling her shoulder with a bit of a groan. "I meant the ones that say 'no fair telling the Senator where he can stick his bribe and then making him put it there in front of the Senate.'"

Jay couldn't help but snicker, far too amused by the mental image. "You are a mean, mean girl, Shi." He grinned at her.

"Please, like you didn't think the Neimoidian ambassador deserved it just as much as I did," she grinned back. "Besides, I think the Senator from Farffin would get a kick out of it if nobody else did."

"As long as he wasn't hiding under his chair because there was a Jedi in the room." He smirked.

"I think he'd come out once he realized we weren't after him," Shi chuckled. "For that much at least. That, or thank the gods he didn't have to see the ambassador drop his robes to do it," she added, making a distasteful face.

"You have a point," he grimaced. "That's not pretty."

"Mmm ... c'mon, let's finish dinner and get ready for Fen to get home," she smiled. "I'm sure between the three of us we'll be able to come up with better mental images."

"And act most of them out," he grinned at her with a wink that was almost too suggestive for public.

* * *

* * *

* * *

"Mmm ... you _are_ going to spoil us one of these days," Fenrik purred, nuzzling Jay lightly as the three of them relaxed in their quarters on the cruise they were taking for their tenth anniversary.

"Shh!" Shi scolded him with a giggle. "He might decide to listen to you if you're not careful!" She kissed the back of Jay's neck, snuggling up close to him. "Even if it is true."

"It's not like I have much else to do with my money," he chuckled and nuzzled them both in return. "Besides, I like spoiling you."

"Mmhm. So stop complaining," Shi giggled, reaching across Jay to scratch Fenrik's ears.

"Oh all right," the young Knight groused good-naturedly. "Mmm ... hard to believe it's almost been ten years."

"And very soon, all three of us will be Knights." Jay added with a nuzzle and grin, his excitement over his and Shi's upcoming Trials clear to his mates.

"And getting sent on our own missions, off half-way across the galaxy like I've been doing the past six months," Fenrik chuckled. "Though I guess they might let you two stick around here most of the time, given what you're usually up to."

"Mmm ... the perks of not being warriors," Shi chuckled, rubbing Fenrik's back. "Though you've spent a heck of a lot of time at the Temple for somebody who spent most of his training following his Masters across and outside the Republic."

"Only because of those months I spent doing it with Doruth while Tes was pregnant," the Panther smiled. "Guess I like the work, weird as that is."

"Nothing wrong with being a teacher," Jay chuckled softly and snuggled close. "Or being around your mates more often."

"Mmm ... not at all," Fenrik chuckled. "We should probably think about getting breakfast again," he rumbled. "Maybe without getting distracted this time."

"Like we did twice already?" Shivasta giggled.

"Something like that," the Panther chuckled.

"How about the honeymoon brunch for felines?" Jay rumbled suggestively. "With a little tseren on the side."

"Mmm ... I think it sounds wonderful," Shivasta grinned, kissing him as she rolled out of bed, stretching out her stiff body. "After I grab a shower. I think I smell more like you two than you do," she winked.

"As if that's a bad thing," Jay grinned and rolled to grab her around the hips to pull her back onto the bed and on top of both toms. "Munchies will be here when we're all clean, and smelling of their shampoo."

"Mmm ... and in the meantime?" Shi asked with a grin, kissing both her mates.

"We warm those stiff muscles of your up?" Jay offered with a mischievous grin.

"Sounds good to me," the Ice Walker grinned, straddling his hips as Fenrik ran his claws down her back teasingly.

"How come every time we help her do that, she always ends up being stiffer afterwards?" He asked Jay playfully.

"Because she tends to pass out from exhaustion when we're done." Jay grinned back and teased her nipples with his claws. "But right now, I'm in the mood to remind her what being _used_ by a couple randy toms is like." He grinned and made a quick grab and roll to put her under him.

"Mmph!" Shi's grunt was turned into a submissive moan into Jay's mouth as he kissed her hungrily and Fenrik shifted to straddle her head.

"You take that end, I make sure she can't go screaming or anything?" The Panther asked with a lusty grin, pulling Jay up for a kiss of his own, groaning as Shi leaned up to lick his balls playfully.

"Works for me," Jay grinned at him and claimed another kiss from his tom even as he sank into Shi's body.

The two felines' rough tongues dueled as Fenrik slipped his barbed shaft into Shivasta's mouth. She suckled his length hungrily as Jay started thrusting his bare, barbed length into her eager, wet sex. A soft whimper of pain and pleasure escaped from around Fenrik's cock, and she reached up to hold his hips.

"How many times do you think we can make her come before she begs for mercy?" Jay licked his whiskers and shifted his hips a bit to rub against both her g-spot and clit, relishing how much she got off on it now that he could finally feel it for himself.

"Don't know... ooh... but I'm willing to bet it'll be lunch time by then," Fenrik grinned, reaching down to knead Shi's breasts roughly as Shi teased his barbs and tightened her sex around Jay's shaft.

"Or we can really torture her," he leveraged his weight to thrust into her harder. "And turn this into a brunch game. I seem to remember that tseren gives her an actual heat for desires."

Shi whimpered as Fenrik grinned.

"Mmm ... I think you're right," he purred, starting to thrust into her mouth lightly. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Tie her up and draw this out all afternoon?"

"Mmm ... and feed her after she's tied up, of course," Fenrik winked.

"But of course," Jay chuckled before a deep groan interrupted the chatter, his balls tightening against his body.

"'nk oo!" Shivasta muttered almost irritatedly, around Fenrik's shaft, working to get him off too.

"Mmm ... think somebody doesn't like... ooh... being ignored," the Panther groaned, even as his mate's tongue teased his barbs and worked him near an orgasm that Jay was already enjoying.

"Like she ever does," Jay panted and caught Fenrik's mouth in a heated kiss while the Panther came.

Shi drank down Fenrik's seed, enjoying the feel of Jay's fluids pouring into her sex as the two felines made out above her.

"Mmm, so you get her nice a tussled up, I'll see to the food?" Jay rumbled suggestively.

"Will do," the Panther rumbled, giving him another kiss, then shifting off the bed to kiss Shi as she stretched out to be tied down, and Jay went to get their 'brunch.'

* * *

* * *

* * *

Jay smiled softly as the house lights went down on the ship's amphitheater. He couldn't express how thrilled he'd been when he found out the entertainment wasn't a bith band. Instead, it was a locally famous Amberin singer and the stories made into songs that she favored with her band, _Rush_.

After listening to the last three albums they had put out, they were soon what he favored too. Even the songs that he didn't have anything in common with touched him. He'd been insufferable for weeks, waiting for this night.

"* _Now we know why you were so insistent on_ this _cruise,_ *" Shivasta said silently, sitting next to him, Fenrik on the other side. All three of them were going to enjoy it fully, though they weren't _quite_ as addicted as Jay was.

Still, not a one of them didn't approve.

"* _Hay, bith bands are okay, but this is_ great _music._ *" He grinned and nuzzled her, a tremor of excitement passing threw his body as the first beats of the rock music rumbled through the amphitheater and the crowd.

"* _Just imagine what he'll be like when his next birthday rolls around,_ *" Fenrik chuckled mentally to Shi, keeping the communication shielded.

"* _Shh! He_ is _hearing us if we're not careful now!_ *" She scolded him. "* _Besides, I want to listen._ *"

"* _Yes'm,_ *" Fenrik smiled, settling back to listen to the music that had Jay so enthralled.

* * *

* * *

* * *

"* _Well, at least we're not sitting with old fogies from Kuat this time._ *" Jay commented silently as the three of them were shown to their table. He was more than a little grateful that the three others sitting at the table were not only closer to their age, but feline. One on her own and a pair that were at least comfortable with each other.

"* _Well, you_ knew _we wouldn't be able to beg off all of these,_ *" Shi pointed out with a mental chuckle, nodding politely to the horned Tigress across from her as she sat down.

"And besides," the Tigress chuckled softly, "you could have ended up sitting with some old fogies from Metellos instead. They'd make this little gathering look downright casual."

Jay jumped internally, though he kept the reaction from showing.

"There is always something worse." The Lioness a bit older than the triad chuckled. "I'm Terra."

"Naryn," her sister added easily.

"Shivasta," the Ice Walker said easily. "And Jay and Fenrik," she added, introducing her mates.

"I'm Sharaan," the horned Tigress smiled. "Pleasure to meet you three."

"Have we met before?" Fenrik asked Sharaan curiously, cocking his head slightly. "I think I recognize you from somewhere."

"I do business around most of the galaxy," shi chuckled. "Mostly trading with the Temple on Coruscant. Might have been during one of my visits there."

"Probably," the Panther chuckled.

"So what are you on board for?" Terra asked easily.

"Anniversary," Fenrik smiled easily. "And getting off Coruscant for leisure rather than business."

"Mmm ... I know that feeling too well," Sharaan chuckled. "Of course, I imagine most of us have that motive here."

"What's your business?" Naryn asked the triad, even more curious than her sister.

"Jedi," Shivasta answered easily. "Fenrik was Knighted a few years back; Jay and I are about ready to start our final tests."

The Lionesses blinked in tandem.

"I didn't think Jedi had mates." Terra said curiously.

"Neither did I," Sharaan said, raising an eyebrow. "At least not as young as you three are."

"Extenuating circumstances," Fenrik chuckled. "It's complicated, but they've accepted it."

"Like they had much of a choice." Jay smirked slightly as the conversation paused for the appetizers to be served.

"So do you share?" Naryn asked Shi politely.

"* _You guys interested?_ *" Shivasta asked the others mentally.

"* _No,_ *" Jay replied silently, his disinterest in the female of any species still solidly intact despite his physical maturity.

"* _Not particularly,_ *" Fenrik agreed. "* _They're attractive, but not really interested._ *"

"Afraid not," Shi said, smiling apologetically. "Not often, at least."

"A shame," Sharaan smiled knowingly as shi sipped hir drink. "But understandable. I wouldn't want to share either," shi winked.

"Particularly not now," Jay smiled faintly at hir. "Tenth anniversary only comes around once."

"Very true," shi nodded easily. "And not even that for many. Congratulations," shi smiled.

"Thank you," Jay inclined his head slightly.

"You hooked up young." Naryn murmured, more than a bit surprised given the tom's apparent ages.

"Yeah, we did," Shivasta admitted. "Though it's not like we did everything then that we do now, if you know what I mean."

The Lionesses nodded, though Jay only just held back a snicker for her selective phrasing of the truth.

"* _Be good, Jay,_ *" Shi chuckled mentally.

"* _I hardly want to encourage them._ *" He shot back with a smirk.

"* _And if you break out laughing, you'll do just that._ *"

"So why are you here?" Fenrik asked the Lionesses curiously.

"Vacation," the pair grinned in unison. "We take one every year."

"Enjoying yourselves so far?" He asked, starting in on his dinner, making sure to mentally check his manners for the more formal surroundings.

"Very much," Terra grinned. "Particularly the concert last night. "Cameriin was fabulous."

"Wasn't she?" Jay finally got interested in the conversation, his entire body language picking up.

"* _And so ends any chance of getting another word in,_ *" Fenrik chuckled in tolerant amusement.

* * *

* * *

* * *

"Padawan, come with me." Master Ursal spoke firmly as Shi got out of the skycab before her mates.

"Yes Master," Shivasta said easily, falling into step behind the larger Bear. She didn't betray the response, but she couldn't help but wonder what was happening, if something had gone wrong or if she'd forgotten something.

That question got bigger in her mind as she was led to the sparring chambers. She couldn't think of any reason to be here.

At least... not _this_ soon after she'd gotten back.

She was led deeper in, towards the demonstration chamber, and it began to dawn on her what was probably happening.

"* _Shi?_ *" Jay's mind brushed hers gently, drawn by the surprise in her mind to check on her. He was still awkward with telepathy, and fairly weak for a Jedi, but he had enough ability now to talk without a formal bond.

"* _I think my Trials are starting,_ *" she explained. "* _Can't talk right now, I'll be back in our quarters as soon as I can._ *"

"* _All right,_ *" he accepted the explanation without question and his mind retreated to it's usual level.

Shivasta tried to center herself, pushing the suddenness of the call aside. Fortunately, she had her lightsaber with her. She wished she hadn't had to tell Jay to wait, but she didn't want any chance that somebody would decide that it wasn't truly single-combat if she had him in the back of her mind.

At least the Trials were supposed to be an assessment of her skills, not whether she could defeat her opponent or not. She wouldn't be called if she wasn't ready either, by her Master's assessment.

She just couldn't help but think about the fact that she'd proven to be one of the lowest-ranked duelists throughout her entire career. Jay and Fenrik had both helped her move up from "the lowest-ranked," but even with that she didn't really have the skills necessary with her lightsaber.

She told herself to stop thinking that way. If Jay or Fenrik were leaving they'd have reamed her out for an hour for thinking that, to say nothing of what Master Ursal would probably say.

She took a moment to center herself properly. She was one of the lowest-ranked Padawans her age, yes, but she _wasn't_ bad enough that anybody had suggested she needed more tutoring than she was already getting.

Besides, except for the totally pacifistic Jedi, the Healers were the ones who studied the use of the lightsaber least. That counted in her favor. She could see the Councilors gathered around the demonstration room as Master Ursal led her in.

It was just about time.

She wasn't surprised to see the Tiger step onto the mat, or that he was a full Knight. This wasn't a battle she was intended to win; it was simply to prove that she had the minimal skill level required of a Knight.

Winning a fight would come later, when she was taking the test of Defense. She focused on that, on at least achieving a draw, and assumed a position that would be fitting for before a duel.

"You do not claim the pacifist's right?" Master Shan asked with a raised eyebrow.

It was tempting, in a way. There would be no failing the test if they agreed to that 'out,' and it wouldn't be uncommon in the least for a Healer.

Just for her.

"No," she said evenly. "I am a Healer, it is true, but not one who refuses to fight when it is necessary."

"Very well," Master Shan inclined his head fractionally. "Begin."

She barely had time to register the order before she was under attack.

She brought her lightsaber up, the blade gleaming silver as it met the blue blade of her opponent. She focused on fighting defensively at first, knowing full well that it was her best skill. It didn't take a genius to figure out that the Tiger was holding back, keeping his skill down reasonably close to her level.

She wondered how long that was going to last. He would barely have to try to put her in her place, but that wasn't going to be news to anyone there. Very soon, she'd have to make an offensive move. This was her lightsaber Trial after all.

She started to shift to the offensive, her blade crackling against the blue one she faced. She could recognize elements in the Tiger's fighting style, vaguely similar to Fenrik's. That gave her something to work with, at least.

It wasn't nearly enough, but at least she wasn't just reacting to his actions. She focused and became a little more aggressive without costing her defense too much.

She had to remind herself not to call on the Force, or her other skills. In a duel, especially when it had not been agreed to, it would be the fastest way to demonstrate that she wasn't as far along as she needed to be.

As it was, she had to admit; she wasn't doing too badly. A few months ago and it would have been over by now. She could feel the approval from her Master. Not because she was winning. She wasn't. But because she _was_ doing as well as would be expected for a Healer willing to fight. It wasn't saying much for real combat skills, but it was enough to pass.

Shi winced internally as one of her blows came dangerously close to the Tiger's robes. She was starting to lose her focus, getting away from her center.

She took a step back, dropping her saber into the yield position and lowering her eyes respectfully. She knew the Knight would accept the gesture; beyond tradition, it was clear that he was the victor on the off-chance he particularly cared.

"Accepted." Master Shan called out. "Begin."

The Tiger instantly got more serious. He knew already her primary moves and he clearly was pushing her hard with these first blows.

The first blow had almost made it past her defenses; since when had there been multiple rounds to this test?

She defended herself as well as she could, but was taken completely off-guard when the Knight thrust out his hand and hurled her off her feet. The clear breach of dueling protocol made it clear what was happening; they were mixing the defense Trial in with the proficiency one.

All right; if they were going to take advantage of her weakness with a lightsaber, she was going to take advantage of the training she'd had in how _not_ to fight with one. 

She rolled back to her feet, back on the defensive. Then, just as the Knight swung his own blade towards her, she twisted back out of the way, moving her 'saber out of the attack's way. The surprise in the Tiger's eyes was clear, even if it only lasted for a moment. That was enough for Shi.

While he was off balance, she shot her hand up beneath his arm, two stiff fingers striking the nerve bundle that controlled the limb, temporarily paralyzing it. Before she could press the advantage, another wave of the Force pushed her back, her lightsaber extinguishing as it flew from her single-handed grip.

Centering herself as quickly as she could, she reached out through the Force, rolling out of the way of the next attack. She saw the familiar pattern of the healthy Knight, though the flow of energy through his left arm was disrupted. That was going to be her chance.

While she was disarmed, the Tiger took the opportunity to summon the Force and undo the pinched nerves, restoring his mobility - just as the young Healer focused all her skill and energy on the same point. The Tiger's defenses and shields had been down; Shivasta wasn't known for being a particularly effective telepath, and a healer's skills weren't typically used for attack.

Except for one.

Taking advantage of the moment of laxity, Shivasta had worked her healing and life-energies through the Tiger's body. Not to soothe his slight fatigue or deal with any minor injuries he might be sporting, but to send a chaotic surge through the flow of the Force through his body as it tried to balance itself out again. She knew it had worked when the Knight groaned and clutched at his stomach, his body rebelling against uncontrolled adrenaline surges and hormones that combined to make him feel distinctly ill.

Keeping a close eye on him, she nodded as he extinguished his 'saber in surrender, not particularly able to end it with more dignity. She reached out to summon her 'saber to her hand, holstering it before she moved to make sure her malacia technique had worked the way it was supposed to, rather than being beyond his body's ability to deal with properly.

"Impressive, Padawan." Master Shan commended with a note of approval in his voice. "Do put him right now."

"I'd been planning on it, Master," she said simply, doing just that, her hands ghosting over pressure points and chakras as she stabilized the Force flowing through him. Malacia wasn't an easy technique, but most healers learned it for emergencies.

Ever since Shi had built her lightsaber, she'd worked to master it instead, and that included reversing its effects.

"Feeling better?" She asked the Tiger softly once she sensed that everything was back in place.

"Yes," he nodded and striated. "Most impressive, Padawan."

"Thank you," she said, standing and bowing respectfully. "I didn't have much choice, Knight Frall. You're easily as skilled as I'd heard."

Though, privately, she _did_ think Fenrik would be able to beat him, given more experience.

"You are dismissed." Master Shan told her. "We will see you soon."

"Thank you," she said, bowing towards the Doberman and her Master, seated near him, before she left to return to her quarters.

That was about when it registered with her that, unless she'd done something wrong she didn't know about, she'd just passed her first two Trials.

She was practically buzzing inside as she left the demonstration room, getting ready to grab a quick shower before heading back. Instead, she noticed a small crowd gathering around one of the sparring chambers.

She moved up to see what was happening, and saw Fenrik and Jay practicing Jay's techniques. She chuckled and shook her head slightly as she moved to the front of the group to watch her mates.

Leave it to them to get back to 'saber practice just after getting home.

Still, it pointed out just how superior their skills were compared to hers ... or most of the Order their age. Fenrik was the better one when sparing and had more battle experience and it showed, but she expected Jay would actually be more dangerous in a real fight. He was unpredictable. Improvisation was in his very soul. Even on the sparing mat, he wouldn't be held to any set of moves, even when working in his own SWAT Form.

It was a testament to Fenrik's skills that he held his own in a Form he was still learning against the one who'd created it.

He'd definitely taken to it well, even fighting with a lightsaber set he hadn't turned to himself. The new form wasn't as artistic as some of the older ones, but it was definitely effective. In many ways it was more acrobatic and fast paced. Smooth and flowing without a single wasted muscle twitch or breath. A Form that's very purpose was to evolve with every fight. She couldn't imagine what it would be like to have to fight either of them seriously.

Well... all right, she could, but every time she thought about it the fight was over very, very quickly.

That was especially true after watching one of these bouts when the boys were going all out against each other. It was almost too easy to forget they _were_ sparring and not trying to kill each other. Then she'd feel the emotions flowing from them both and it was impossible to forget. They both felt the calm joyfulness of centered exertion that was as much from sparring as it was from being so _close_ to each other, so in synch with their mate. It wasn't that much different from what it felt like when they got seriously physical during sex without her.

Which usually came after a sparring match like this. She smiled and waited for the two of them to finish. It was probably going to be one heck of a night.

She was so entranced by watching the fast, powerful strikes and counter-strikes of the match she nearly missed the signal that ended it before they stepped back and rested their sabers before extinguishing them and bowing.

It was only then that she realized she'd been watching for the better part of an hour.

She hurried over to the entrance to the room, waiting for her mates to come out.

"You're smiling," Jay purred as they came even with her.

"Mmm ... I was watching you two at work, why wouldn't I be?" She asked, nuzzling his cheek. "Besides, I've got good news once we're back."

"It went well, then?" Jay grinned as they headed for their quarters, intending to shower there.

"What went well?" Fenrik glanced between them.

"Her first Trial." Jay supplied.

"So _that's_ what Master Ursal dragged you off for," the Panther grinned. "How'd it go?"

"Lightsaber proficiency and self-defense tests," Shivasta chuckled ruefully. "About as well as expected, though I'm pretty sure I passed them. The self-defense Trial went easier than the proficiency one, once I knew what was happening."

"They didn't tell you?" Jay looked at her curiously.

"Not for sure," Shivasta said, shaking her head.

"Not too strange," Fenrik said easily. "It's up to whoever's running the Trial. Some Padawans do better in later Trials if they're not sure if they've passed most of them so far or not."

"I'm pretty sure I passed," Shi explained. "They didn't say if I did or not, but everybody felt like I had."

"That's one of the easiest Trials to train for to retake last too." Jay added with a nod as the door to their quarters opened for them. "Not being told to work on it's a pretty good sign you passed."

"Very true," she nodded. "Not that it isn't true even if I _did_ pass. Master Shan actually asked if I planned on claiming pacifist status," she said, rubbing the back of her neck a little sheepishly.

"He could have been asking to see if you'd take the easy way out." Jay suggested.

"That's what I figured," she nodded. "Still, have to wonder if any of them really thought I would. Or that I should. Still held my own, at least," she smiled.

"Which is pretty good, considering you would have been up against someone better than you." Fenrik pointed out with a smile and pulled her into the bathroom. "Shower off and celebrate?"

"If you guys want," she smiled, kissing him lightly. "I can wait too, I know you both like it hotter."

"Oh, just leave your pendant on and I think we can make a happy medium." Jay purred and slid his arms around her to tease her breasts threw her robes.

"Mmm ... only fair to offer," she rumbled, shrugging out of her robes with a slight groan, muscles she didn't use often enough or well enough protesting the protracted sparring earlier and then standing still for so long just afterwards. "So, am I going to be the only one naked in here?" She asked playfully, slipping into the shower.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Fenrik opened the door to his quarters, half-hoping that Jay and Shi wouldn't be there as he started packing for another mission. He was lucky they'd had the time for their vacation; at this rate, if they'd left a day later, he'd have been called off on another mission before he'd gone.

As it was, he was leaving just a couple days later, all of two weeks after he'd gotten back from the last one.

He wouldn't have minded if the missions _mattered_. But no; some Senator's aide who wasn't important enough to rate a bodyguard had gotten the bright idea to request a Jedi for his trip to Clak'dor.

Clak'dor. The Bith homeworld.

Why the _hell_ did he think he needed a bodyguard on a world where raising your voice in anger was considered dangerously unstable?

Fenrik took a deep breath, closing his eyes and centering himself. This wasn't becoming of a Jedi Knight. His duty was to perform his missions, without complaint, save where the complaint was well-justified. This, unfortunately, was not such a case.

It was a waste of his time, to look at it, but that was as much pride and frustration speaking as actual belief. The Council knew what it was doing when it agreed to this mission, he would trust in them.

"Already?" Jay's voice held disappointment, sympathy and understanding all at once.

"Yeah," Fenrik said, nodding slightly. "Seems I'm up for bodyguard duty."

"Outer Rim again?" Shivasta asked him, stepping into the room behind Jay.

"Of course," the Panther half-chuckled, shaking his head. "On the plus side, the Senate's footing the bill for the breathers I'll need if anything ends up causing trouble on Clak'dor."

"Clak'dor?" Jay raised an eyebrow. "Who could possibly need a Jedi on Clak'dor?"

"No kidding," Shi said dubiously. "* _I'd_ be qualified to handle the _Chancellor's_ security there."

"I was just asking myself that same question," Fenrik said, smiling too-sweetly. "Maybe the Council thinks it's a way they can get me to take some time off and relax without telling me I can't go on missions anymore. Some Knights are stubborn that way, after all."

"Might also be something up we don't know about," Shivasta granted, moving to hug the Panther from behind. "Just don't get bored to death on us, 'kay?"

"Yeah," Jay nuzzled him. "Maybe put in for a class or two after this. You haven't been around for _months_."

"Way ahead of you," Fenrik chuckled. "Finally managed to get out of the beginner's lightsaber courses too. They're going to let me take over that meditative class I've been shooting for. Master Krys D'nely is heading home for a while, so I'll be taking over for him until another of the Masters volunteers."

"Very cool," Jay hugged him. "It'll be good to have you around a bit more."

"Mmm ... you're not the only one thinking that," Fenrik purred, turning to hug both his mates.

"Just wait, they'll get you out of field work yet," Shi giggled, nuzzling the Panther's neck.

"Sure, after about forty years when I'm going grey," he smirked, returning the nuzzle.

"We'll see about that," Jay winked at him and kissed him solidly. "Any idea how long this one's going to last?"

"Should be back in time for your birthday," Fenrik smiled, returning the kiss.

"* _And if I'm not,_ *" he told Shi mentally, "* _your job to get him his present._ *"

"* _Will do,_ *" she promised him.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Jay finished his katas in the main sparing gym, aware of his now customary watcher studying him. He'd seen her about, a feline like none he'd seen elsewhere: a sandy-furred sabertooth. She'd been little more than a toddler when he'd first seen her watching him, now she was probably five or six and wearing robes.

"Sharo, isn't it?" He asked casually as he walked up to her.

"Yes sir," she said, standing up quickly and brushing off her robes, a little embarrassed that he'd noticed her.

"What's fascinating about me?" He asked gently and crouched to be on her eye level.

She ducked her head and blushed. "I like how you look. In the Force."

"Is that all?" Jay cocked his head a bit.

"You aren't like the others." She blushed brighter. "You're still fiery and unique. Still yourself."

"Everyone is unique, Sharo."

"Not many here seem to believe that. There's only one right way, only one way to be a good person." She struggled to explain something she felt more than knew and had too many battles with her caretakers over already. "I want to be like you. I still want to be me, when all this is over."

"You really don't like it here, do you?" He said softly and brushed her cheek.

"I don't like fighting with them, but when they tell me what I _am_ is wrong ...." she let it drift off, the understanding resonation from the young adult with her a welcome relief to most of her interactions.

"Maybe I can help." He said quietly. "My Master is on the Council, she might be able to get you into a program better suited to who you are, unless you are dead set on being a Jedi, like I am."

"Not really." Sharo shook her head a bit. "I mean, Jedi do good, they're respected, but I'd rather not have to fight my elders all the time than be a Jedi."

"Do you know where my quarters are?" Jay asked and got a shy nod. "If I haven't found you in a few days, come by. I can get focused on a project sometimes and loose track of time."

"All right, Padawan Clawson." She nodded seriously. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Sharo." He smiled and ruffled her ears. "Try not to take the whole view on the Force thing too seriously. They're only teaching you what they believe is correct and for the best."

"I know," she nodded slightly. "It's why I haven't run away. They _mean_ well, and I wouldn't be alive without them."

"I know," he smiled slightly, an understanding sadness in his eyes. "I know exactly what you mean."

* * *

"* _Master, are you busy?_ *" Jay reached out to Essani, sure she wasn't in Council.

"* _Nothing I can't put on hold for a little while,_ *" the kushiban replied easily. "* _I'm in my quarters, if you'd rather talk face to face._ *"

"* _Thank you,_ *" he replied and headed to the familiar location. "* _It's about one of the Initiates. She is troubled._ *"

"* _Sharo,_ *" Essani guessed, as he felt her attention focus on him more fully. "* _The young Remok?_ *"

"* _Yes. She spoke of wanting to run away. It is not the trouble most Initiates have. Her beliefs are very strongly ingrained and do not mesh well with what she is being taught._ *"

"* _She mentioned her discomfort before,_ *" Essani agreed with a slight mental sigh. "* _Though I didn't know she was that disturbed. Her people's views on the Force are quite different. When you're here, I would like to speak to you about this._ *"

Jay nodded and fell silent for the rest of the walk, and came inside when the door to her quarters opened for him without question. He found his Master waiting for him, sitting at her desk with a well-organized stack of papers waiting for when she was done.

"Take a seat," she offered him easily. "How serious do you think she was about wanting to leave?"

He had to think about that for a bit, the variables involved were impressive.

"I think she was very serious about wanting to not have to fight her teachers to remain true to herself." He said softly, understanding a little too well. "She said the reason she hasn't run away is because you mean well, and you saved her life. It won't last past the first time she realizes she has an option outside the Temple."

"Do you think it would be wise to present such an option?" Essani asked him, her tone and fur neutral about the subject.

"Yes," he nodded, his manner more serious than usual. "She wants to be a good person; she still respects Jedi for what we do and that we mean for the best. She is in very little danger of going Dark out of resentment or natural temperament from what I've seen of her. Give her a way to learn to use to gifts without the theology she can't accept and she's unlikely to come to resent us. She may well be willing to work with us."

"Do you have any impression of what sort of path might be more amenable to her?" She asked him.

"Honestly, no." He admitted. "I haven't asked. Do you want me to?"

"If you have the chance, it would be a good idea," she nodded. "I have my own impressions, but I'm interested in yours. You're going to have to start learning to make those decisions soon."

"I'm sure I'll get a chance," he nodded slightly. "She seems to seek me out to watch often enough. I just finally decided to ask her about it."

"She's been watching you for some time," Essani agreed. "I wouldn't be surprised to find out that all your private practices outside have a hidden audience."

"I know they have, but she's hidden herself, so I left her to her seclusion." He smiled slightly. "This time she sat in the gym and watched like any other spectator, she was just watching a lot harder than most do."

"If I didn't know it was because you feel more natural to her, I'd think you had an admirer," Essani chuckled. "It's unfortunate she's taking so poorly to her training; she's holding to the Remok culture and philosophy much more strongly than the other Remok students are."

Jay cocked his head, considering his Master as he worked threw that bit of information. "Given her age, there aren't going to be that many reasons for it." He said softly. "Not many more than I would have, if you'd gotten me before I learned how to separate how things work 'here' from 'there' and act accordingly. Has anyone asked her why she cares so much about it, _without_ being irritated at the time?"

"I'm not sure," Essani admitted. "Most of the instructors have seen her as being no different from some students we've had before that didn't see a difference. I thought the same, until I did a little research. That might be something to find out, though I'm not sure she'll be able to put words to it."

Jay shook his head. "She doesn't need to. I know what to listen for, if it's what I think might be going on. Master ... at two years there is very little in the universe you care about. She might be trying to hold onto something she's not ready to give up and this is all she's got to hold on too, not what actually matters to her. I think it may be the symptom, not the cause. What she's said ... it's very much like what I still do on bad days. She's just not dead set on being a Jedi to compensate for it."

"If you can find out Jay, we'd appreciate it very much," Essani said seriously. "You're right that it's very, very unusual."

"I will try," he agreed just as seriously. "She's got a good heart and she's bright. In or out of the Order, she has real potential to help people."

"That she does," Essani nodded. "And even if it's not with the Order, we don't intend to see that potential lost."

* * *

* * *

* * *

Essani came out of her meditation as she heard the door to her room open, her eyes opening as Jay walked in.

"Any luck?" She asked him, fairly sure he was going to be talking about Sharo.

"Yes, Master." He nodded, his manner more serious than usual as he sat down. "I think I'm right about her too. Is now an okay time to talk?"

"Yes," she said easily. "What are your impressions of her?"

"She needs grief counseling, _badly_." He said softly. "Did you know she saw her mother, her only living relative, tortured to death?"

"No," Essani said, her fur going a dark grey. "All we were aware of is that she was an orphan, like the other Remok students."

"Her mother was a Healer; someone's whose Force-aura is white, like a Jedi's. Among her kind, it's considered a great sacrifice to be dedicated to life to the point where you can't hunt for yourself. It's one that her mother did not want her to follow. It's pretty jumbled after that, but I'm sure that what she's holding onto isn't her culture so much as her mother's wish for her, to not have a white aura. Something that she is told she should have as a Jedi. She doesn't object to the path Jedi take, she just wants to be what her mother wanted for her; to be a warrior and provider.

"She needs to honor her mother, memories from her first year of life. Come to an understanding of it, her mother's death and what that wish really means. She may well make a fine Jedi. She may not. What she needs now is to deal with what happened when she was an infant or we'll never find out."

"Understandably so," Essani nodded, making a note to tell the Masters in charge of the dealings with the Remok to make sure they find out what had _happened_ to make their adoptees orphans. "If we'd known beforehand...." She shook her head. "Given her associations with healers, do you believe that a healer would be an appropriate choice to help her deal with this?"

"That I am less sure of." He admitted. "The mind-healers have the best training for it, but an important qualifier would also be a lack of contact, or at least negative contact, with Sharo before this. She's eager to please and willing to talk. She doesn't like to fight with her elders. It's a deep scar, but everything about her tells me she'll be relatively easy to work with when you take her past into consideration."

"What do you think of Master Ursal as a good candidate?" Essani asked. "She'll be done with Shivasta's training soon, and has a great deal of experience with healing body and mind alike."

Jay settled on the couch he was on to think about it, both pros and cons based on what Sharo had told and shown him and his own knowledge of the elder Bear.

"I think Sharo will like her, which makes her a good choice." He nodded; running the last of it threw his mind. "I've read the notes on Remok culture that we have, and it syncs with what Sharo has said and feels. It should be enough for Master Ursal to understand the basic culture. I've got a small notes file that covers some details that apply to Sharo, even if they aren't culture-wide."

"I'll speak with her about it then," Essani said. "Did you get any suggestions as to why her mother was killed?"

"Just enough to know I'm missing something." Jay shook his head a bit. "His Force-aura was dark and out of control. I get the feeling that it was an addict or something her mother was trying to help, but I'm not sure."

"Or a psychopath of some sort," Essani nodded, closing her eyes for a moment. "Few addicts would have tortured her. All right, I think we've made some breakthroughs. Thank you for your help, Jay."

"Thank you for listening, Master." He inclined his head deeply to her and stood. "She's a good kid."

"Yes, she is," Essani smiled. "That much I sensed. I suspect she may take well to her training after all, once we've had some time to work with her. Is there anything else you want to bring up?"

"No, Master." He smiled slightly. "I'll leave you to your papers."

"You're _far_ too kind," she said dryly, her fur shifting a playful pink for a moment. "If you think it's a good idea, you might tell Sharo that we'll be finding her a new teacher who'll get along better with her soon."

"I will," he chuckled softly. "It should put her in a better mood until then. Have fun, Master." He added with a wink before leaving.

Essani chuckled, turning back to her paperwork and reaching up to pick up a small datapad. She considered the numbers and symbols along the list for a moment; Jay's assorted test scores and rankings. She scrolled to the bottom quickly, and started punching in her assessment, now finished.

"Recommend Trials commence at first possible opportunity," she typed. Setting it aside, she turned back to her more tedious paperwork, although in a better mood than she usually was for the work.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Essani watched the Council's last audience for the day leave, a Knight with a report on the deteriorating situation on Garos VIII. At least it seemed to be getting worse more slowly than it had been. Maybe there'd still be some time for them to keep it from coming to violence.

"* _If there's no other normal business for us to deal with at the moment, I'd like address a more recent situation,_ *" she said, looking around the Councilors for signs of objection. "* _It's regarding the Remok students, young Sharo in particular._ *"

"Something has come up, other than what is in the reports?" Master Shan leaned forward in interest.

"* _Yes,_ *" Essani nodded seriously. "* _First, we have to tell the Jedi in charge of negotiating with the Remok to find out what happened to the parents of the children we adopt. It seems that many of Sharo's problems aren't stubbornness or a kit's trouble seeing the difference between light side and dark side, but the result of trauma connected to her mother's death._ *"

"I will see to it that they do." Master Shan nodded. "How did you come by this idea?"

"* _She has been watching Jay as he practices lately,_ *" Essani explained. "* _He went to talk to her about it, and approached me with his concerns for her future with the Jedi. Later conversations brought up what happened to her mother, and the reason she is so resistant to the idea of following the Light exclusively. It seems her mother was a healer, and wanted her to have a more balanced training. Or, as Sharo understands it, not to have the aura of somebody who dedicated themselves entirely to the Light side of the Force. She's holding onto that as a sort of last request. Understandable, given that from what she describes one of her mother's patients tortured her to death._ *"

"I see." He murmured slightly. "Any indication of who a good mind-healer would be for her to work with?"

"* _Master Ursal,_ *" Essani said easily. "* _For a healer she has a relatively mild aura. She also has the experience and, soon, the time to deal with a situation as delicate as this one is likely to be._ *"

"She is certainly competent," Master Shan nodded in agreement. "Do you wish to see to it?"

"* _It will be easiest,_ *" Essani agreed. "* _I'll speak to her after Shivasta's next Trial is complete. Speaking of the Trials, I believe that Jay is ready to start taking his. You've all received my report on his progress, and given his performance with this problem, I feel he's fully qualified to start._ *"

Master Shan nodded and looked around, pausing a little longer with Masters Noloth and T'qu'l, the two on the Council that had the greatest issues with Jay as a Jedi.

"Agreed, Master Essani." He said simply. "Do you have a suggestion to test him most effectively?"

"* _The greatest obstacles he has to deal with are not matters of skills. You can see his scores and know he will easily pass any test of knowledge or skill we put to him._ *" she said simply. "* _He may be a weak telepath, but we all know that his other skills tend to make up for it. His greatest weakness, even after his training, is in judgment, and we all know that this is the field he's most likely to fall short on. I would propose that we bring him down here and blend his test of judgment with his self-defense Trial. Master Yamari, would you be willing to serve as his opponent for this?_ *" She asked, looking at the blue-furred Mouse.

"Yes," she nodded easily. "What kind of judgment do you want me to press for?"

"* _His judgment for abilities to use, and his willingness to stand down,_ *" Essani said easily. "* _I don't doubt that he will attempt to short out your lightsabers at least once, and that is a viable tactic for this Trial. Do you need to prepare yourself to be able to continue the test after that?_ *"

"I am prepared," she said easily. "I have been working with him long enough to know his tricks well."

"* _Then I suggest that we move down to the demonstration room, I'll let him know to meet me there while we're on the way._ *"

"Very well." Master Shan nodded and stood.

Essani and the rest of the Councilors followed the aged Doberman out of the Council Chambers and to the large turbolift that would carry them to the bottom of the Spire.

"* _Jay,_ *" Essani said over their bond, "* _are you up?_ *"

"* _Yes, Master._ *" He responded on reflex, acute pleasure and the presence of another mind touching his not quite kept off the open bond. "* _Minute?_ *" He requested, though there wasn't going to be much of a choice in the matter.

"* _Yes, Padawan,_ *" she said, shaking her head slightly as she shielded the link from the others. "* _Meet me in the demonstration chambers when you're done._ *"

She got an affirmative thought before pleasure shattered the coherent connection. He wouldn't be long, she was sure, but he did find the oddest times to 'play' with his lovers. If she didn't know that they were all dedicated to their studies and had test scores to prove it, she'd doubt they did much but pleasure each other.

"* _He'll be there shortly after we are, probably,_ *" she told the Councilors easily.

* * *

Jay took a deep breath and settled himself. His body was still tingling from Shi's attentions, but it was the prospect of a battle that had his body keyed up and he was trying to calm down from. A demonstration chamber meant only one thing; he was going to give a show. He wasn't entirely sure why; he knew he wasn't scheduled for anything just now. It narrowed the possibilities down significantly, especially considering that he knew everybody there and they were all Councilors.

He bowed to them and waited to hear what was going to happen.

"Padawan Clawson," Master Shan said, "your Master has informed us that she believes you are ready to begin your Trials of Knighthood. Do you agree with this assessment?"

His surprise was clear to them all, but he collected himself quickly and considered it honestly, judging himself as best he could.

"Yes, Master Shan. I do."

Master Yamari stood and walked down into the demonstration chamber with him, her twin duel-bladed lightsabers at her sides.

"Given your obvious proficiency with the lightsaber, the Council has agreed to waive that particular test," Master Shan explained. "However, we still need you to prove your capacity for self-defense. Master Yamari has volunteered to serve as an opponent in this Trial."

He nodded and stepped back to the edge of the circle and relaxed into the starting position for the SWAT Form, his blacklight lightsabers lit and ready. A twinge in the back of his mind disagreed with the premise. He was better at defense than offence, but he was also notorious for fighting oddly in freestyle rounds. They could be testing a number of things.

Yamari relaxed into her own stance, her dark blue sabers igniting as she studied his stance. He knew she was better than he was, even though he'd taught her how to use the SWAT Form 'sabers, and that she knew virtually every tactic he had. He'd have to improvise if he was going to pass this against her.

Fortunately, that was something he was _very_ good at. At the very least, she'd pay dearly for a victory.

"Begin," Master Shan called. Master Yamari practically flew towards him, her sabers flashing as she attacked.

It was his first look at her at full capability, and he began calculating even as he blocked and moved, seeking an opening to end the contest without sacrificing his defense against her 'sabers and the Force skills she wielded. They weren't easy to reach, and even less inclined to listen to him, but enough power would override loyalty, and he had that and much more.

Unfortunately, she wasn't giving him much time to work on it. She would start to move into one technique, then change to another at the last second, forcing him to put all his attention on blocking the new technique. Despite the sudden shifts, he couldn't help but notice that none of them detracted from the beauty of the dance she was doing already.

He was completely taken off-guard when she reached out with the Force, sending him staggering back. He kept his balance and both 'sabers in the end, and everyone there felt the Force in the entire area shift as Jay shifted mindsets from 'duel' to 'battle'. Things were about to get interesting as the young feline tapped into his creative, rules-breaking nature.

He came at her, giving in completely to the Force to run the physical end of things as his mind turned to every skill he had and every unexpected use of them not in the books.

She countered the offensive shift easily, using one blade defensively and the other to continue her offensive maneuvers. When that one finally gave in to his efforts and blinked out, she practically launched into the air, forming a graceful arc of blue fur and brown robes as she landed, safely out of reach, and reignited the blade. She reached out towards him, using the Force to take hold of one of his lightsabers and try to pull it out of his hand.

She was a bit surprised that he was ready for it, lashing back at her with a solid Force-blow to the chest even as he held on to his 'sabers tightly.

It was that moment that every Master in the room realized that he was up to something very, very new. The Force gathered around him, a draw that not even flight came close to, and he stepped sideways, his lightsabers in an odd position.

Even Master Shan drew a sharp breath when he finished the step on the other side the mat.

He wasn't where he wanted to be, but Jay took the stunned fraction of a second he got from the unprecedented move to try and yank Master Yamari's lightsabers from her hands and pull her feet out from under her.

The first worked; her lightsabers were pulled from her grip and were hooked to Jay's belt by a more delicate Force use, but he felt his attempt on her feet seem to ripple around her, her defenses prepared for a direct use of the Force by now.

"Be still," she told him, shifting to a defensive position and putting the weight of the Force behind her words. "This is over."

Jay's ears flattened and he shook his head, fighting the suggestion that didn't match with her body language.

She knew she hadn't bought herself much time; Jay was stronger willed than that, and it would have been a stretch even against somebody who _wasn't_ Jedi trained. She did the only thing she could think to do right now that would work. She reached out and picked him up by the scruff, using the Force to provide just enough support she wouldn't hurt him as she lifted him bodily into the air.

The response was immediate.

Her mind was assaulted by a rapid series of commands. That she'd lost her grip and he was free. That she now had three opponents attacking. That she had her lightsabers back.

None of the suggestions had any real influence on her; no one of them particularly bothered her even. However, taken all at once, a flurry of telepathic activity that refused to be ignored, it was just enough to distract her grip. As Jay fell to the floor, she did manage to pull her lightsabers back to her with a rip of cloth as they came off his belt, igniting them and falling into a defensive stance, fully expecting that he'd be following them shortly.

Instead he surprised everyone by stepping back and into the classic 'match over' position.

Master Yamari dropped into the same position, inclining her head towards him slightly. It seemed he _had_ learned his lesson about accepting a draw. He may have insisted it be on his own terms and on his feet, but he'd still done it, and that was what counted.

Not too long ago, she would have still been fighting him.

Essani reached out to Jay as the two extinguished their lightsabers.

"* _You did well, Jay,_ *" she told him. "* _You have passed your self-defense Trial, and the first Trial of judgment._ *"

"* _Thank you, Master._ *" He inclined his head to her fractionally.

"Have you practiced that teleportation technique before, Padawan Clawson?" Master Noloth asked from where he was sitting, watching the young feline intently.

"No, Master Noloth." Jay answered easily. "It occurred to me during the battle."

"You might take care practicing it in the future," the Lizard told him. "It wouldn't do to have you accidentally place yourself in a wall."

"Yes, Master Noloth." He accepted the instruction without question.

"We may have questions about how you accomplished that later," Master Shan told him. "You may return to your quarters, if you wish. Well done, Padawan."

"Thank you, Master Shan." He bowed deeply to the Council and left, his body more than eager to get back to Shi and a nice long shower.

* * *

* * *

* * *

"Hey, Jay?" Shivasta's hands closed around her mate's shoulders as she got back from her shift in medical the next day, her thumbs rubbing his shoulders gently. "What's this I hear about you managing to surprise the entire Council yesterday?"

"I just did what I do," he chuckled and leaned back to nuzzle her. "I did a little improving with using Force-energy."

"You make it sound so simple," she chuckled, nuzzling his neck and moving her arms around to hug him. "So c'mon, details. I don't have many, if you haven't guessed. The Council's keeping it mostly under wraps."

"No doubt to keep people from trying it." He shook his head with a slightly amused sound. "I just teleported. Folded space so one step took me across the mat."

"You _just_ teleported?" She asked, looking at him incredulously. "That's like saying you 'just' managed to jump yourself through hyperspace, Jay. What happened? It worked?"

"Sort of. I didn't end up where I intended to, but it was only a few feet off. Not bad for an idea I thought up the second before."

"Eesh." Shivasta shook her head, kissing his neck lightly. "You are gonna be careful if you do that again, right? I mean, if you stepped to the other side of the mat, I can only imagine what'd happen if somebody stepped in your way while you were doing that."

"It takes _way_ too much effort to be used normally," Jay shook his head and reached up ruffle her hair. "Act of desperation stuff."

"Good," she murmured, scratching his chest lightly. "Not that I don't like it when you experiment, but I don't think it'd be all that fun if you ended up stepping through somebody."

"Probably not," he admitted. "More so for them than me, but it'd probably be messy."

"Or at least give me one _heck_ of a weird job for the evening," she nodded. "So, you're officially taking your Trials now too?"

"Yap, I passed self-defense and the first round of judgment, and they waived lightsaber proficiency." He tipped his head back to kiss her.

"Mmm ... just wait, you'll end up making Knight faster than I do," she teased, kissing him back. "Unless I keep you too busy to focus on it," she winked.

"You try too hard and next time Essani _won't_ shield it from the Council." He pointed out with a smirk.

"Mmm... well, I'm sure she didn't get too many details, or we would've heard about it by now," Shivasta giggled, still blushing a bit as she drew Jay up to his feet. "Mmm... well, you're not doing any of your trials now, so why don't we take advantage of it, hmm? I'm in a snuggly mood after medical today."

"You're not going to get any complaints from me," he chuckled and drew her close to him for a lingering kiss as he felt her body through her robes. "You know what you do to me." He added throatily.

"Mmm ... why don't you show me?" She asked with a seductive rumble, kissing him deeply and working her hands up under his robes.

He began to kiss down her neck, his hands teasing her nipples threw the layers of cloth.

"Mmm ... the things you do to me," she murmured throatily, working his robes off his shoulders and exploring the thick rusty fur that covered his body. Even after all these years, the heat difference between them was still a surprise.

She froze when he did, a quizzical look on her face when he sighed.

"We have got to work on this timing." Jay shook his head. "I have a Trial to attend."

She sighed, shaking her head with a playful pout.

"Well, at least I didn't have you in my mouth this time," she giggled. "Mmm ... I'll be waiting for you to get back," she winked. "Just don't let it throw you off."

"If I do, I'm not ready." He chuckled and kissed her as he put his robes back on. "I'll be back." He promised.

"Mmm ... hope it's soon," Shi smiled, slipping her robes off and going to grab a shower while Jay went for his Trial.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Knight Aren sighed mentally as the Pomeranian he was 'guarding' ranted on about the insufferable nature of the Bith and their insistence that their technology not be used for weapons. He had to wonder just what the _idiot_ had been thinking coming out here and suggesting it. The last time Bith technology had been used as weapons... well, there was a reason the planet was a wasteland outside the domed cities.

He was just glad that they were heading home now. It wouldn't be long, and he could drop the Pom off at the Senate building and never have to deal with him again.

In the meantime, he was going to get a lot of practice filtering out annoying distractions.

The squeals of Gamorreans near the entrance drew his attention; they weren't entirely unheard of on Clak'dor, but there weren't common either.

Something about them didn't feel right. Not just feeling off, but feeling up to something.

It wasn't unusual to see them brandishing vibro-axes and blaster rifles. The green-skinned pig-men were loathe to turn over their weapons, and despite the "no active weapons" laws on Clak'dor, the reluctance of any of the local law enforcement to actually _enforce_ them meant that anybody who didn't want to play nice didn't have to.

Seeing a Bith with them, leading some sort of repulsor-forklift ... that was more unusual, especially as they started making their way towards a shuttle whose pre-test preparations were just being completed by its short, sallow-skinned crew.

They looked at the approaching forces, their black eyes getting even wider if it was possible.

Fenrik watched them carefully, now fairly sure something was going on that wasn't legal. But he couldn't get involved until he had a good idea of what.

"Excuse me, I need to borrow your ship," the Bith with the Gamorreans told the technicians.

"What are you talking about?" They asked. "You can't just come in here and do this!" They were very clearly concerned, more about the guards than the Bith, but the Gamorreans were more focused on Fenrik and the few other outworlders in the hangar.

"I'm sorry, I don't have time to explain," the scientist said dismissively. "I don't want to resort to violence, but it is imperative that my project be allowed to continue."

"What project?" One of the Gamorreans looked at the Bith technician and snorted menacingly, convincing him to shut up. The flight techs started moving away from the ship, clearly willing to let the scientist do what he was going to rather than risk fighting the massive pig-men.

"I'm afraid that theft is not permitted." Fenrik said softly, his manner taking on the full authority of his Order and his training. This fight might be suicidal to most on this world, but it was a simple one for him.

"Restrain him," the scientist said, almost sharply, working to load his repulsor-forklift and its payload as the Gamorreans started moving towards the Jedi.

"What are you doing?" The Pomeranian asked him incredulously, looking from the Panther to the approaching pack of mercenaries.

"My duty." Knight Aren said simply and wasted no time in advancing on the Gamorreans, his lightsaber blazing white.

They snorted and squealed orders between each other, spreading out so he wouldn't be able to focus on more than one of them at a time. These weren't common thugs; they were clearly more experienced in how to fight against a Jedi.

He had to wonder just how much the Bith was paying them to do this though. Probably a significant amount.

They readied their blaster rifles, spread out far enough that Fenrik would have to choose with side to focus on if they all started firing at once.

He could handle it, but it wasn't going to be easy.

It also made his target clear: the forklift.

He called on the Force for speed and focused on getting past the guards and stopping whatever this was about.

Blaster bolts ripped through the air behind him as he dove around the mercenaries. The Bith scientist started pushing at the back of the platform, desperately trying to speed the process as he realized his guards weren't going to be enough now.

"Grab his companion!" The Bith shouted as Fenrik reached his location.

It was enough to get the Jedi's attention, but not enough to save the forklift, which fell to a Force-blow even as Fenrik turned to deal with the Gamorreans and protect his charge, who was doing the smartest thing yet: running for the Sharufa at full speed.

He made it there just as Fenrik barreled through the line of Gamorrean thugs, knocking a couple of them over as guard droids finally arrived in the hangar. With the Pom safe in a ship that nothing got into uninvited, Fenrik turned back towards the cause of the trouble and lifted the Bith bodily into the air while he kept his lightsaber ready to deal with the muscle.

Fortunately, they seemed less than thrilled with the idea of going up against the Jedi and droids at the same time.

"You don't understand!" The Bith scientist told him. "I have to complete the test!"

"If you have to _steal_ a shuttle to do it, I doubt that." Fenrik countered and ghosted across the top of his mind to catch just what this 'test' was all about.

He caught images of Clak'dor's skies turning from a chemically-laden pint to a more natural color, the mutated life-forms dramatically returning to more benign, if not entirely normal, versions of themselves.

Glancing at the large object on the trashed forklift, he found the word to be used for it 'gene-bomb.'

Great; he'd been trying to reverse the planet's damage using the same sort of science-gone-wrong that had ruined it in the first place.

"Even if you're right, this is not the way to find out." Fenrik said calmly.

"All the tests show it will work!" He protested. "It works in all the simulations, it works in the lab, the others just won't believe it!"

"Thank you for your assistance, Jedi," one of the guard-droids said, moving to take the scientist while its counterparts kept the Gamorreans under guard. "He recently attempted to convince the Ecological Panel that his plan would work; they were unconvinced by his work, according to my files. Nobody expected he would attempt anything like this."

"If he'd spent his money on a shuttle and not guards, he would have gotten away with it too." Fenrik said simply and let the scientist down and into the droid's care. "I noticed when he tried to steal the shuttle."

"That would be because he was banned from leaving the city until review of his procedures was complete," the droid said. "Thank you for your assistance; you may be on your way, we'll deal with this."

Knight Aren nodded and turned to go back to the Sharufa. He had some misgivings about the situation, but he had nothing close to the knowledge required to make a better choice. He'd report it to the Council and let them figure it out. If the local Ecological Panel was being unfair, the Council had plenty of authority to pressure them into being reasonable.

He had to wonder if they'd had a feeling something like this was going to happen. It would do a lot for explaining just why they'd sent him here. It certainly wasn't because of his official mission.

"What did you think you were doing?!? I could've been killed!"

Ah, yes. The official reason he was here.

"Highly unlikely." Knight Aren informed him evenly and walked to the cockpit.

"Unlikely?!? Those weren't Bith, those were Gamorreans! They tear people like me apart for fun!"

Fenrik had to admit, he was finding it harder to blame them for it with every high-pitched word coming out of the functionary's mouth.

"So do ill-tempered Panthers." He pointed out, hoping it would shut him up.

"You can't talk to me like that, you...." Fenrik tuned the tirade out, finally reaching his gag limit and deciding to do something about it. He turned to face the Pomeranian, looking down into the beady eyes, glittering with righteous indignation.

"This was all too much excitement for you to deal with," he said, waving his hand just inside the Pom's field of vision to distract him and let the suggestion have a better chance of working. "You should go back to your quarters and lay down for a few hours."

"I-I'm going to go lay down," the bureaucrat told him, turning and marching off as though he was somehow being defiant. Fenrik rolled his eyes and walked up to the cockpit to start the takeoff procedures.

He would be _so_ glad to get home after this.

* * *

* * *

* * *

"Mmm ... hope you have a good time tonight, Jay," Shi smiled, snuggling up against him in the back seat of the air-cab that was secretly taking them to the Kallarak Amphitheater, Rush's first major concert on Coruscant.

It had taken quite a bit of finagling to get good tickets before they were sold out, and even more to keep Jay from finding out about the concert before he couldn't get tickets on his own anymore, but she was hoping it'd be worth it. Only problem with the night so far was that Fenrik was still in transit from Clak'dor, though it wasn't the first time one of them had missed a birthday or anniversary. Wouldn't be the last either, she was sure.

"How could I not have a good time?" He purred, nuzzling her affectionately as the air cab set down outside the bustling Amphitheater. "You're here."

"Flatterer," Shi smirked, climbing out as the cab doors opened. "Come on," she said eagerly, helping Jay out. "Let's get there before the line to get in gets too long."

He nodded, following her without question. "Shi?" He finally took in where they were and blinked. "What have you got planned?"

"Mmm ... let's just say you're not the only one who can get good seats at concerts," she winked at him as they made their way to the quickly forming lines. She reached into a pocket of her nicer out-on-the-town clothes and pull out a disposable datapad to hand it to Jay.

"Rush?" He breathed and looked up and around, his heart pounding as it realized they were in the mid-thousands for seats -- _damn_ nice for Jedi. "You and Fenrik are getting sneaky." He purred and nuzzled her.

"We try," she grinned, nuzzling him back. "I take it you approve?"

"Hell yes," he laughed easily as they got in line. "On both counts."

"Well, the 'sneaky' part it doesn't matter if you approve or not," she grinned. "We're going to be doing it either way. Took calling in a few favors to get a hold of these."

"I bet," Jay shook his head with a grin and kissed her solidly. "And a lot of sweet-talking the computers to not let me in on it."

"Actually, _that_ just took buying them the old fashioned way," she winked. "And having somebody else do it for us. We actually got these -"

Whatever she was going to say was cut off by a blast that shook the Amphitheater to its very foundations, the entire building shaking dangerously as screams started inside.

The crowd near the edges started grabbing desperately for anything to hold on to that would keep them from falling into the great canyons between Coruscant's buildings. Others, farther from the edge, started to panic as the ornate architecture of the Kallarak Amphitheater began to break under the stresses of further, smaller explosions that punctuated the growing panic inside and out.

"Look out!" Shi shouted, reaching out to grab one of the falling laser arrays and push it away from the crowds before it crashed to the ground in a tangle of wreckage.

Jay moved instinctively towards the building, his greater skill at telekinesis making it relatively safe for most of the crowd, though there were few places to put the stuff even as his mind called out to every vehicle and emergency system he could contact to call them to the scene.

He barely felt the pain of Shi getting hit, but it spun him around on his heels in time to see her fall, a spotted white Dog behind her with a short club in his hand, ready to hit her again.

Jay held his control over the large objects he was holding up even as training from his youngest years brought an arm up to shoot a needle dart through the canine's throat, killing him as it severed his spine. He focused on the pair, and an air cab that had answered his call, setting them inside and sending it off to the Temple even as he was turning to go inside and help rescue the people already inside.

Mercifully, the vast majority of the amphitheater's million seats were empty, and most of those who were there were at the lowest levels where there was plenty of space to get out. Unfortunately, several of the exits were either blocked by rubble, or by fires set off by the bombs that had gone off. The ground rocked again as another explosion hit and Jay heard a scream off to the right, behind one of the fires.

He bolted that way, following his ears even as he focused his power on extinguishing the fires, both the ones in front of him and the others he could reach, by cutting off their oxygen in a bubble of Force.

"Calm down." He ordered the panicking shewolf as he rushed up, putting enough Force behind his words to get through to her so he could focus on her unconscious mate, half buried in the rumble. "He'll be all right." He told her firmly, but without Force, as he gave what little healing he could to stabilize the male Wolf and get him out from under the rubble.

"Wh-where do we go?" She asked him as he picked her mate up.

"* _Master, we have a_ major _problem at the Kallarak Amphitheater. Multiple bombs going off. I alerted the civvies, but help would be useful. Shi's injured, on her way back to the Temple, unconscious, with her attacker, DOA._ *" He contacted Essani as his brain started to catch up with what was going on. "Just follow me, ma'am."

"* _We just found out, Padawan,_ *" Essani told him as he started to lead the shewolf out. "* _We're sending everyone we can spare to help. Do what you can; we're on our way._ *"

* * *

Jay closed his eyes on the too-brief lift ride to Medical. His body was exhausted, his mind spent and he'd used more Force energy than any time other than when he's restored the Kraken. His clothes, the loose, shimmering wraps he wore when he was out for the night, were torn and covered in soot, blood and the reek of other people's terror. He knew he should change, but he had to see Shi first. He had to make sure she really was all right after he'd left her in that skycab with the corpse of her attacker.

Medical was as busy as he could ever remember seeing it, mostly with the people from the bombing who'd been hurt worst and couldn't afford to be taken to one of Coruscant's larger hospitals for a bacta treatment. He noticed the Wolf he'd saved, his mate looking up at him with a grateful smile. He was sleeping, his leg in a restraining-cast, but he'd be fine in the end.

Shi wasn't that far off, sitting up in bed with a look on her face he recognized all too well; the look of wanting to help but being under strict orders not to.

"Hey, love." Jay smiled as he walked up to her to brush an errant strand of hair from her face. "Good to see your eyes again."

"Hey," she smiled back at him. "Good to be seeing through them again. Think you can convince somebody I can help out around here now that I'm not concussed anymore?"

"Probably only if I promise to keep you in our quarters till late ... whatever the next time is." He smiled warmly. "I bet it's your Master who did this."

"I know it was," she muttered, crossing her arms. "I know I shouldn't be going out to help, but look around here! I _know_ I can handle this."

"There's nothing much there to help with anymore, or I wouldn't be back," he glanced around, and then closed his eyes briefly at a mental contact from his Master. "I have to go report to the Council. I'll see if she'll let you work in here, okay?"

"All right," she nodded, settling back. "Good luck."

"* _Thanks,_ *" he touched her mind briefly before focusing on ordering his mind to report what he knew. He paused on the way out to talk to Master Ursal.

"I have my reasons, Jay," the Bear told him, already knowing what he was going to ask about. "Though I think she can help around here, now that the Amphitheater is under control. I'll let her know."

"Thank you, Master Ursal." He inclined his head politely and left, heading up to the Council Chamber as he banished his physical and mental exhaustion once more to focus on what he needed to tell them.

The atmosphere that awaited him was exceptionally sober, each of the Councilors reviewing reports and information they were getting from the field. Their attention turned to him as he stepped into the great Chamber, datapads put to the side.

"Report, Padawan," Master Shan said simply, his tone dark and concerned. It occurred to Jay that it felt distinctly unusual to be speaking to the Council covered in soot and blood civilian clothes, none of it being his.

"The first explosion of seven went off at twenty-one o-eight, the final one at twenty-one twenty." He began, following the order that worked best for him. "They were set at two minute intervals, with a final large charge set to go off at twenty-two hundred for the rescuers. I disarmed that one before it went off.

"Padawan Shi was injured by a Dalmatian when she was helping control the debris from falling on the crowd. I shot him and sent him back with her in the aircar. I then went inside to help get people out and control the fires and damage. The Amphitheater alerted me to the final bomb and where people still were.

"According to the bomb, a group called the Coruscani Dianogas built and set them. Specifically an Alsatian named Bremer that also goes by Boom. Very meticulous, and very personal. Forensics should be able to trace his handiwork anywhere it goes. They were built in the Southern Underground, at a facility that should be marked on your datapads.

"Six dead that I know of, I lost track of the injured around fifty." He finished and rallied his brain for the questions that would come.

"Do you have any indication of how many others are involved?" Master Shan asked. "Or any other names?"

Jay closed his eyes briefly; dredging up the names of those likely involved from the massive jumble of the other names he's heard in the last day.

"At least twenty were directly involved, likely more." He answered after a quick count of his impressions. "Mostly canines. Dallis, Imerin, Jack, Whistle, Stars, Crasher. I believe some of those names are code or nicknames. I can identify many that I don't have a name for."

"A number of Knights will be sent to capture as many of them as possible," Master Shan nodded. "One last question; why didn't you provide more assistance to Padawan Shivasta?"

The question clearly took the exhausted feline back, though to his credit he didn't move.

"She was safely on her way to the Temple." He spoke softly, not entirely comfortable with the choice for all they could feel he believed he did the right thing. "Not all of those who did survive would have if I'd taken the time to heal her myself."

"Thank you, Padawan," the Doberman said, nodding towards him. "You may return to your quarters and clean up."

"* _Once you've rested, you may want to meditate on what has happened,_ *" Master Essani told him over their bond. "* _It may be a few days before I am available again._ *"

"Thank you, Masters." He bowed deeply to the Council and left. "* _I will, Master._ *" He replied to her directly.

"He is making progress," Master Noloth observed. "As for these 'Dianogas,' we should act swiftly. We have to assume they're preparing to move even now."

"And that this is not their only planned attack." Master Bas'rath rumbled. "Who is available to go after them?"

"Knights Sash Poth, Anoon Rar, Aawaia, and Darin are currently ready, along with their Padawans," Master Kareth rattled off quickly. "I already took the liberty of dispatching the available rescue workers from the Amphitheater when Padawan Clawson uploaded the initial coordinates into the system."

"If there are no objections," Master Noloth said, his tone saying how unlikely he thought that was, "I will go with them to the primary target. Once we have the location secured, I will coordinate the search from there."

"Go, and Force be with you, Master Noloth." Master Shan nodded an end to the meeting.

* * *

Shivasta snuggled up close to Jay, scratching his chest lightly as she woke up late the next evening. After he'd gotten back, she'd spent the next four hours working in medical, tending to injured victims and then injured Jedi returning from the attacks on the terrorist locations.

She'd finally come back to their quarters to find Jay deeply and soundly asleep. He had still smelled lightly of soot and dust, despite having showered off, and that hadn't changed. It likely wouldn't for a few days without _much_ more attention that he'd been up for giving when he'd gotten back.

She held him close, nuzzling his neck lightly. She'd make sure he got that attention, even if it might take a few hours to talk him into it.

"So glad you didn't get yourself hurt," she murmured softly.

She smiled slightly when he shifted and mumbled, the consciousness she'd felt start to rise in him enough that he'd heard her.

She kissed his neck softly, hoping this might be one of the too-rare mornings the Demon would leave him be. After the night and day before, he did _not_ need to deal with that. He murmured and shifted to draw her into his arms and nuzzled her. He still wasn't exactly awake, but he was aware enough to know who was in bed with him. She felt how it settled him as he slowly explored her body with his hands.

"Love you," she murmured softly, kissing his cheek and returning the gentle exploration, her hands moving through his fur as she pressed against his well-muscled body. A body that responded with more interest than she'd expected, but she wasn't about to object when he began to kiss the skin exposed to his mouth, mostly awake and interested in reaffirming the fact they were both still alive.

She returned his kisses, slowly working up his neck to kiss his mouth tenderly. This was going to be one of their gentler mornings, but she wasn't about to complain about that. Today, they both needed it.

She rubbed his back softly, her smooth tongue playing along his lips until they opened to welcome her into the first real kiss of the morning ... or late evening as it was.

"Love you." Jay purred and pulled her close, nuzzling her neck.

"Love you too," she murmured, returning the nuzzle and reaching up to scratch the back of his neck lightly. "You're okay, right?"

"Still wiped out, but okay," he nodded and kissed her neck. "It could have been so much worse."

"But it wasn't," she pointed out. "Good thing we were there," she murmured, kissing the side of his muzzle.

"Yes," he smiled softly and turned into the kiss for a real one. "And we both got out of it in one piece too." He purred and gently squeezed her ass, his hard, rough cock rubbing up against her abs.

"Mmm ... with nothing more than a lump on the head and a bit of soot in the fur that I'll get out for you later," she agreed, rubbing against him lightly. She reached down between them to take his naked shaft in her hand lightly. "Though it feels like you'd like some attention of a different sort right now."

"It is morning to me, and you are here." He chuckled and kissed her again with a low moan for her skilled touch. "Love how you feel."

"Good," she smiled, starting to stroke his shaft lightly. "'Cause you're going to be feeling a lot more of me."

"Good," he groaned and gave himself over to her willingly.

She kissed her way down his collarbone and torso as she stroked his cock, finally letting the barbed length brush against her breasts before taking him into her hungry mouth. His throaty moan was music to her, arousing and relieving at the same time. As rough as the previous day had been on him, he was recovering quickly.

It wasn't something everyone did, even this late in their training.

"Oh, yes." Jay breathed sharply and reached down to stroke her hair as she worked his cock. As good as it was, he wasn't holding back. He wanted inside her too much to.

"* _Soon, love,_ *" she promised him mentally, teasing his barbs with her tongue, teasing his balls and anus with her fingers as he moaned and began to thrust into her mouth, his pleasure building quickly. She reached up with her free hand, going through a few minor contortions to open the drawer and pull out the thick green lube she'd use next. She took him into her throat, moaning softly around his length as she suckled him hungrily until he stiffened and roared, thrusting into her mouth with each spurt of gooey come.

She pulled back, suckling his tip and drinking his seed hungrily, lapping his shaft clean as she opened the lube and took some of the thick gel on her fingers.

Jay rumbled as he caught his breath, looking forward to the pleasure even more as she coated his barbs with the lube, smoothing his shaft out without decreasing the sensitivity.

Once there was a reasonably thick layer coating his length, she moved up to kiss him hungrily, the flavor of his seed heavy on her breath as she rolled him to his back and slowly slid herself down his length, groaning deeply with him as his hands found her hips and they began moving in the easily pleasure of long familiarity.

Jay felt his breath catch when she tightened her body, his body still sensitive from his first orgasm. He didn't even think about it as he ran his hands along her back and pulled her close to roll them over so she was under him.

"Oh Jay," she moaned as their lips parted, squeezing down around his length lightly. "Love you so much...."

"I love you," he shuddered in their pleasure and found his position to thrust into her deeply, a set of sensations that drove them both to the edge hard and fast.

It didn't take long for Shi to come; her body spasmed around him as she moaned his name, her fingers raking his back as she milked his cock and he roared and filled her with hot seed.

"So sweet," he murmured and kissed her even as he continued to rock into her body as they calmed down.

"You can say that again," Shivasta smiled, kissing him back and squeezing down around his length. "Mmm ... want another round, or let me pamper you for a bit, get that soot-smell out?"

"Well, you know what water does to me," he chuckled throatily and nuzzled her. "It'll be a few rounds before we get out. But I like where I am right now." He added and shifted to thrust into her a little harder, his eyes closing for a moment in the pleasure.

"Ooh... somehow, I think I do too," she rumbled, scratching his back lightly and gripping his ass, pulling him against her. "Take me, Jay."

"Any time you wish." He purred and began thrusting hard, rubbing her clit with slick matted fur with every motion.

* * *

* * *

* * *

"Approaching Coruscant," Doruth rumbled, turning in the pilot's seat to look at Tes and their youngest cubs. "How're they doing?" He asked her, smiling fondly at the tiny sleeping Panther-Wolves curled up in her arms.

"Suckling well and strong." She smiled down at them. "It's a little strange, but they are adorable."

"Definitely," he smiled, reaching over to scratch the female cub nearest him gently between her dark, rounded ears.

"I think Mother has an excellent eye for aesthetics too." Tes chuckled softly. "The combination of features is not only attractive, but gives them the best combat abilities of us both."

"I have to agree," Doruth smiled, kissing Tes softly and turning back to take care of the Gurath through re-entry. "I can't believe they're as well behaved as they are, y'know?" He chuckled. "Remember the kaminoans warning us all over the place about how hybrids were usually nasty as hell?"

"Everything is relative, love." She grinned at him. "As far as I can tell, raising your voice there qualifies. They aren't predators. Not like us at least."

"Very true," he chuckled. "Though if this is ill-tempered to them," he smiled, "have to wonder what they'd say about some of the pups."

"What just about everyone does," she winked. "Run away!"

"That, or give 'em a pocker and hope they're contented hunting the fish," he chuckled. "I can only imagine what Nasim and Abayomi will be like when they get to the hunting stage. Pack stalkers, anybody?"

"As if the last two litters haven't been." Tes snickered. "At least there are only two of them. I can only imagine what a full litter of six would be like to try and manage."

"There's a reason Shiraak Panthers don't do multiple litters too often," Doruth smirked over at her. "When we don't learn our lesson the first time, the second finishes the job."

"Apparently not on you." She winked back and pulled him over for a kiss. "Though I must admit there it something nice about having young and not giving birth."

"Mmm ... I get to cheat," he chuckled slightly, kissing her back. "Besides, Wolf pups still usually hang out with each other, and we've got the Pack. Panther parents have to deal with each cub being individualists, usually just the two of them if that, and they don't have a Temple full of Jedi willing to serve as part-time babysitters and spotters."

"That would make things much less fun," she admitted. "Wolves rarely lack for babysitters. We also haven't had to raise them past the age of two."

"True," he nodded, leveling the Gurath out as they started to approach the Temple. "Though that's as more our work than not wanting to, honestly."

"And the strength of the Force in the pups." She nodded. "I suspect this pair will do best as Jedi."

"Quite possibly," he nodded. "It's pretty potent in them; I can't help but wonder if the process strengthened it some."

"We did say we wanted them sensitive," she pointed out with a slight smile. "They no doubt did their very best to make it as strong as allowed."

"Very true," he nodded. "Well, as long as they don't start opening the door telekinetically when we do close it, I think we'll be okay," he winked.

"If not, they'll get a very early sex ed." She chuckled and shook her head.

"Mmm ... well, let's just worry about introducing them to the welcoming committee for now," he chuckled, standing at the Gurath's automated landing sequence began. "Looks like Fenrik's off on a mission, but we've still got two Padawans and the Pack who look like they're about willing to rip the hatches off."

"You know how much they hate being left behind." Tes grinned in amusement. "It'll never be too soon to see the new young ones."

"And this time they didn't have to wait the better part of a month," he chuckled slightly as they set down. "Want me to take Nasim?" He offered.

"Sure," she carefully shifted so he could pick the small bundle of black fur that was the male of the pair.

He picked up the cub carefully, nuzzling his head lightly as the black-furred hybrid snuggled up in his arms, getting comfortable with a slight yawn, but not waking up the rest of the way.

"They are so adorable when all they want to do is sleep and eat." Tes chuckled softly and stood to follow him outside, and into the maelstrom of a Wolfpack greeting.

Hands and noses were very promptly just about everywhere they could politely be, mostly focused on the new cubs. It was a greeting that Doruth was finally getting used to, thought to judge by the slightly confused looks on Nasim and his sister as they woke up to the smells of unfiltered air and curious Wolves, they were going to take a bit to manage it themselves.

Of course, they had the advantage of being so young and having it in half their genetics, two things he didn't have.

"So this is what a Wolf-Panther mix looks like." Jay's voice was curious when he moved in after the worst of the Wolf-greetings were over for Doruth and they focused a little more on Tes. Even after having reached his full growth a couple years before, it still struck Doruth how _tall_ Jay was. When he'd first picked him up, he doubted the kit would have made five feet at the ears. Now he was the size of a Puma and while still fairly lean, he had put on some serious muscle too.

"Yeah," Doruth smiled as Jay and Shi worked up closer to him. "Fenrik on a mission?" He asked as Nasim stretched in his arms and nipped at the curious furred finger that went to caress his jaw.

"Yes, playing guard for somebody visiting Clak'dor." Jay rolled his eyes.

"Poor guy," Doruth said, shaking his head. "Of course, with the luck we've had, he'll find something to get mixed up in there."

"Probably," Shivasta chuckled, smiling as one of Abayomi's small hands closed around her finger. "They're both beautiful," she told Tes with a smile. "Unusual, but beautiful."

"Their grandmother has a good mind for how well features will go together." Tes grumbled in family pride.

"If not, he'll regret missing the excitement on my birthday." Jay shook his head. "It's been a hell of a couple days."

"What happened?" Doruth asked. "It's starting to sound like we hit the wrong time to go pick up the cubs, almost."

"You didn't catch the news?" Jay blinked in surprise. "The Kallarak Amphitheater was bombed by terrorists just before the Rush concert."

"We were outside when it happened." Shi added quietly. "The Temple's still at full alert."

"Shit," Doruth swore quietly, shaking his head. "Well, you two are okay, obviously, so I'm not going to ask about that. They know who did it yet?"

"Yeah," Shivasta nodded. "And they think they've caught most of them, from what I've heard, they're just not sure if there are any more out there."

"I'm going to their headquarters in a couple hours to see if I can get any information we don't know." Jay added softly and finally got to scritch the male cub's head. "Put my Gift to good use."

"Just be careful," Doruth cautioned him. "You want some backup when you go?"

"You'd be welcome," Jay smiled at him. "Several of the Knights involved in the first retaliatory wave are coming already."

"I'll look over the info you've already got when we get back to our quarters," Doruth said with a slight nod. "Judging by who usually pulls off attacks like this when they happen, I might know the areas they're in better than the other Jedi you'll have better."

"I'll make sure you actually _get_ all the info." Jay nodded. "A lot of them have been captured already. I'm mostly going to pull names and faces of the rest from a headquarters, and maybe where they went."

"That'd definitely be good," Doruth nodded slightly.

Just then, Nasim decided that it was clearly far too long since he and his sister had been the focus of attention, or fed for that matter. The Panther-wolf let out something between a yip and a mew, squirming a bit in Doruth's arms.

"All right, you boys can chat all you want, but it's time for the cubs to eat." Tes took over completely and shifted Abayomi in her arms so she could take Nasim as well. "We'll be in our quarters."

"And I'll be following in just a couple minutes," Doruth said, kissing her lightly as he handed Nasim over, the male cub pawing at his mother lightly.

"We're meeting in bay six in a little under two hours now." Jay told him quietly. "It'll be good to see you there."

"I'll probably be there," Doruth nodded. "I don't know the Southern Underground as well as some places, but probably better than most of the other Jedi you'll have with you."

"If they're that predictable, we need to get more proactive about that place." Jay shook his head a bit. "It's good to have you back, but I have to get ready for the mission. It'll probably be a major effort."

"Understood," Doruth nodded. "Force be with you, both of you," he said, looking between Jay and Shi before heading back towards his quarters with Tes.

He was definitely going to have to look up the information they had on what had happened, especially with the unique level of clearance Jay had just given him.

* * *

Jay let his eyes close for a moment, letting the Force of the Jedi fall away in favor of his natural Gift. The Knights around him where uneasy. He could still feel it, though it was only an impression that the materials were picking up. Something this building was well accustomed to.

He knelt and set both his palms flat on the floor, letting his awareness and power flow outwards in a Force-visible, oozing wave that encompassed every non-living thing it touched, linking him into Coruscant itself on a level no one had in generations. It was a rush he hadn't experienced since the Kraken, and it was _far_ more potent.

He reached out and linked to the holo-projector and brought up the first face he found, marking the location and the beginning of its trail with a colored trail of power to show their movements.

"Know him?" He asked distantly.

"I do," Doruth nodded, watching along with the other five Knights with them and Shivasta. "Don't think he's very high up though. See if you can find any more, Jay. Once we've got as many as we can, we'll split up."

"Captured?" Jay asked quietly.

"No," Knight Fran told him.

"More importantly, he's a supplier, not somebody who would have been directly involved in the plot," Doruth added, looking over the image of the half-Wolf.

Jay nodded and dropped the trail, seeking the next one. It was almost on top of the last one, a female Raccoon.

"Now she's more interesting," Doruth said, raising an eyebrow. "I've seen her on a few planets, usually just before something big and expensive blew up. Any idea where she is?"

Jay focused on the trail, following it in a visible trail for several yards before the tracker went invisible, following her footsteps as a bloodhound would follow a scent, but much, much harder to loose. A floor remembered every step taken on it, after all.

"Knight Bes, Koron," Doruth said, looking at the paired Caracal Knights, "follow that one. We can't afford for her to get away; if anybody in this gang is the key to capture, I'd say it's likely her."

"Yes, Master Doruth." The pair nodded easily and took off after the trail of Force leading to who knew where.

Jay split his focus and picked up another trail, an Alsatian male.

"Captured." Knight Fran said, then repeated it for the next six. "Dead." He added about a Mutt, and then paused to double check his memory when a dark furred feline of indeterminate breeding came up.

"Loose." He decided.

The pattern continued until, finally, there were only two left without Knights assigned to their trails.

"Jay, Shi, you two go after the Duros," Doruth told them. "Be careful, but I think he'll probably come without a fight once he's been caught. Just don't let on that you're not Knights yet. I'll take the Cheetah myself," he said, picking the one he was certain was the leader of the Dianogas. It didn't seem to be a particularly large group, mercifully. If they could get them all behind bars quickly enough, then maybe it would discourage imitators.

"If I track them, the other trails will be lost." Jay said softly, his attention stretched to his limit. "I can't really move until it's over."

"Shi, call the Temple on the comlink, ask for somebody else to come and help track the Duros," Doruth said easily. "You'll have to stay here and cover Jay."

"Yes, Master Doruth," she nodded, more than fairly certain that he was doing this mostly to keep them out of trouble, though she couldn't really blame him for it.

* * *

Fenrik hurried through the halls of the Temple, doing his best to look and stay calm. He'd heard about the attack just before landing, and barely had time to make sure Shi and Jay were okay before touching down. Right now, he didn't particularly care that everything _said_ they were fine. He wanted to see them.

Unfortunately, the system said they were in a debriefing right now; he'd have to wait until they were finished. He stepped into their quarters, slipping his outer robes off as he entered the bedroom and sat down on the bed. No telling how long they'd be. Hopefully not _too_ long, or he might go stir-crazy.

He took a deep breath, straightening out as he started to meditate, keeping an ear out for any sign they were back. With any luck, he'd be over the initial worry by then.

Too slowly, he felt himself begin to settle. Not to serenity, but by the time he heard the outer door open he didn't feel the need to jump them both that instant.

He came out of his meditation, taking another deep breath before he stood up and left the bedroom to meet them.

"I get sent on _one_ lousy mission to Clak'dor, and I find out you two've been dealing with terrorists when I get back?" He asked, trying to sound like he was joking as he hugged both his mates before they could do more than realize he was in the room.

Of course, that he managed it was testament to just how worn out Jay really was. The Temple itself always let him know what was up.

"So did you have any fun?" Jay smiled and kissed him soundly.

"Mmm ... not as much as you guys did," the Panther chuckled slightly, glancing at Shi. She held up an open hand, signaling that it had been five days since Jay had gotten any decent sleep. "C'mon, let's all wind down a bit, 'kay?" He smiled, drawing Jay back towards the bedroom without resistance.

"Oh, we only just about got blown up, Shi got knocked out by a psychopath and the Order went to war." Jay chuckled softly as he was helped shed his robes and all but melted into the warm, strong embrace of his Panther.

"And finished it," Shi added, stripping down as Fenrik pulled Jay into bed and held him close. The Ice Walker slipped in behind him. "So, what did you do?"

"Besides learning a dozen different ways to say 'sit down and shut up' that work with mind control?" Fenrik chuckled. "Kept some Bith scientist from launching a gene bomb that would have either fixed Clak'dor or wrecked it even more."

"How could you wreck it anymore?" Jay asked sleepily as he relaxed in between his mates with a grateful, contented sound after a hard job well done.

"Mmm ... ask again once you're conscious," Fenrik murmured with a smile, kissing Jay softly. "Maybe by then I'll have an answer."

"* _He's so cute like that,_ *" Shi smiled fondly at the rusty tom between them who didn't even contest the idea of sleep. "* _Doruth and Tes are back too, with the cutest Panther-Wolf cubs._ *"

"* _I'll have to meet them later,_ *" Fenrik smiled. "* _He hasn't been pulling these stretches without sleep the whole time, has he?_ *"

"* _No, only since his birthday._ *" She shook her head slightly. "* _That's when the attack happened._ *"

"* _So it's probably just because he's been busy,_ *" Fenrik said, his relief clear in his mental voice. 

"* _Yeah, he's not being difficult. Most of the Temple pulled double shifts for at least a couple days._ *" She nodded and snuggled in.

"* _How're you holding up?_ *"

"* _Fine,_ *" she told him easily. "* _Just got sucker-hit by one of the people involved in the bombing while I was shoving debris out of the way. Knocked out, concussion, I was fine in a half hour._ *"

"* _Why do I suspect you didn't get out of the Temple for at least a day?_ *" He chuckled softly.

"* _Because I have an over-protective Master and mate?_ *" Shi chuckled, reaching across Jay to rub his side lightly.

"* _You need 'em sometimes,_ *" Fenrik chuckled, reaching around to scratch her back lightly.

"* _Mmm... missed you, Fen,_ *" she smiled. "* _We both have._ *"

"* _I've missed you both, a lot._ *" He murmured softly and snuggled in. He wasn't all that tired, but resting with his mates was the best use of his time until the Council wanted his report that he could think of.

* * *

"At this rate, we're going to seriously change the Jedi population." Tes chuckled throatily as she nuzzled her mate when they finally got some time to themselves.

"Mmm... racial mix, or population?" He asked her with a chuckle and a nuzzle. "At least this time there are only two of them. I think the Knights in the crèche were grateful they didn't have a full litter when the second set were ready for them."

"Population." She winked. "You'd think they've be used to it, with as many Wolves as there are around here."

"I think it's less the Wolves than that they're ours," he chuckled. "We've never been accused of having kids who weren't feisty. Can only imagine what they'll think of the cubs."

"As long as it's not fear, they'll survive." Tes snickered and began kissing her way down his powerful neck. "But speaking of cubs ... Fenrik was Knighted five years ago. Any plans for taking in another?"

"Mmm ... not all that soon," he rumbled softly, rubbing her back and nuzzling her head lightly. "Thinking of waiting until Aitana or Karina are ready," he explained.

"Another five years?" She looked up in surprise.

"Something like that," he nodded, looking into her eyes, a little confused at her response. "Just hit another Wolf versus Panther difference, didn't I?"

"Probably," she nodded and continued to kiss her way down his body, taking the time to tease his nipples with her soft tongue and sharp teeth. "Most Wolves teach as often as they can."

"Mmm... I'm just not that much of a teacher, I guess," he chuckled. "I'm not bad at it, but it's not something that's a calling for me." He rubbed her shoulders, rumbling as she nuzzled her way down his belly. "Mmm ... care to give me something to play with up here?" He asked with a half-grin.

"Anytime," she grinned and turned herself around to give him a nice view of her ass and sex.

"Good," he purred, taking her hips and licking her sex with his rough tongue. He lapped at her sex as she reached his own barbed shaft and took him all the way in down to his balls, teasing the barbs with her tongue, mouth and throat.

"Oh _yes_ ," he groaned, purring as he spread her pussy lips and slipped his tongue into her tight, wet sex.

It made her shiver and rumble around his cock while she began to work her head back and forth, mimicking the movements of mating. She reached down with one hand to gently fondle and squeeze his balls.

He sank his tongue into her sex deeply, hungrily, exploring her body with his mouth. His teeth pressed lightly into her swollen lips as his balls started to twitch in his mate's fingers. He knew every trick for setting her off, but it was still a rare day that he didn't come in her mouth first.

He swirled his tongue around her insides once more before groaning deeply into her pussy, doing just that. His shaft twitched as his bittersweet cum poured over her tongue and down her throat to be swallowed eagerly. His balls still twitching, she pulled forward from his grip and turned around to guide his cock fully into her body with a groan of her own.

"Oh, _yes_." Tes howled at the fullness and pleasure of having her mate inside her as her body began to twitch and tighten around him. "Fuck me _hard_."

He rolled over on top of her, starting to pound his slick, barbed cock into her sex hard and fast, kissing her hungrily.

* * *

* * *

* * *

It was a week or two later, and everything was more or less back to normal after the attack on the Kallarak Amphitheater. Shivasta was packing, breathing slowly and deliberately to keep herself calm deep inside.

She was preparing for her solo mission. It sounded fairly simple, which was what was really worrying her. A Chandrilan noble had contracted an unusual illness, and she was supposed to go make sure he got better. She could probably do it in her sleep, on the face of it.

Well, if it really was that simple, so much the better. She'd have more complicated missions enough in the future, had in the past as well, though she'd always had help with them before. This time, she was on her own.

"Shi?" Jay's voice was uneasy as he poked his head into the bedroom. 

"Hi Jay," she smiled over her shoulder, packing up the last spare robe she planned on needing. "Sorry, didn't hear you come in."

"You're going ... the Solo?" He said hesitantly.

"Yeah," she nodded, turning to face him. "Don't worry," she smiled slightly. "I'll be fine. Being trained as a Healer primarily, remember? There's a sick patriarch on Chandrila, Master Ursal wants me to go make sure he gets better. Tells you what they expect me to be doing as a Jedi, doesn't it?" She chuckled.

"Just be careful, okay?" He murmured and came in to slide his arms around her, trying to be supportive despite his own nerves. "Even the simplest of missions can go bad."

She returned the hug, embracing him tightly.

"Y'know I'm always careful," she murmured. "Already learned what happens when you're not once, that's a lesson I don't need again. You just make sure you're here, not worrying yourself to death, and _you_ , when I get back, unless you're off on a mission with Master Essani. If you are, I'll still expect those last two to be true, all right?"

"I've got Fenrik too," he smiled and nuzzled her into a kiss. "He's teaching now, so he's not going anywhere. When do you have to leave?"

"As soon as I can, I'm afraid," she said apologetically, returning the kiss. She was going to miss him the most, honestly. "One of the downsides to being a Healer; when you do get a mission, you get it _then._ *"

"Like that's much different from Fen's." He smiled, trying to bolster her mood. "Do you want me to pass the news to him?"

"If you don't mind," she nodded slightly. "He's in class now, right?"

"Yes," he nodded and hugged her tightly. "For the next hour or so."

"Mmm ... if I could wait that long, I would," she murmured, squeezing Jay tight. "Tell him I'm sorry, okay?" She kissed Jay tenderly, stepping back a bit and picking up her pack. "Love you both."

"We love you." He let her go reluctantly. "Godspeed, Shi."

She hugged him again, knowing full well just how hard letting her go out alone was. He was stressing enough for all of them, for all he was doing his damnedest to contain it. It was endearing as often as it was infuriating.

"Thanks," she murmured, scratching his back lightly with her free hand. "Don't worry, I'll be coming home pretty soon, I'm sure. And I've got a few tricks up my sleeve too, if this mission is more than it looks like."

"I know; you trained with some of the best." He managed a smile. "And she'd never let you go if she didn't think you were ready."

"You kidding? She'd never have let me take the _first_ Trial if she didn't think I was ready," Shivasta smiled fondly. "Afraid I have to get going. Good luck with the rest of yours, okay?"

"Thanks." He swallowed a bit as she hurried from their quarters. "* _It's okay, Fen._ *" He answered the increasingly insistent presence in his mind. "* _Nothing's wrong._ *"

He drew a deep breath and walked into the larger-than-usual living/dinning room of their quarters, pushed the furniture out to the walls to give him space with a motion of his hand. 

This wasn't a moment for quiet contemplation. He needed to sweat it out of his system. Maybe sweat of another kind when Fenrik was done with his class.

He fell into the easy pattern of katas, focusing on the practice, on the motions and keeping them precise and identical from one repetition to the next.

By the time he felt Fenrik's mind brush against his, the Panther almost back at their quarters, the time left in his class had passed by fairly quickly.

"* _I'm coming in, Jay,_ *" Fenrik told him, just before the door slid open to let him and Jay let his last kata fall away to turn and hug his mate.

"How'd class go?" Jay purred softly, clearly relieved to have his mate in his arms.

"Well," Fenrik said, rubbing his back lightly. "Jenna's picking things up about twice as fast as anybody else is," he chuckled slightly. "What happened?"

"Nothing serious. Shi just left for her Solo." He murmured and buried his face against Fenrik's chest.

"And you're worried sick already," Fenrik finished for him, scratching his back. "She can take care of herself, Jay. I know you want to make sure she stays safe, but you both have to be able to work on your own."

"I know," he muttered softly. "Doesn't mean I have to _like_ it."

"I know," Fenrik nodded, kissing him and felt him relax a bit. "Hey, you've still got me here, right?" He chuckled, trying to help break the mood. "She'll be back soon, then done with her Trials and probably start working in Medical most of the time, only head out when she's needed."

"Yeah," he smiled slightly and claimed a slightly more heated kiss. "Up for distracting me while she's still in-system?"

"Mmm ... I think I'm up to the challenge," Fenrik purred, kissing him deeply before picking him up and carrying him into the bedroom.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Shi opened her eyes from a fairly restful meditation when she felt the ship drop out of hyperspace. It was something of a relief to be far enough away to not feel Jay's stress. He meant well, and he only wanted the best, but it was difficult to know just how hard this was on him. He took separation anxiety to a whole new level. At least Fenrik was with him to deal with their occasionally very high maintenance mate.

Soon she would know first hand how difficult this mission would be. With a little luck, she'd be able to take care of whatever was wrong and get back to Coruscant fairly quickly. She rather doubted it, but it was possible.

"Approaching Chandrila, Ma'am," the pilot-droid informed her. It was a polite one at least, programmed to work with the diplomats who usually made the brief trip between the two Core worlds.

"Very well," she nodded, standing up and collecting her things. Her lightsaber hung at her hip, her clothes and a few tools she might need in her pack, but other than that she was traveling lightly. She did hope they'd provide her with room and board at this noble's place; it could get expensive in Hanna, and while the Order had given her a stipend, it would be tight.

The ship tilted, dropping into the atmosphere as she started out to prepare for the landing.

It was a lovely world outside the portholes as they descended; still lush and green even in the cities where trees and parks were common between buildings. They flew in over the wildlife preserve to the south of the capital, finally touching down in one of the planet's three spaceports.

The door opened, and she was greeted by the site of a white-furred Mouse male not much older than she was, a lean Wolf bodyguard at his side looking distinctly out of place in his light armor and with a blaster at his side.

"Padawan Shivasta, I believe?" The Mouse asked, stepping forward and extending his hand in a polite offer to help her down the boarding ramp.

"Yes, Master Odona." She smiled and accepted the offered gallantry with easy grace.

"Thank you for coming so quickly," the Mouse said as he helped her down. "We're all very worried about my father; he's normally quite healthy, but he is getting older. Come, I have a speeder waiting for us already." He led the way towards the vehicle in question, a very high-end model if she remembered right, as she followed, the Wolf keeping a protective eye on them all from the rear.

"I have read the report that was sent, but could you give me any more details on this illness?" She asked politely as the vehicle lifted off.

"Of course," he nodded. "In retrospect, it may have started a few years ago, not too long after mother died. I just wish we'd thought more of it. Father was complaining about headaches and nausea, just generally feeling ill. It's why he resigned from the Senate, you know; he was just getting to the point where he had to focus on his health.

"He was feeling better for a while after that; a little depressed, but that was to be expected. He started to focus on teaching me the ropes so I could take over his role as head of the family when he finally decided to retire from the business and everything else. He started to get the headaches again a few months ago, then the other day he just collapsed. The medical droid has been working since then, but it seems like his body is just starting to fail entirely. Nobody's entirely sure what exactly is wrong with him."

The Mouse kept his tone calm throughout the description, but Shivasta could feel that he was sincerely concerned for his father's well-being, and confused as to what could be wrong with him.

"I should be able to tell more than the droid." She said reassuringly, sure of herself on that at least. "And heal a great deal more as well."

"I hope so," he said sincerely. "I'd rather not take over for some time yet, thanks much."

Shivasta could sense that the Wolf driving the speeder was thinking something, though not what. Like most bodyguards, his mind was fairly guarded and she did not have reason to delve any deeper than the surface. She didn't have much time to consider it either as their destination came into clear view.

It was a wide, sprawling estate that was actually at ground-level. Chandrila was vastly different than Coruscant; it seemed to actually have _space_ for the people and creatures that made it their home.

"We're going to set down near Father's end of the house," Master Odona explained. "I'll show you around and make introductions after you've had a chance to see what you can do."

"Thank you." She inclined her head slightly. "It is best to begin as soon as possible."

The speeder touched down, and they climbed out quickly, making their way into the house. Despite the renowned peace and tranquility of the planet, Shi noticed that the security of the estate was at least as good as anywhere else she'd seen before. A number of servants made their way through the corridors, going about their business, keeping the place running smoothly.

She couldn't help but wonder why a fairly small Chandrilan family would need an estate this large. Rich people had very odd priorities.

"Through here," her host said softly as they stopped at a closed door. "With any luck he's getting some rest. He's been feverish the past few days."

He opened the door quietly, revealing a medical droid that was working at a console next to what had to be the most comfortable medical bed Shivasta had ever seen; if not for the instrumentation on it, she would have thought it was a regular bed.

Cadon Odona, the reason she was here, was lying on it relatively peacefully. The elderly Mouse's white fur was matted with sweat, and she could tell that he was hooked up to a number of different machines meant to supplement failing internal organs, his kidneys in particular.

He hadn't been kidding when he said the old Mouse's body seemed to be shutting down.

Obviously, this was not going to be _quick_ , even if it did turn out to be well within her abilities. She walked up to him and gently put one hand on his forehead, connecting to the flow of Force within his body and making her way from his mind to his toes.

What she found was disturbing, to say the least. Normally she'd have expected to feel the presence of the bacteria and viruses, whatever was making him ill. Instead, she quickly confirmed a number of symptoms that hadn't been mentioned ... but no sign of a cause.

His liver and kidneys were badly damaged, he was anemic, his immune system and nervous system was failing ... it was a miracle he was doing as well as he was. She could tell that there were bruises on his body that didn't seem to have been caused by any physical trauma.

She didn't know of any diseases that could do this ... but she did know of a number of poisons that could.

She drew a deep breath and focused again, tapping into the minimal training she had on the subject. She could leave them to believe tests or her, but she would at least tell them what to test for before she said a word.

She couldn't tell exactly what it was, but that alone told her a fair amount. It wasn't organic, wasn't anything that had been alive at some point. To judge by the symptoms, and the fact that she could sense some of the damage was very, very old, it wasn't something that was exceptionally lethal. Arsenic seemed to be the best bet, and something they probably wouldn't have thought to check for. It wasn't exactly a common poison to use, especially not on a world that didn't _have_ murders.

It left her with a critical question: who to tell, and when.

First, though, was to heal what she could right now to buy enough time to heal the rest and purge his body of the poison.

"Master Odona," she glanced over her shoulder to look at the white Mouse. "I can help him a great deal."

"Thank you," he said gratefully. "Should we leave you to work?" He asked her, not sure what was necessary for the Jedi to do her best.

"It would be best. This will take time." She explained gently.

"I understand," he nodded. "It's still better hope than we've had lately. Let us know when you are done; we'll see to it that you get settled in then."

"I will, Master Odona." She nodded politely and waited for the Mouse to leave.

Now to get the proof to go to the authorities with. It was nice of them to provide her with a droid capable of running all the tests she needed and begin the protocols that remove the heavy metal from the elder Mouse's body.

* * *

A few hours later, Shivasta's suspicions were bearing out. According to the droid's test of the ex-Senator's fur, he'd been receiving low levels of arsenic since before his last coat had come in. It was almost too low for the droid to detect, which explained why it had taken so long to build up to near-lethal levels.

It also implied that he'd been given larger doses prior to his resignation from the Senate, though there was no way of telling if that was connected to this, or proving it if he was.

He was lucky they'd called for help when they did; if they'd waited much longer, it would probably have been too late. Instead, she'd healed the worst of the damage, and they were getting ready to start leaching the poison from his body. The medical droid was busily setting up the equipment for the oxygen therapy, and one of the servants was going into town to collect a number of less technical remedies she was going to try.

There was a soft knock at the door as she stretched out.

"Lady Jedi? Master Kelith said I should bring down some food for you and Master Cadon," the servant on the other side explained.

"Very well." She said easily and opened the door with a touch of Force. It wasn't a bad idea, though she'd definitely be checking it for the poison first. "Leave it on the table. I will see my patient eats."

"Very well, ma'am," the brown-furred Mouse fem said, bringing in a tray of sliced fruit and other finger foods, a bowl of hot broth next to it for the elderly Mouse she was working with. "How is he doing?"

"Much better, though it will be some time before he is fully well." She smiled slightly.

"I'll let the Master know," the young female smiled. "Is whatever he has very contagious?" She asked.

"No, it is hardly contagious at all." Shi reassured the girl easily. It was true after all. Poisons were hardly ever contagious.

"Nobody really thought it was, but there was some concern," she nodded. "If you'd like, I can show you around when you're ready to take a break."

"Thank you. It will be several hours yet." She nodded slightly.

"All right," the Mouse nodded. "If you or Master Cadon need anything, the servants have been instructed to make themselves available whenever you call," she explained, nodding towards the com in the room.

"I understand, thank you." Shi nodded again and waited for the servant to leave before running the simple test to check for arsenic in the broth. She was pleased to find it clear of contaminants and a good quality for the invalid. She put it in a small warmer to keep it free of germ growth while still the right temperature for when he woke. Most of his nutrients came in by IV, but it was good to keep his stomach and digestive track at least a little active.

Besides, he'd probably prefer to have something with some flavor.

She had to wonder how it was being brought in. Clearly it was something that only he would be exposed to, at least regularly. It was probably still in a meal, but there were probably a dozen different ways _she_ could think of that he could be exposed to it. As absurd as it seemed that there might be a professional behind this, here, it was possible, and they would likely know far better how to deliver it without being detected.

It just meant she'd keep have to test everything until the mystery was unraveled.

She sat down, eating her own meal quietly while the droid finished setting up the equipment and went back to silently running scans and monitoring its patient's vital signs.

Just as she finished eating, she saw Cadon start to stir slightly, shifting in his bed without disturbing his IV.

"There's somebody new here," he observed, his voice surprisingly strong for the shape his body seemed to be in. His eyes were still closed, but it seemed to be more out of a desire not to open them if it was just one of the servants than out of actual weariness.

"Yes, Master Cadon." Shi answered him easily. "I am Shi, a Jedi Healer. Do you feel like eating some broth?"

"Yes, thank you," he said. He tried to sit up a bit better, but stopped and opened his eyes when an ear bumped the edge of one of the new monitors. "These are new," he observed, moving his head and sitting up. "Mind filling me in on what's going on here?"

"You are being poisoned, sir. Arsenic. It began well before you left the Senate. I have healed much of the damage and am preparing to leach the poison from your body."

"That's the sort of thing I'd have _expected_ to happen on Coruscant," he muttered slightly. "That's what all this is for then?" He asked, nodding towards the gathered equipment.

"It began on Coruscant, sir, but it continues to this day." She explained briefly. "Arsenic is a heavy metal; all of this is what it takes to get it all out of your body so the damage I healed does not happen again. Who had that kind of access to you, from well before you left Coruscant to now?"

"Through that whole period, practically nobody," he said, wincing a bit as he shifted. "None of the people working for me on Coruscant followed me back here, and Kelith and Jen both spent most of that time finishing their education here. Han is about the only one, but I can't imagine he was responsible for this."

"It may also be someone you had semi-regular contact with but not daily contact." Shi suggested. "Whoever did this is using very low doses, possibly not even intending to kill you so much an incapacitate you. It would take many years to build to this level. Possibly even decades. Is there a reason I should not take this to the local authorities?"

"Only if you're worried they might laugh at you," he said matter-of-factly. "I'll be honest with you, Jedi Shi. The last time the authorities here had to deal with a murder, the man the weapon was planted on ended up having to clear his own name, despite there being no other evidence that he was responsible. There is a great deal of emphasis on dealing with such crimes as quickly and quietly as possible. But as far as I'm concerned, any who would do something like this to me are no kin or friends of mine, and I will not protect them."

That would make it easier, at least. She hadn't run into it herself, but she'd been lectured several times by Master Ursal and others about how, sometimes, the victim of an attack like this would refuse to believe it.

"I am under some obligation to inform the authorities, but very little as to when or exactly who." She half suggested. "I have a great deal of latitude to investigate myself, particularly as this falls under a poisoning of my patient that is still going on. If you would prefer, I can see what I can find out first."

He thought about it for a few moments, honestly thought about it.

"I would appreciate it," he nodded slightly. "The most logical person to be behind this would be Kelith, or somebody working on his behalf. He does stand to gain the most if I died. But if he isn't guilty, it could prove quite damaging if he were investigated for it officially."

"I understand," she inclined her head gracefully. "I will keep this unofficial as long as I can, then. I do request that you do not eat, drink or touch anything or anyone I have not checked until I can find out how you are being poisoned. It can be nearly anything at this point."

"The eating and drinking is largely under your control at this point, he chuckled slightly. "I'll try to keep the touching in mind, though as you might imagine my children and friends are rather concerned."

"I do understand, but it can be done through quite subtle physical contact. Fortunately, most will not have to be searched. Such intentions are usually quite clear to a Jedi." She gently brushed her hand along his most sore points to ease the pain of him sitting up. "Now let us see how well the broth goes down."

"All right," he nodded, behaving remarkably well for one of her patients that needed to be fed. To be fair, she was fairly sure he would have been able to handle it himself, but the IV would have made it awkward at best.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Shi looked up from her meditative position fairly early the next morning. A servant had brought her a nice pillow to sit on, and it had turned into a quiet, restful night that had done a great deal to rejuvenate her.

The door opened quietly to reveal the soft brown Mouse that had brought them dinner. This time she brought another tray with similar offerings.

"I am sorry, Lady Jedi." The Mouse bowed after she set the tray where the last one had gone. "I did not mean to disturb you."

"That is all right." Shi said easily as she stood. "I would like to speak to Master Kelith after breakfast."

"I will let him know," the Mouse nodded. "Did Master Cadon wake up last night?"

"Yes he did," she nodded and stood easily. "It is going well."

"I'll let Master Kelith know," the young Mouse nodded. "Do you require anything else Lady Jedi?

"No," Shi shook her head slightly and waited for the servant to leave before checking the broth for her patient, and found it free of poisons, as before.

She still wasn't sure how it had been delivered, though it might have been through food before. After he was sick, the type of foods he'd be eating would be limited, so it could be more difficult to administer that way.

Shivasta put it to warm like she had the night before, eating her own breakfast and thinking through what little she knew. A Mouse in his mid-sixties didn't make too much sense to try and kill like this. It was clearly something being done by somebody who was patient ... and somebody who stood to benefit directly by his death or retirement, given his age, would probably want something faster.

That would be his heirs, enemies that wanted him to hurt more than die quickly ... and those in power-by-proxy.

She blinked as she considered that angle. It made sense, possibly. Those positions were always more tenuous than the heir and it could be very distressing to have that power taken away. It was also something that did not require his death, only his disability.

It was still a very short list given the access had to be constant across two worlds and at least a decade and a half.

He'd mentioned a 'Han,' she'd have to find out who that was. Still, there might be other people he hadn't thought of. It probably wouldn't be a servant, but there were probably people he'd known, kept in touch with. She'd have to look through the personnel lists, follow his travel for the past few years.

Gods, she hoped he kept records like that.

She glanced around and found an artfully concealed console and took her finger food over to begin her research into what she could of the family business and political structure.

She found information on 'Han' first - Han-Odo-Pal, a Cerean male she was surprised she hadn't met yet. According to the records, he was practically the head of the family when Cadon wasn't there. He'd been with them since Cadon had taken charge; Kelith hadn't even been born yet when he started working for them.

The next person of note, outside the family, was the business manager Haskit. She was a bothan, something that caught Shivasta's eye. They were known as a species of spies, and assassination wasn't something they were too adverse to.

Perhaps unfortunately, the timeline didn't work out. She'd been with the family long enough, but on Chandrila for the entire time he was on Coruscant. At least officially. Poisoning like this only required a periodic appearance ... something that didn't always warrant a note. She'd have to ask Cadon about it.

Of course, it was also quite possible that somebody else had been poisoning him on behalf of an employer here... that complicated things quite a bit.

It didn't seem like there were any other likely candidates for non-family members. Either the timelines didn't match up, or they didn't have _any_ sort of logical reason to try and kill the seemingly good-natured Mouse. The entire time she'd worked with him the night before he'd seemed depressed, but otherwise observant, intelligent, and generally likeable. Not the sort of person who would be likely to inspire a servant or other associate to want to kill him without some sort of financial benefit.

That left the family members. Opening up that section of the files, she frowned as she realized that at least one of them was marked as 'secured.' Shanin Odona ... that was a name she wasn't familiar with.

If Jay was here, the file would be open by now, but instead she'd have to find out other ways. The best was to start with simply meeting each of the possible suspects and seeing what her empathy and a little subtle mind-reading came up with. Whoever was behind this was likely to be hiding it, but even that left traces.

Which meant that introductions would probably be a good thing to start fairly soon, get a feel for who she was dealing with.

She poked around the remaining files on the family while she waited for Kelith to arrive. His own file was extensive, a thick dossier on his education, childhood, adulthood, the trip to Corellia that had resulted in his marriage to a local noblewoman, almost his entire life laid out. Much of it was secured information, but it was clear that Cadon had been having most of his child's life documented for review.

The youngest Odona child, Jen, had a file that was almost as long, though it wasn't quite as extensive. It made sense; she wasn't the heir, so unless something happened to Kelith it wouldn't have made as much sense to focus on her the same way.

"Looking for something in particular?" Kelith asked her as he walked into the room, seeing her at the terminal. "I might be able to help you find it. The file system around here is a little archaic at times," he chuckled.

"Just getting a feel for who's who here." She said easily. "Your father is not actually ill. He is being poisoned."

"You're joking, right?" The white-furred Mouse asked. If it was possible, she would have expected him to pale. "I know there are reasons why, but who would do something like that?"

"It gets more interesting. It is long term, low dose, dating back to when he was a Senator. That's a fairly short list of possible suspects."

"All of whom live on the estate now," Kelith said. "So that should make your job easier. I suppose this means that my family and I are on the suspect list?"

"Regretfully," she nodded. "I would like to meet everyone. Anyone with such intentions is usually not difficult to find with a little talking."

"Very well," he nodded. She could sense that he wasn't particularly happy about this development, but that was _more_ than understandable. Behind that, the concern for his father's well-being was still strong. "Is he well enough to handle some stress later?" He asked more softly.

"That depends on the kind of stress," she stood to leave the room with him. "He is much better, but not well."

"Given the condition he was in, my sister decided to contact Shanin," Kelith explained quietly as they left the room. "He and father haven't spoken in years, and she didn't want to let either of them die without a chance to make amends. He returned the message, and if Father is willing to see him, he'll come as quickly as he can."

"Who is Shanin?" Shi asked, remembering the sealed file.

"He was our older brother," Kelith explained quietly, almost like he was concerned somebody would overhear. "A few years ago, he decided to marry against Father's wishes. They fought about it, Shanin left, Father disowned him... Jen supported Shanin, though Father still doesn't know about that. They've been in touch since then, but I've only seen him a handful of times, and it's still a touchy subject at best with Father."

"I understand. As long as I am there to calm things down in case they get too excited, it should not be a health problem."

"All right," Kelith nodded. "We'll still need to ask him first; Shanin was clear that he's not interested in the trip just to be told to leave before he even sets foot on the estate." The Mouse sighed, shaking his head. "Don't know if they'd make amends or not, but it would be good to at least see them have the chance. Preferably when Father _isn't_ actually on his death-bed," he added. "So, any preferences with who to meet first?"

"Who would you say has the most to gain from your father's incapacitation?" She looked over at him seriously.

"Myself," he said, not hesitating for a moment. "After all, if he dies or is unable to run the business permanently, I take over. I already have after this attack, it would just become permanent. Of course, anybody who actually _knew_ me would realize that my head for business is just enough for me to keep it afloat if I had to do it on my own. Beyond that, my wife and sister are the next that I can think of. Most of the servants would be left wondering if they'd be employed yet, and Han and Haskit both seem satisfied with the way things are now."

"Which would actually make them the two most displeased by change, such as you or your father actually taking over the family business again." She countered quietly, her voice soft. "From what I know, your father has a good head for business. When did he begin to take it back over from Haskit?"

"He took more of a hand in running it starting after his resignation," Kelith said, frowning a bit. "He's been taking more of an interest in things in the last year or two, but nothing unusual."

"To you perhaps, but to someone _in_ power, it could be everything. It means they are loosing their power. People have killed for much, much less."

"I suppose," he conceded, frowning. "It's just hard to imagine any of us doing this. Han's been with the family longer than I've been alive, and Haskit's been running the family business since before Father was elected to the Senate. They practically _are_ family."

"I understand," Shi nodded. She really did too. "I'm convinced that you are not directly involved, so let's start with your wife and sister, eliminate the blood relatives first."

"Biani was expecting to meet you first anyways, so we'll start there," he smiled slightly. His wife, according to the file on him. "Come, she'll probably be in the garden."

"Lead the way, please." Shi smiled and motioned him forward, then followed him out of the building to a well-kept garden that was vaguely reminiscent of some of the places she and Jay liked around the Temple. Numerous servants and droids were working on the upkeep of the grounds, and they walked on past them without notice. After a few minutes, they found a white-furred Mouse female who looked a few years older than Kelith, wearing a long, flowing dark blue dress.

"So, you've finally brought our guest out to meet the rest of us, Kelith?" She smiled, standing up as she noticed them.

"She's been rather busy, dear," he chuckled slightly. "Padawan Shivasta, my wife, Lady Biani Odona."

"A pleasure to meet you," Shi bowed easily, her mind open for Biani's true feelings.

"The pleasure is mine, I assure you," the Mouse said, bowing as well, though not quite as deeply. "I do hope you can help Cadon. From what I've heard, you've made a great deal of progress already." She seemed friendly enough, but Shi could sense that her concern wasn't nearly as sincere as she wanted it to seem.

Of course, she couldn't sense any feelings against the older Mouse either... just a near-complete indifference as to what happened with him.

It left her on the suspect list, though not a shining example for the prime one. Indifference was rarely the kind of feeling one expected from a killer.

"I have. Once I located the cause, correcting it and the damage was not as difficult as feared." The young Healer explained, rather hoping Biani wouldn't ask what exactly was wrong, and preparing a sickeningly technical reply in the back of her mind in case she did.

Fortunately, it didn't seem to be necessary.

"Well, that's certainly good news," Biani smiled. "I hope it remains the case. Kelith's been worried sick about him, understandably."

"Quite understandable." Shi agreed easily.

"There is one question I want to ask about Cadon's condition," Biani said, glancing at her husband. "Could I have a few moments in private, perhaps?"

"Yes dear," Kelith chuckled. "I only hover as a host."

"Well, let me play hostess," she chuckled. "You go try talking Jen out of that ridiculous idea she had."

"Not that ridiculous," Shi heard Kelith say under his breath as he turned to leave. She wasn't entirely sure if Biani heard it was well, though the disapproving twitch of her nose suggested she had.

"Well, now that it's just the two of us," she said once Kelith had disappeared into the garden, "you did say that whatever Cadon has isn't contagious, yes?"

"That is correct." Shi reassured her easily. "The odds of anyone catching it from him are all but non-existent."

"Good," the Mouse smiled. "I've been worried about Kelith lately, but I suppose it's just stress. I know you were called to help with Cadon, but I don't suppose you might be able to help him relax a little if you get the chance?"

"If he asks, yes." Shi nodded easily, slightly relieved that the Mouse only meant a massage or something equally benign. "It is a simple enough thing to do."

"I have my doubts that he'll ask, though I'll suggest it to him," Biani nodded. "Between Cadon being ill and having to take over the business... well, it's quite a lot for him, and he's still learning to delegate properly."

"It is rarely an easy task to learn." Shivasta agreed softly.

"Well, if you can help without it interfering with Cadon's treatment, I'd appreciate it," Biani smiled. "Thank you."

"I will see what I can do." She nodded, though she doubted it would be much unless Kelith felt like it.

"Well, I believe Kelith was showing you around?" Biani said. "Would you like me to show you to Jen's room? He'll probably be there talking with her."

"Yes, please." Shi nodded. "I would like to meet everyone before Master Cadon wakes."

"Follow me then," Biani said easily, leading the way back through the gardens. "Hopefully she won't be in one of her moods when we meet her."

Shi nodded. She didn't know what they entailed exactly, but a mood worth avoiding was one that would make it difficult to read the younger sister's intentions accurately.

They walked back into the main house, making their way through the halls that Biani knew well by now. Shivasta focused on learning them herself, and wondering just what _else_ was wrong with this family that the files hadn't hinted at.

A few minutes later, they met Kelith coming the other way, shaking his head. He put on a smile as soon as he saw the two of them. It was just as false to Shivasta's empathy as it was to both the women seeing it.

"So, did you two figure out whatever it was you needed to?"

"Yes dear," Biani said easily. "I think I'll take my leave now, let you continue the introductions."

"So," Kelith asked as they started back down the hall, "what do you think?"

"I doubt she is responsible." She said simply. "She is far more concerned about you than your father, but it is what I would expect as well."

She kept to herself the fact that until someone better came up, doubting it or not, Biani was still at the top of the list.

"That's a relief," he sighed slightly. "She... I love my wife, dearly, but sometimes I think she's a little too interested in her position here. She'll be quite at home when I do become head of the family. I doubt that she'd do anything like this, but I'm not surprised by what you found."

"That matches well with what I got." Shi nodded. "She is also very focused on having children." She offered easily.

"Something of a sticking point between the two of us," he admitted. "Corellian families focus on having several children and potential heirs. Here, our family was a rather large one, what with three children. To be honest, I'm not very much in the mood to 'practice' lately either. Doesn't do much for the tension involved. If she didn't know exactly what the reason was, I'm sure she'd think I was sleeping with one of the servants or some such," he half-laughed.

"I can understand." She nodded slightly. "How is your sister doing?"

"I just convinced her that we _should_ wait until Father's actually _said_ he'll see Shanin before telling him it'll be fine," Kelith sighed. "She was the one who talked him into it in the first place; I suppose she blames herself for it as much as she blames Father. She's been in better moods before, but I don't think she'll hold anything against you."

"I understand. It is simply easier to read people when they are not wound up about other things." Shi explained as they walked.

"Well, if we're lucky she'll be more relaxed now, but I'm afraid I wouldn't bet on it," he explained as they reached a closed door at the end of the hall. "I already told her you'd be coming," he said quietly. "Probably be better for keeping her from being wound up if you just head in on your own."

"All right," Shi nodded and knocked politely.

"If we're not related, come in," a feminine voice on the other side called. Shivasta opened the door and walked in as Kelith waited outside for her. She saw a young Mouse woman, her fur just as white as all the other family members here, lying on her bed, looking over a datapad with a frustrated frown on her face.

"So, you're Padawan Shivasta?" She asked, looking up at the young Jedi.

"Yes, Lady Jen." Shi nodded. "How are you doing?"

"Well enough, considering my Father's half-dead and I haven't seen one of my brothers in years."

"Your father, at least, will recover." Shi smiled gently and keyed all her senses to catch the young woman's reaction. "To his full health, even."

She could tell the response was real surprise, but there was no disappointment in the young Mouse's reaction. She wasn't thrilled, but she did seem to be honestly pleased.

"Given the shape he was in, I wasn't sure how much longer he had," Jen admitted. "Please, take a seat," she said, gesturing to an empty chair. "I'm sorry, I completely forgot my manners."

"That is all right." Shi smiled and sat down. "He would not have had long if the Jedi were not called. It is a very rare condition, but quiet treatable if you know what to treat for. His mind is still sharp, fortunately. It was only his body that was failing."

"That's good," Jen nodded. "I have time at least, then. Of course," she chuckled ruefully, "that means he's healthy enough to be as stubborn as usual."

"Somehow, I expect he will be that stubborn on his death bed." Shi shook her head in amusement. "But yes, you will have time to work on him and your brother."

"That's what worries me. That he'll be that stubborn up to the last minute. Father was more upset that Shanin wouldn't listen to him than about getting married without permission, it's just so _stupid_ to let something like that break up your _family_."

"Yes, it is." She nodded quietly. "It is also regrettably common in families where the head expects to be able to control those around them."

"That's Father all right," Jen muttered, shaking her head. "I can only guess what he'd do if he found out about half of what I was doing."

"Probably have a fit." Shi sighed. "Is Kelith any better?"

"About the controlling? Yeah," she nodded, chuckling a bit. "He's my big brother; he feels responsible for me, but knows better than to think I'll listen to him unless I think it's a good idea. Besides... deep down, he's not so hot on being in charge like that. Think he's seen what it did with Father, doesn't want to end up the same way."

"That's a good thing, I think." She said quietly. "Your father has several decades left to him, I expect."

"He should, assuming he doesn't manage to give himself a coronary or something," Jen nodded slightly. Again, her emotions on him were hard to read, though Shi had to imagine it had something to do with the fact that hers _were_ mixed about the old Mouse. "Not like there are too many ways to get killed around here besides old age or accidents, much to the chagrin of some."

"Oh?" Shi raised a slender eyebrow.

"Yeah," Jen nodded. "Biani's very eager to make sure Kelith takes over as head of the household. I don't necessarily think she'd actually try to kill Father, but sometimes people get impatient. And Corellians, from my experience, get impatient a little faster than Chandrilans are used to, if you catch my meaning."

"Yes, I do." Shi nodded. By reputation, just about _everyone_ got impatient a little faster than Chandrilans. Well, everyone except everyone Shi knew personally at least. "If she is responsible, it will be found out."

"Not even she could make Father get sick," Jen pointed out. "Unless there's something more to this?"

"There is." Shi said simply. "He is not sick, he is being poisoned. Likely for years now."

Jen's blue eyes were like saucers as she put together what she'd just been told with what she'd just said.

"How - I - I didn't know," she said, shaking her head. "I didn't mean to say that... I mean, I don't know that Biani _did_ anything... she might have, but...."

"Right now, the who is under a fair amount of debate. There are few people who could have with the timing, but I have doubts it is Biani."

"Good," Jen said, her long tail twitching in distress and nervousness. Shivasta could sense she was thinking about something, though she couldn't tell what exactly.

"Do you have any ideas as who would?" Shi prompted gently.

"No ... nothing I know for sure, at least," Jen said, shaking her head. "It's nothing, I'm sure."

She was definitely hiding something, though the question of what still wasn't answered.

"No you aren't." Shi said simply, her manner projecting the certainty that she almost felt. "Someone has done something that bothers you. Who?"

"It's... a few years ago, after Father came back and started running the business more carefully, he and Haskit started arguing. They had different ideas about how they wanted to run it, and they're both very... controlling. I'm sure she didn't do this, she just isn't the sort of person who _would_ , but... she's the only person I've ever heard actually _say_ they wanted to see him dead."

"Words said in anger and frustration are frequently not meant." Shi nodded easily. It was hardly a false statement, after all. But this did put Haskit much higher on the suspects list than she had been before.

"And those are two things she has a lot of reason to feel about Father," Jen pointed out, licking her lips lightly. "Not just the business, but some... personal ones, as well."

That raised an eyebrow. "Personal? Between Haskit and Cadon?" She tried to picture how that had happened.

"No, Kelith told you why Shanin was disowned, right?" Jen asked, then continued when Shi nodded. "Because he married against Father's wishes. He's not the only one seeing somebody he wouldn't approve of."

"I think I'd almost be surprised if anyone had." Shi shook her head slightly. "Though for an employee, that's hazardous to your paycheck."

"There's a reason we're careful about anybody finding out. Kelith doesn't even know," Jen explained. "Besides, she's good enough at her job that I'd be taking a bigger chance than she would."

Shi nodded, a bit surprised that _she_ would hear such a confession, at least so quickly. This was getting more complex by the minute.

"A difficult situation to be in." She nodded. "What is she like, off the job?"

"Intense, controlling... sneaky, in a good way," Jen smiled slightly. "But she's not the sort of person who'd poison somebody. She just says things to me sometimes, things she doesn't mean. I'm somebody she can vent to; it's safe for her to talk to me."

"I do understand." Shi smiled easily in return. "Having someone to vent to, talk to, is a real gift too few have."

"So you can see that just because she says something to me, it doesn't mean she's going to act on it," Jen said. "She couldn't be doing this to Father."

As certain as she sounded about it, Shi couldn't help but detect that she wasn't _nearly_ as certain about it inside.

Add that to the natural protectiveness of a lover, and it was a pretty impressive level of doubt. Not that she could afford to let Jen know that.

"I never take what people say to their close acquaintances too seriously without significant proof from other places. It is simply not wise."

"No ... it's not," Jen nodded slightly. "I can trust you not to tell anybody about this?"

"No one will learn about any of this from me. You have my word." Shi promised easily. It wasn't as if Jen had offered any proof, or admitted to a crime.

"Kelith's probably waiting to finish showing you around," Jen said, looking at the closed door. "Good luck finding whoever did this."

"Thank you," Shi nodded and stood with the easy grace of her training. "I will do my best."

She found Kelith on the other side, waiting as Jen had predicted.

"What do you think?" He asked quietly, glancing at one of the servants walking by to make sure they didn't hear.

"No more guilty than you." Shi answered him. "She's upset about your brother being disowned, but we knew that already."

"And that wouldn't be any real motive for wanting Father dead," he nodded slightly. "You want to go back to check on him, or meet the others yet?"

She paused, expanding her awareness briefly to check on her patient. "I should get back. He will wake soon."

"I'll come with you," Kelith offered, starting back towards the room. "I need to ask him about Shanin, if he's up to it."

"All right," she nodded easily and walked with him towards his father's bedroom.

As they approached the hall, Shivasta heard the sound of somebody tapping away at the console next to the door, presumably trying to enter a working access code.

Turning the corner, she saw the long, dome-like head of a Cerean near Cadon's door.

"That room is restricted access." Shi told him firmly.

"Hmm?" The Cerean turned, his eyebrows grayed with age. "On whose orders?"

"This is Padawan Shivasta, Han," Kelith explained. "She wants to make sure nobody bothers Father unless he's up for it."

"I see," he said. "My apologies, Jedi. I assumed one of the servants had locked the door behind them, though this does explain why it kept telling me my access code wasn't sufficient to override the lock order."

"Yes," Shi nodded, extending her mind to gauge his intent. "What did you need to see him for?"

"I simply wanted to see how he was doing, give him the daily report on how things are going," Han-Odo-Pal explained. "He appreciates being kept up to speed, even being ill." The Cerean's mind and emotions were difficult to read at best; his dual-brain made it like trying to listen to two different conversations at the same time.

She would have to keep a sharp eye on things. This was exactly the kind of situation she wanted to avoid. "After he has eaten breakfast." She said simply. "He is making good progress. I intend to see that is not disrupted."

"I understand," he nodded. "If you would call me when he is ready?"

"I will." Shi nodded easily. "If you will excuse us."

"Of course," he nodded, starting back down the hall.

"I _really_ hope he doesn't have anything to do with this," Kelith murmured. "He's as much a father to me as Father is."

"He's very difficult to read as well." She said quietly and keyed the door open, her senses alert for anything to indicate a person had been in the room.

Fortunately, it seemed nobody had, for all she was sure he wasn't the only one who'd tried to get in at least once.

"I was afraid I'd been abandoned," Cadon chuckled slightly as they walked in. He was sitting up; reading through a book the medical droid had given him. "Good to see I was mistaken."

"Of course you were," Kelith chuckled, stepping up to give his Father a gentle hug. "We all know what you'd do to us if you were."

"Han wishes to speak with you after you've eaten." Shi told the elder easily as she got the broth breakfast from the heater.

"Good," he nodded slightly as Kelith stood and moved back to let Shivasta through to help feed him. "If it weren't for him, I wouldn't know anything about what's going on when I get out of this bed."

"I've begun to meet your family and close employees." Shi smiled at him and helped him eat, though she encouraged him to do as much for himself as he could. "I am confident that your son is not involved." She inclined her head to the other white Mouse in the room.

"Or Jen," Kelith added, sitting down and watching. Cadon did manage to feed himself for the most part, only needing a little help to hold the bowl at this point.

"Good," the older Mouse said, nodding slightly. "I'm not particularly surprised, but it is good to know. Do you have any better idea who might be involved?"

"In terms of who is no longer suspect, yes." Shi said simply. "I have not met everyone yet."

"Very well," he nodded, finishing most of the broth. "I expect that you'll keep me filled in as you find out more about this," he said, his tone clearly expecting no argument.

"Of course," Shi nodded.

"So, I suppose the question to ask next is if you're here for a reason other than checking on me," Cadon said, looking up at his son, who looked at Shi as if asking if he was well enough.

"I am here to check on you." She answered and nodded to the younger Mouse. "Kelith had a question for you."

"Given what's happened," Kelith said a little nervously, "Jen thought we should contact Shanin, so you two can see each other again, at least. I agree," he said, swallowing a bit as his Father's expression darkened.

"And I thought I'd made it clear that he is no longer a part of this family," Cadon said darkly. "Unless you're also here to tell me he's left that poor excuse for a wife."

"No, he hasn't, and you did make it clear, Father," Kelith said. Shivasta could sense the pain in the younger Mouse, the response to hearing his older brother belittled. "We know full well that you haven't thought of him as kin for years. And you are getting better now," he added gratefully. "But what if you weren't?"

"Then you'd be taking over as my heir, and the decision of what to do with Shanin would be up to you and your sister," Cadon said simply. "He chose his own path, Kelith. It's not my fault if he walked away from his family in doing so."

Shivasta wanted very, very badly to take the old Mouse and shake some sense into his thick skull. It sounded so much like something she'd hear from the most traditional sorts on Garosh, the groups that hadn't been listened to even by _her_ clan for decades.

"He chose to stand up to you and make a decision for himself," the younger Mouse muttered under his breath. "Wish I'd had the same sense some days."

The spike of emotion, along with a number of Cadon's vitals, told Shi that this would be a very, very good time to end the conversation before somebody had a stroke or joined Shanin on the list of 'disowned Odona heirs.'

"Cadon needs to rest." She interrupted them, putting a fair amount of Force behind her order to the elder Mouse. None of them could miss how displeased she was with Cadon at the moment.

"I expect not to hear about this again," Cadon told his son firmly, leaning back in his bed. "I'll speak to Han and Haskit before settling down for the rest of the day."

"I will speak to them first." Shi spoke with the full authority of a Healer to her patient. "You will rest now." She ordered him, not being at all reserved in making sure he did just that.

The extra touch of the Force was enough to put him the rest of the way under, though more because his body wasn't in a condition to resist than due to any weakness of his will.

"I'm sorry for upsetting him like that," Kelith said, shaking to ruffle his fur and get the smell of his own frustration out of it.

"I'm sorry he's so ... so inconceivable." She shook her head. "Such worthless stupidity."

"More stubborn than stupid," Kelith pointed out as they left the room and locked it. "And he got it from Grandfather, from what I remember of him. Maker strike me down if I ever get that way myself."

"I suspect your older brother is the one who got it." Shi said quietly. "You and your sister are more subtle in your rebellions."

"Please," he half-chuckled as they stepped out of the room. "Today was about the biggest 'rebellion' I've ever made. Jen's another story, but I've never had the nerve to argue with him like that before."

"I have to wonder if he'd actually disown all three of you." Shi mused. "If he wants to be in control more than having even one heir."

"I doubt he's that far gone," Kelith said, shaking his head. "It was marrying without his permission, 'polluting' the family bloodline, that got Shanin in trouble. I got lucky, he approved of Biani. We might not always get along, but I _do_ still love her. Jen... I'm not sure she ever _will_ take that chance, not while Father's alive at least."

"At least not while she still cares to be part of the family." She nodded. "Which is probably going to be a long time."

"You must think we're one of the galaxy's most dysfunctional families," he chuckled slightly. "So, want to talk to Han and Haskit yet, while Father's asleep again?"

"You've got nothing on Hutt, trust me." Shi grinned at him. "And yes, I'll like to meet them, and actually talk to Han a bit more."

"Well, that's some consolation," Kelith actually laughed. "Come on, Han will be the easiest one to find probably." He paused by a console and tapped away at it quickly.

"He's off terrorizing the kitchen staff again," he smiled, turning and starting down the hall. "That's pretty close to here."

"What, exactly, is Han's position?" She asked conversationally as they walked.

"The family seneschal; you might call him the real head of the household," Kelith smiled. "He keeps the servants in line, makes sure everything's taken care of... practically raised us while Father was on Coruscant."

Shi nodded, familiar with the term, though she hadn't actually met one before. "How long has he worked for the family?"

"Since before I was born," Kelith said easily. "Think he started working for us not long after Father took over the family."

"Which makes him an unlikely killer," Shi nodded. "It's been going on a long time, but not nearly _that_ long."

"And I can't imagine anything happening that would _make_ him do it," Kelith agreed. "I mean... when was the last time you heard of a Cerean poisoning somebody without a _damned_ good reason?"

"Never. And their 'damned good reason' is rarely as petty as it is for most people." She nodded easily. It was true too. A Cerean dual brain made it very difficult to talk them into doing anything that wasn't the best choice in at least most respects. It was one of the things that made them excellent Jedi when they were sensitive.

"Don't honestly know what we'd do if it _was_ him," Kelith mused quietly. "Still, it probably isn't, so I'm not going to worry about that too much. They've always been friends, and Han's the only person Father will actually let argue him out of something."

"Now that is impressive." She smiled slightly.

"Yeah," Kelith smiled. "Apparently the first time they argued was over whether or not Father should hire a particular servant. The one he hired instead of Han's candidate turned out to be a kleptomaniac," the white-furred Mouse chuckled. "He learned his lesson after that."

"Oh my." Shi grinned, holding back a giggle. "That's quite a way to learn."

"You think that's a way to learn, imagine the 'I told you so' discussion after they retrieved a missing code cylinder with all the access codes to the house and Father's accounts on it," Kelith smirked as her eyes widened slightly.

"That's quite a kleptomaniac."

"Fortunately, he didn't really care what he grabbed, it was just small and easy to take," Kelith said easily as they approached the kitchen. To judge by the sound of it, it did sound like Han was busy lecturing the servants there about something.

"Sound like we're interrupting anything important?" Shi asked as she tried to make out what was happening.

"No," the Mouse said easily. "He's just complaining about the quality of some ingredients that were brought in. They're probably fine, he just aims for perfect."

"That is a concept I am familiar with." Shi said easily and put a little more serious face on as they entered to see the Cerean doing exactly as Kelith had predicted. The lean Fox who was his 'victim' for the morning was nodding quickly and taking down notes about exactly what to get to replace the things that hadn't passed muster, hurrying off as Han finished with him.

"Is Master Cadon awake now?" He asked Shi as he turned to face her.

"He is resting." She informed him simply, her senses fully open and focused on him. "I wish to speak with you in private."

"Very well," he nodded. "And Master Kelith, _please_ try to impress upon the servants that we can't settle for substandard supplies here? We do have an image to keep up."

"I'll try, Han," the younger Mouse smiled. "Though you seem to do a much better job of it than I will."

"Hmph," the Cerean grunted, though Shi could sense the warm glow the praise gave one of his minds. "If you'll follow me, Lady Jedi, I have a private office near here we can speak in," he said, turning to walk off, his every move gracefully efficient as she followed him with the poise than came naturally to her now.

He closed the door to his office behind her, offering her a seat and taking one of his own.

"So, I understand you're talking to the family about Master Cadon's illness?" Han asked, his minds slightly guarded.

"Yes. Someone has been giving him something that greatly hinders his healing." She informed him, pressing her telepathy skills as much as was acceptable. "It is most likely to be someone in this household."

"I can't say I'm surprised," Han observed. His mind was hard to read, though if she focused enough she could separate the simultaneous thoughts out into a coherent pair of thought-streams. He was evaluating multiple angles of everything he said, constantly; one mind would be supporting it, the other disagreeing, the two trying to come to a consensus. "It's rare on Chandrila, but Master Cadon has made his share of enemies over the years, and most people in the household have either motive, opportunity, or both, to look at them."

"Which leaves capability for those who have both." Shi said quietly. "It is a short list, and getting shorter. It dates back to when he was still a Senator. Regular, small amounts over at least a year."

"Are you sure it dates back that far?" He asked her. "From what you're saying, I assume you're implying poison, rather than simply something that's inhibiting his immune system. If he has been poisoned steadily since then, the attack that struck him shortly before his resignation would likely not have improved after he returned to Chandrila."

"Do to the short length of his fur, I can not be sure how long it has been going on, only that it began before his last coat came in." She said simply. "Very small doses. The noticed attack on Coruscant is an anomaly in the pattern. A large dose, not a small one."

"Which would imply it was meant to kill him quickly; his survival since then implies that the poisoner's goal was accomplished when he left," Han decided. "I hope you'll forgive me, but I feel obligated to help when one of my employers is being attacked. I assume that I'm still on the suspect list?" He looked at her with interest in his eyes, though his minds seemed curious, little more.

"Yes," she inclined her head slightly. "Not high on it, but I have nothing that indicates you could not have, other than it is unlikely."

"For what it is worth, I did not," he told her. "I have no particular motive; Cadon and I have typically either agreed or come to agreements on all subjects. Moreover, even if I did have a reason to want Master Cadon dead, I would be far more likely to run him through with a shyarn than to poison him, and would wait to do so until Master Kelith was actually prepared to take over running the family business permanently. I would not leave the children in a poor position to care for themselves."

That much both brains agreed on completely. Shi had a feeling, sad as it was, that the Cerean likely cared more for Kelith and Jen than their biological father did.

"I believe you." She said quietly. "Is there anyone in the house you think may be capable and has motive and opportunity?"

"That I am aware of, Haskit and Lady Biani are the most likely candidates," he said easily. "There are some of the servants who have opportunity and may have been hired by another, but they would have no opportunity that would not have been noticed by another, and my network among them is more extensive than Lady Biani's has a hope of being. If one of them was doing this, I would have heard of it by now."

"What reason does Haskit have?" Shi asked, her interest peaked as the name came up yet again of the one person she hadn't spoken to yet.

"Several," Han explained. "First and foremost, she has already made several business decisions that Master Cadon would not approve of. It is not my position to tell him of them, but I know that when he discovers that she acted against his wishes she will be dismissed from her position. This is more of an issue considering that several of these decisions turned out poorly.

"Second, even if she manages to cover her previous actions, Master Cadon has been keeping tighter reins on the family business. One of the children would be more easily controlled than he is, Jen in particular. If Master Cadon _were_ to die, I would be concerned for Kelith's life next."

"She has regular access to Master Cadon as well." Shi nodded thoughtfully. It confirmed what she already suspected to a point. It was hardly proof, however. "Master Cadon will not die, however. Not while I am here."

"For which all of us but one are grateful," the Cerean said, his lips quirking into a brief smile. "Hopefully that one will be found out before you leave."

"It would be irresponsible of me not to find the cause of his condition," Shi smiled faintly back. 

"Quite true. Though I should warn you; once you find out, you'll have to act fast. If the person behind this finds out you're onto them, they will likely flee before you can do anything."

"I understand," Shi nodded. "It frequently is the case."

"I should leave you to finish your rounds then. If you need any help, or a place to meditate, let me know. I have a kasha crystal in my quarters you may find soothing."

"Thank you," she stood and bowed to him. "It has been most informative."

"Glad to be of assistance. I would still like to know when Master Cadon is ready to speak with me."

"I will let you know." Shi told him easily.

"Force be with you, Lady Jedi," Han said, standing and bowing slightly as she left. Only one left to find; Haskit.

"If you're ready, we're in luck," Kelith told her as he looked at a datapad. "Haskit just got back from a meeting, so she'll have time. I told her we'd be coming soon."

"Good. She is the top suspect according to everyone, to be honest. If she can be kept here, it would be good."

"Without anybody telling her she's a suspect? Only a major storm does that," Kelith said, shaking his head. "Something that'd ground her speeder."

"That can be arranged." Shi said simply.

"I don't think I want to know," he murmured. "You want to talk to her first yet?"

"The storm is gathering; unless she bolts directly from our conversation, it will be difficult for her to leave."

"Very well," he nodded, making a mental note not to call for the weather control satellites to stop the incoming weather.

It wasn't long before Shivasta heard orders being dictated, either to a servant or a droid. The business shorthand flew right over her head, a flurry of acronyms and project names that made talking to Jay about a project sound simple.

Judging by the fact that most of the words she _could_ understand were in bothese, she was sure they were approaching Haskit's room.

When they entered, the brown-and-white furred humanoid raised a hand to signal for a few moments more as she finished her string of orders, reading through a datapad and making decisions based on the information there in a matter of seconds.

"Send report, and shut down," she told the droid as she turned off the datapad and turned to face Kelith and Shivasta.

"Thank you for your patience," she smiled easily, her large ears twitching slightly as she realized that she was facing a Jedi, even if it was a young one. "I'm afraid our business concerns rarely stop just because I'm not in the office."

Shi felt the woman's shields double a fraction of a moment after she was recognized. The surface was all business and a desire to get back to it, under it was something else, but nothing incriminating yet.

"I just need to ask you a few questions, Haskit." Shi said easily. "How long have you worked for Master Cadon?"

"Since before his wife died," the Bothan answered easily. "I've been with the company for close to a decade now. Why?"

"I'm trying to put together a timeline, find out if anything like this has happened before and if you have enough contact with him that your health may be of concern." Shi explained easily. "I am fairly sure it is not contagious, but those who have frequent contact may still be at risk until I figure out what has made him so ill."

"I should be fairly safe then," Haskit chuckled. "My contact with him has been fairly spotty up until recently. I work for him, but we're not the best of friends."

"Do you know of any major arguments, or other stressors that happened about the same time as his illness?" Shi continued.

"Major arguments, no," she said easily. "I've had some disputes with him about business lately, but I don't know that they'd be all that stressful. The usual disputes. He did have an attack like this not long after his wife died; he might simply be reaching the point where age is taking its toll."

"What was that one like?" Shi was suddenly very interested. "Relative to this one, in particular."

"Much more acute, but if it was stress triggered that would make sense," Haskit said, thinking it over. "He was on Coruscant at the time; it was the attack that made him resign. I was here, of course," she shrugged. "I just know that was why he came back."

"I'll look into that then." Shi nodded. "Is there anything you can think of that might be related? Even little things can matter in cases like this. I'd hate to heal him only to have him get sick again because the cause is still there."

"Some of his pet projects were turning out to be bad investments," Haskit explained, her tone conversational, her emotions steady. "We all make mistakes, but with somebody with the major type-A personality he has... well, you can imagine how well he was probably taking the news."

"Yes, I can." Shi nodded easily. She'd already met enough of it to believe the statement if she didn't have a suspicion it was a lie, or at least twisting of the truth.

"I wouldn't think it was the same as his wife's death of course, but it is a source of stress that might be trouble. Weaken the immune system; let all manner of things get through. Too many businesspeople who work themselves to death these days, don't you agree?"

"I can't say I've come across enough of them to know, but every high stress job does have that tendency." Shi nodded, all Healer. "How are you handling it?"

"Frequent relaxation," the Bothan chuckled. "Nothing that interferes with my work, but I make sure I take ample time to myself."

"Good," Shi smiled at her. "You seem to be in the second highest stress job here, after Master Cadon."

"And I _have_ advised that he follow my lead, but I'm afraid he's just too hands-on to do so," Haskit shrugged slightly. "I can't say I'm surprised he's sick."

It was distinctly frustrating that her emotions seemed to back up everything she was saying. To judge strictly by empathy, she wasn't any more likely to try killing Cadon like this than Biani was.

It added up to one thing: someone in this house was an exceptional liar.

What she had was nothing she could take to a court, but she knew where her money was on this one.

"So how is the business doing, other than those bad investments you mentioned?" Shi asked conversationally.

"Fairly well," Haskit said. "Of course, I'll be the first to admit that not everything I've done with it has turned out golden either, but I wouldn't have been with the company as long as I have without running it fairly well, would I?"

"Not with any _smart_ company at least." Shi smiled. Haskit was definitely asking if she agreed far too much. Again, nothing close to proof, but it fed her suspicions. Especially with what Han had said about her being dismissed when her choices were discovered. If that turned out to be true, it would definitely be more than suspicious. "Can you think of anything that might be important?"

"Mmm... no, not that I can think of," Haskit said, shaking her head. "I wish I could be more helpful."

"You have been helpful," Shi said easily and stood. "I will let you return to your work now."

"Thank you," the Bothan nodded, bowing her head slightly. "Good luck, Lady Jedi."

"Thank you." Shi nodded and left, Kelith just behind her.

"She puts my fur on end some days," Kelith muttered as they walked away. "I should probably let you get back to work; I have business to take care of."

"I understand," Shi nodded before they parted. "Thank you for introducing me around."

"You're welcome; I just hope you figure this out," he smiled before disappearing down a hall, leaving her to return to Cadon's locked room and figure this all out as thunder rolled through the sky around the Estate.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Jay stepped into the Council Chamber quickly, knowing that he was about to face another of his Trials. He knew there weren't many left either; he was pretty sure the Trial of Judgment had been passed already, and the rest of them had been fairly simple. The closest he'd come to a challenge was when they'd asked him to tell them what one of the Masters was doing in the gardens. It hadn't been easy, but he'd managed to see it just clearly enough to prove his facility with those particular skills.

All that was left, besides his solo mission, was a test of his knowledge of Jedi Lore. To judge by the Masters sitting and waiting for him, the records setting next to them, they were ready to administer that last Trial.

Like every other trial done in this chamber, he knelt on one knee before them and awaited their timing. He couldn't help but feel that he should have a staff or lance with a banner on it, positioned like this. He could no longer remember _where_ that memory-image came from or what it was, but it was a persistent one.

"Padawan Clawson, it is the decision of this Council that you have completed nearly all of your Trials to our satisfaction," Master Shan explained. "Your actions during the recent attack on the Kallarak Amphitheater have proven your judgment in adverse circumstances, and there are only two tests remaining for you. A suitable solo mission is being sought for even now, but before this you must prove that your studies of Jedi Lore have been fruitful. We will ask you several questions in succession; you must answer them to our satisfaction to pass. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Master Shan." Jay inclined his head slightly to the elder Doberman.

"We will begin with Master Kareth," the Doberman said, nodding towards the tri-colored Grey Vixen.

"When should a lightsaber be ignited?" She asked Jay pointedly.

"When one is practicing or prepared to take a life." Jay answered easily.

Master Dyba was the next one to speak up, shifting her horned head slightly, her red and white horn markings moving disquietingly.

"A Jedi Master once counseled his Padawan to be wary of a sect of Sith on Onderon. Despite his advice, the Padawan in question went undercover with them. Who was the Master, why did his Padawan defy his advice, and what was the outcome?"

"Master Arca Jeth. Ulic Qel-Droma wanted to stop the Force Users responsible for Jeth's death. He was turned to the Dark Side by the sect before he was able to stop them."

"What does the prophecy of the Chosen One mean?" Master Bas'rath asked him, her dark golden eyes sharp as she watched him.

"That the Force refuses to remain out of balance, regardless of the wishes and efforts of mortals." Jay answered. "Time will produce a Sensitive that will bring it back into balance, either by bringing the Dark Side back into equal power, by knocking the Light Side down to where the Dark is, or by obliterating both sides to bring it back to it's natural state as a force of nature."

"What is the most favorable outcome of a battle?" Master Surool asked him.

"When your opponent surrenders before anyone is seriously injured." Jay barely had to think about it beyond putting words to what he knew.

"What, then, is the ideal weapon?" Master Shan asked him.

"Your wits, words. The most successful battle is the one that does not actually happen."

"What emotions are threats to a Jedi's control?" Master Noloth asked him.

"Strong ones." Jay replied simply.

"What is the difference between the Light and Dark side of the Force?" Master Essani asked him. Of course his Master would ask him the riskiest question.

"The Dark side is destructive energy. The Light side is the energy of life."

"Thank you, Padawan Clawson," Master Shan nodded. "We will confer, and your Master will inform you of the results of this Trial shortly."

"Yes, Master Shan." Jay inclined his head before he stood and left, leaving the Council to discuss his answers.

"* _He did well, for his first attempt,_ *" Master Essani said. "* _Not perfectly, but well._ *"

"What I want to know is _where_ he got that interpretation on the prophecy." Master Bas'rath shook her boxy feline head.

"* _It is not a wholly impossible interpretation,_ *" Essani pointed out. "* _You simply need to believe that 'balanced' is a state of neutrality between Light and Dark._ *"

"Are you defending his answer, Master Essani?" Master Noloth asked her pointedly.

"* _No,_ *" the Kushiban said, shaking her head. "* _His interpretation was wrong; I simply believe he is giving_ his _interpretation, rather than an intentionally heretical one. His stance has always been closer to a Potentiate view of the Force._ *"

"Has he shown an interest in following their path?" Master Krry'nnu asked, his dark brown feathers fluffing in displeasure.

"* _Hardly,_ *" Essani said. "* _Any inclinations towards that path that he had were largely eliminated after he encountered Meskin on Korriban. He is a little more prone to violence than I would like, but that is all._ *"

"And prone to powerful emotions of several sorts," Master Noloth pointed out. "His dislike of Rodians has lessened, but it is still a dangerous situation when he encounters one, to say nothing of that thing in his head."

"* _He has proven able to control it quite effectively, even under duress._ *" Master Essani pointed out. "* _Those powerful emotions are what keep him on the Light side as much as he is._ *"

"As long as they do not go badly," Master Noloth conceded.

"I believe we all agree that Padawan Clawson's answers were not sufficient to warrant a passing result of this Trial," Master Shan said, bringing the subject back to the salient issue. "Are there any here who believe that his answers were sufficiently off-base or indicative that he should not be allowed to retake this Trial at a later date?" He asked, looking at Masters Noloth and Bas'rath in particular.

Master Bas'rath shook her head. "He needs to study, but he was not that far off."

"I agree," Master Noloth said. "It is unusual for a prospective Knight to fail on that particular question, but he did well enough with the others. However, someone should suggest that he work on his phrasing and explanations in the future. When he has a Padawan of his own, he will likely face more persistent inquiries than ours."

"* _I will make sure he is informed then, if there are no objections,_ *" Essani said, noting that there were no additional ones. "* _I will let the Council know when he is ready to try again._ *"

* * *

Fenrik came back from his class a few minutes later to find Jay doing his best to wear a hole through the floor of their room and _not_ punch a hole in the wall.

Master Essani hadn't been kidding when she said he'd need some calming down.

"Hey Jay, what's wrong?" He asked, hoping he'd get the younger tom's attention.

"I don't _believe_ I screwed up a Trial like this." He muttered, his tail lashing in a display that the public would never see. "I _know_ the right answers."

"Woah, hang on, what happened?" Fenrik asked him, not sure if he should try and stop the pacing or just watch him. "What do you mean, screwed it up?"

"Lore. I know the answers they want to hear." He muttered and turned to face his long-time mate, his body keyed up but the Force-energy around him surprisingly clean of the Darkness his agitation all but invited. "Instead of their answers, I gave the truth I know. I _know_ better than that."

"Shh, it's okay," Fenrik said, moving to hug Jay and felt him lean into it, relaxing surprisingly fast. Even after all the years of watching and feeling how quickly Jay responded to a mate's touch, it still hit him hard to be reminded just how much power he and Shi had over Jay's state. A palpable reminder of exactly why the Council bent so many Temple rules and norms for them. It was a reminder, too, of how much trust Jay had in them to stay with those who had that kind of power over him. "They've got a way of making you do that. It's not something they do consciously, but it's _damned_ hard to give an answer like that when you're facing the Council. Remember? I didn't pass that one the first time either."

"Yeah, I remember." Jay murmured, still upset with himself, but the physical manifestation was bleeding away almost as quickly as it had come. "They're never going to like what I have to say."

"You know what it was you slipped up on?" He asked, guiding Jay towards one of the large chairs with little difficulty.

"The interpretation of the Chosen One prophecy." He sat down as the remainder of his frustration bleed away to a dull irritation. "Maybe others, but I know I'm way off the standard belief there."

"Ouch," Fenrik winced slightly. "Well, they might fail you for that one the first time around, but I don't think they're going to bar you from becoming a Jedi _just_ for that. After all, it's not like the Chosen One prophecy is _that_ huge a part of a Knight's life."

"No," he murmured in agreement. "Not unless he's found in the next few decades."

"And if he is, we'll probably have bigger things to worry about than you thinking he isn't necessarily on our side," Fenrik nodded, kissing him lightly. "You'll be okay, I'm sure."

"With our luck, I'll end up teaching him." Jay made a face, though he snickered too.

"Nah," Fenrik smirked, "I'll end up teaching him, you'll end up being the Master he _wanted_ to have instead of the stick in the mud Panther."

"Oh, as if _any_ Padawan _any_ of us take won't end up with two part-time Masters." Jay kissed him with a snicker.

"We'll have to coordinate so we don't confuse them too much," Fenrik chuckled. "Mmm ... feeling better?"

"Yeah," he sighed and relaxed against his mate's broad chest. "Still irritates me."

"S'okay," Fenrik murmured, kissing his forehead softly. "You handled it pretty well, if you ask me. You'd usually get a lot more pissed off than you did."

"I guess I'm growing up," Jay murmured softly.

"Mmm ... that's a good thing, in my book," Fenrik pointed out, rubbing his back softly as Jay began to purr lightly.

"* _Is he in a mood to talk?_ *" Master Essani asked from outside the door.

"* _I think so. Just gonna give him a little warning,_ *" Fenrik told her.

"Master Essani wants to know if you're up to talking, probably about the Trial," he told Jay. "Want to tell the door to let her in, or make her press the button herself?" He asked with a chuckle.

"I'm okay," he chuckled weakly and sat up, straightening his robes as the door opened and Master Essani walked in.

"* _The Council discussed your performance today, Jay. You did very well, given how late you came to the Order and your training, but we've agreed that you should retake this Trial._ *"

He nodded, not the least bit surprised. "I expected as much, Master."

"* _You are aware of why?_ *" She asked him, hopping up onto a seat. "* _It would be a good sign if you were._ *"

"I know at least one question I answered incorrectly according to the norm." He nodded. "The Chosen One prophecy. Others I could have answered better."

"* _The prophecy was the primary point, yes,_ *" Essani agreed. "* _Master Noloth would like you to work on your explanations, but as I remember his last Padawan took twelve hours to complete the Trial to his satisfaction. Twelve very, very long hours,_ *" she said, ruffling her fur distastefully. "* _You'll have to meditate on the prophecy and the writings about it for some time before we try again,_ *" she told him. 

They'd already discussed it several times, debates that could get quite heated, and never managed to make any major progress either way.

"I understand, Master." He inclined his head respectfully.

They all knew he would too. He would do his best.

Just as they all knew it wouldn't help.

* * *

* * *

* * *

"Mmm ... I don't suppose I'm well enough to be off broth yet," Cadon said as he woke up and sat up a week later. He was doing better since the treatments and healing had started.

Unfortunately, Shi wasn't doing too much better at finding proof that Haskit was behind this. She was sure it was her, but there wasn't any additional evidence, and every lead led to a dead end before she found real proof.

"Not a great variety, but some solids are in the soup today." She smiled easily at him and retrieved a flavorful mostly-broth soup with vegetables and small meat pieces in it. "You are doing much better, medically."

"Thank you," he nodded, taking the bowl that he could now eat on his own from. "Medically?"

"The sickness in your house is no closer to being solved." Shi admitted. "I know who I believe is responsible, but I have no proof."

"Proof is only for courts," Cadon pointed out. "And I have resources you do not. Who is it you suspect?"

"Haskit." She said simply. "She is the only one with means, opportunity and motive if my investigation and Han are to be believed. I do believe him."

"Good to know," he nodded. "I can trust him at least. I have to admit, I'm probably least surprised that Haskit is behind this. She runs the business well, but I've disapproved several of her proposals for acquisitions and new lines since returning from Coruscant. It's still not rational," he muttered, shaking his head. "And no proof?"

"Apparently she's done a great deal more than just propose things you would not approve of, if you look through the business records carefully." Shi told him, clueless as to what to look for but sure he'd find it easily when pointed the right way. "No, I have found no proof; she lies incredibly well and I still have not uncovered how you were poisoned. I can find out for sure, but that involves delving much deeper into her mind than I have any right to yet."

"A request is insufficient, I assume?" Cadon asked her.

"Correct." She nodded quietly. "There is simply not enough to justify violating her mind to that extend."

"Then we will have to fi-" Cadon was interrupted by a cry from the other room.

"Jedi!" One of the servants burst into the room, grabbing hold of the door as it slid open and pushing it aside. "Forgive the intrusion, but Lady Jen just collapsed! Just like Master Cadon's attack!"

Shi kept her curse very much to herself as she all but flew to the door, getting the servant out of the way so she could lock it before making the same graceful haste to where she knew the young woman had fallen from the servant's thoughts.

Even without that guidance, it wouldn't have been hard. Beyond the sense of concern and panic she was feeling from the servants, the crowd she could see was more than enough to guide her.

"Everybody back!" Kelith ordered the servants as he approached from another room. "Give her room!" He clearly hadn't found out until Shi had.

The servants moved back, and he was at his sister's side, checking that she was still breathing and looking up at Shivasta.

"Not as bad as Father was," he told her, though his concern was still clear as Shi knelt and instantly focused on her new patient.

"Find out what she has done in the last few hours, whom she was near." Shi told him as she shifted her attention to healing as much damage as she could. The woman's health was her first concern, but she was keenly aware that the body she was tending almost certainly contained evidence they needed.

"She only woke up a little while ago, Lady Jedi," one of the servants said softly.

"Find out what she's done since then, and why she was sleeping so late," Kelith ordered them firmly. "We need to know what started this." He moved off, hurrying to guide the servants towards finding what they needed.

As the emotional turmoil in the area faded, Shi became more keenly aware of a single set of strong, unguarded ones that she could feel even without focusing on her empathy. Shock, confusion... and guilt.

Looking up, she saw a brown-furred leg disappear around the corner. Not the slender body of a Mouse, but a Bothan's stockier frame.

"Gotcha." Shi whispered to herself and turned her entire attention to fixing the damage.

* * *

"Lady Jedi, do you need anything?" A servant's uncertain voice drew her attention upwards as she finished what she could on the floor of the hallway. Jen would be fine, but the more advanced symptoms were all there. She must have been hiding the early symptoms and nausea.

"Yes," she nodded. "I need Kelith here."

"Yes ma'am," the servant nodded, hurrying off. It wasn't even a minute before the older Mouse was there.

"What's going on?" He asked, kneeling on the other side of his sister, looking down at her. "Do you need any help moving her?"

"Yes, and I needed it to be someone I'm sure of." She nodded. "She will need the support and treatments your father is getting, but for now she is stable and should be in a _clean_ bed, not her own."

"I know a place," he nodded. "We've got a room that's been sealed for a while; nobody's been in there for years." He shifted to help pick up the slender Mouse, grunting a bit as he took most of her weight. "Father's about ready to have Haskit skinned alive," he warned Shi.

"I'm not surprised." She nodded grimly. "Is there anyone in the house even somewhat trained in collecting evidence? There is likely some still on Jen's body and clothes, possibly in her bed."

"Not as far as I know," he said, shaking her head. "Though I think we could get one of the droids to at least collect it all. They wouldn't recognize it as evidence, but they're very thorough when you ask them to clean something."

"Good enough." She nodded. "I'm looking for something not hers that has the arsenic on it. Something to give probable cause to find the truth in Haskit's mind."

"Once we have her down I'll program the orders," he nodded as thunder rolled in the snowy sky. "It's weird, that storm lasting all this time," he murmured.

"It will last as long as it is needed." Shi told him simply. She was just glad she'd learned to harness that ability before this mission.

"Why would Haskit try to kill Jen?" He asked quietly as they moved his Sister to a safe room. "They've always gotten along, as far as I could tell."

"It was an accident." She shook her head and double-checked her work now that the young woman was lying in a bed. "Mostly likely from trying to poison your father."

"I'll go prepare the droids and then have Haskit held," he told Shi, standing to leave. "You might not have proof yet, but we don't need it for this."

"I understand. Jen is stable, but it is important to begin the treatments as soon as possible. The medical droid has the programming already. Once Haskit is secured, I will lift the storm so the supplies can be brought in."

"Good," he nodded, not bothering to ask how she was going to lift the storm, chalking it up to the fact she was a Jedi as he started keying in orders for the cleaning droids to pull what they could from his sister's room.

"Now to - somebody just left the main house," he said as a security light blinked on the console. "Not sure, but I'm willing to bet it's Haskit if she really did this."

"Lock anything down you can. She won't get far." Shi sat down and closed her eyes, focusing her will on the storm around them and called on it to pick up it's ferocity as much as possible without doing serious damage to the buildings.

Kelith pulled out a comlink, keying it on.

"Droids in the hangar," he ordered, "engage lockdown procedures. There is an intruder on the estate. Anybody attempting to access the hangar must be restrained.

"Security droids; apprehend Haskit Ral'dren. She is to be held pending an investigation into the conditions of Cadon and Jen Odona." He turned off the comlink, walking out of the room.

"I should have done this a week ago," he murmured.

* * *

"We have her," Kelith told Shivasta, snapping her meditation on the storm. She let it fade away, rubbing the back of her neck slightly as she stood. Keeping it so intense for as long as she had wasn't easy. She saw that the Mouse was cloaked, his fur matted by the rain, his clothes still dripping slightly. He looked strangely ridiculous, the serious expression on his face contrasting sharply with his wet, bedraggled appearance. She could only imagine what Haskit looked like now.

"Thank you," Shi nodded and paused, allowing the storm to fade away naturally. "The sky will clear in a few hours."

"My wife will thank you for that later, I imagine," he chuckled slightly, looking tired. "Is Jen still as well as when I left?"

Shi turned, touching her briefly to check. "Yes. She will be fine in a few weeks."

"Then let's see if Haskit's willing to talk about what the hell she's been doing," Kelith said. "Han's watching her now. She put up a bit of a fight, but when we got her inside she stopped."

"Good." Shi nodded wearily and followed him to a small room not far away with two large droids near the door as guards. Inside, she could hear Han and Haskit arguing.

Well... Haskit sounded like she was arguing. Han sounded surprisingly calm.

"I _told_ you I didn't poison Jen!" The Bothan shouted.

"Then what were you feeling guilty about when Jen collapsed?" Shi asked calmly but pointedly.

"* _I_ didn't poison her," Haskit glowered. "What happened to her was accidental."

"In case nobody told you, poisoning somebody accidentally is still poisoning them," Kelith growled, his voice low and menacing.

"Not in the context she views it," Han said, shaking his head. "Though I'd be interested to hear how she intends to defend her actions towards Master Cadon."

"If you intend to accuse me of poisoning him," the Bothan sneered, "you'd best be able to say _how_ I did it."

Thinking about it, Shivasta was able to do just that, or at least have a good idea. She couldn't be sure until somebody went through the material being collected from Jen's room, but it all made sense. Cadon hadn't been poisoned through his food, that much was clear, but arsenic could be inhaled as well.

And Bothans built up immunity to heavy metal poisoning more quickly than most other species. There was one way the poison could have been delivered in a form Cadon could have inhaled that nobody would think to check for. And, more importantly, one that explained how Jen would have been poisoned more slowly.

If Haskit had powdered her fur lightly, she could have poisoned Cadon with handshakes and innocent hugs, then cleaned up before anybody else received a significant amount. But, if she didn't clean well enough, her lover would receive a larger, more infrequent dose.

"Proof will be coming soon enough," Shi said simply. "And your own mind will confirm it."

"And when it does, you're going to have a long time to think about whether or not it's better to be spending time on a prison colony than dealing with my Father running _his_ business," Kelith muttered.

"It's always about what's his, isn't it?" Haskit muttered. "His career, his business, his sons, his choices, _his_ daughter? Han raised all three of you while Cadon went to play Senator on Coruscant. But Cadon's the one who threw Shanin out when he had the nerve to make a choice of his own. _I_ ran the family business, kept it growing that whole time when all he cared about were the numbers. Now I'm supposed to bow down to _his_ choices?"

"It is the job you were hired for," Han pointed out. "Just as mine was to see to the house and his family while he was gone."

"And you never wanted to watch him pay for treating that family like they were _things_ instead of people?" Haskit growled.

"I believe that's enough, Lady Jedi?" The Cerean asked, suddenly looking over at Shivasta.

"I expect so." She nodded with a sharp eye for Haskit. "She has said more than enough."

"Whatever proof you might try to pry out of my head doesn't mean a _thing_ , Jedi," Haskit pointed out. "It's no more than testimony without proof."

"You seem to forget what knowledge can lead to." Shi said simply and gently began prying into the Bothan's mind. "Your supplies, the how, when ... you may be immune to the effects of arsenic, but it will still be absorbed by your body, into your fur. Minor imperfections in its composition can be matched. You might be surprised what a good lab can come up with."

"And you might be surprised what constitutes a good defense," Haskit pointed out. "A shame how these things happen sometimes."

"If you think you're going to get out of this, you're very wrong," Kelith told her darkly. "I'm going to go see to Father and Jen," he said, turning and stalking out of the room.

Shivasta was able to find what she needed... most of it, at least. Enough to prove that she _had_ done it, when and how... but not where it would be found. That was something she was keeping her mind well and truly away from.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Doruth sat quietly, meditating in a more classic position. With the cubs around, it wasn't safe to meditate the way he usually did, not in their quarters.

Besides, this was just daily meditation, not something more serious.

"Mewoof!"

Fortunately, not something more serious. It was hard enough to meditate on things like that normally. With two hybrid Panther-Wolf cubs using him as the focal point of a game of 'king of the hill,' it would be somewhat trickier.

One of his ears flicked instinctively as Abayomi licked at it curiously... and promptly decided that the furry, fast-moving object was _obviously_ potentially edible.

Doruth's sharp canines clamped down over his lower lip as any chance of meditating was eliminated by his daughter's own canines, needle-sharp in her youth, sank into his ear.

"* _Tes,_ *" he called out to his mate mentally. "* _Get the medkit and something for the cubs to eat, please?_ *"

"Now kids, Mom is the only one who gets to eat him." She chided the pair with a chuckle and got up from the table to fetch the medical kit for her mate and something else for the cubs to play with.

"I don't think you're helping," he called after her, reaching up to grab his bleeding ear as Abayomi released it and bounded after her mother, just behind her brother. A moment's focus and the bleeding stopped, leaving him to clean his hand off quickly while Tes returned with the medkit to deal with the dribble down his ear.

"You could try warning me when one of them's about to do that," he chuckled slightly, shaking his head. Aggravating as it could be, he had to admit that it was strangely cute as well.

"You're supposed to be perfectly still when meditating," she chuckled and kissed him lightly. "I have advised you to do that in a locked room for a reason."

"I'm _supposed_ to be in tune with the flow of the Force," he mock-grumbled, returning the kiss. "Still is optional." He flicked his tail as Nasim came bounding back in, tumbling over as he was distracted by the moving tail and his sister ran into him from behind.

"We have _got_ to get those two brakes," he chuckled.

"That'll come with age. About the time they're ready to learn not to stalk the long-tailed rabbits we've got around here." She winked and tossed a hovering, flashing ball into the air to give the pair something to focus on chasing around their quarters.

 

"At least Master Essani's used to it by now," he chuckled. "Y'know, I'm beginning to think the kaminoans might've been right. I don't remember having to remind the pups not to try and eat me."

"Because _they_ weren't feline." Tes smirked. "There's a _reason_ the saying 'curiosity killed the cat' has been around so long. These two are just far more curious about the world and have much sharper implements to explore it with."

"And to climb it with," he chuckled ruefully; looking back at the tufts their claws had torn in his robes as they'd climbed him. "Well, at least we know they're healthy."

"Like there was a chance of anything else." She chuckled and scritched his jaw.

"Mmm ... true," he chuckled, moving out of the way as the hover-ball moved through, followed shortly by its pursuers. "Though weird things can happen with cross-species cubs." He stepped close to kiss her, rubbing her back lightly even as her ears perked up, followed a moment later by both cubs charging towards the door.

"Pack's back." Tes warned him with a wink just before the door opened to four Wolves who were more than happy to be assaulted by the cubs. Nasim and Abayomi both sniffed and licked at the returning Wolves, doing their best to pay equal attention to all four and getting the attention on return.

"Welcome back," Doruth said, the two adults joining the fray, though somewhat more restrained than the cubs were. He was even getting used to the intensity of Wolven welcomes to a point.

"Good to _be_ back." Tulgwar grinned and hugged him with a nuzzle of affection.

"Yeah, looks like you had fun cub sitting." Fazer smirked and scooped up Abayomi to nuzzle her and get licked in return.

"Just watch your ears," Doruth chuckled. "They're nibbly today. So, how'd it go?" He asked, moving to let them in.

"Simple extraction." Tulgwar grinned at him as the six adults and two cubs settled on the living room floor to be playfully mauled by the youngest members. "It took longer to get out there than do the job."

"Gonna have to be careful about you guys getting sent out on missions without me," Doruth chuckled. "You'll end up deciding I'm just slowing you down like this, then where will I be?"

"Stuck at home tending pups." Tes smirked with a kiss.

"You're not helping," he smirked, kissing her back. "So, no trouble with my old 'friends'?"

"Nothing that qualified as trouble," Tulgwar chuckled darkly. "We met a few of them though."

"Judging by that chuckle, I'm guessing they gave you excuses to say 'hi' for me?" He asked, picking up Nasim and petting him lightly as the cub mewed for some attention.

"And an excuse to leave a few less people on Nar Shaddaa that remember you." Fazer smirked. "Dugs crackle nicely."

"Flugo?" Doruth chuckled darkly. "Party line says I should be lecturing you guys, but for him I'll make an exception. Had it coming on several levels. Heck, he made _me_ look stable back when I showed up there the first time. Lemme guess; he was one of the bounty hunters the Hutts hired to take out the target?"

"Yap, only decided that we would be worth a bonus." Hegrin actually chuckled while she entertained Abayomi with a moving finger.

"Silly Dug had no idea what he was getting into." Tulgwar grinned and stretched out on the floor, happy to be home.

"They usually don't," Doruth smirked as Nasim hopped out of his arms and plopped down onto Tulgwar's firm stomach. "Think the cubs missed their extended family."

"Of course they did." Tulgwar grinned and ruffled Nasim's ears, earning a purring woof as the male cub batted at his hand playfully. "We missed them too."

"And they're not the only ones who missed you," Doruth chuckled. "So, I spent the past couple weeks here helping Tes cub-sit, and all you guys have for details is 'it went well'? Spill," he smirked, pressing up against Tes as the Pack worked on giving a report despite the best attempts of the hybrid cubs to distract them.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Jay focused on the questions he'd been answering from the Council. This was his second run through this Trial, and he was sure he'd answered the questions right so far, even expanding on his explanations as he'd been told to do. So far, nobody had hit him with the question he knew they were going to, but there were a couple left to go.

"What is the source of the Force?" Master Surool asked him.

"There is no one source," he began simply. This was one aspect of the Force that he did agree with them on without hedging. "It is a natural aspect of reality; energy fields produced by the existence of the universe and the life within it."

"* _Explain the nature of the Chosen One prophecy,_ *" Master Essani told him.

Jay bit his tongue, struggling between what he knew they believed and what he believed from his own experience, and every Councilor knew it before he spoke.

"It is believed that the Chosen One will bring balance to the Force by bringing the Light Side back into power." He said quietly.

It was as clear that they were as surprised he'd said it as that they knew he didn't mean it deep down. And yet, it _was_ a fairly minor part of the Jedi beliefs.

"Padawan Clawson," Master Shan said after a few moments, "you are aware that the Council knows you do not truly believe this, correct?"

"Yes, Master Shan." He inclined his head slightly and let go of the fight to assert his will over their power over him. "I phrased it as I did because I do not believe the standing interpretation that favors the Light Side is correct. The base assumption it makes that the Dark Side is in ascension now is not one I can agree with."

"And if it is when the Chosen One is found?" Master Noloth asked him.

"You are still basing your belief in a 'could be-may be-want it to be' that does not apply to _now_." He looked at the old lizard. "The prophecy itself makes no mention of which way the balance is tipped when the Chosen One appears; only that it will be corrected by this Chosen One. For all that it _says_ , the Jedi could be the side destroyed as easily as it could be the Sith or another party."

There was a long, quiet moment when it seemed like Noloth and several of the other Masters were about to advise throwing Jay out on his ear. At the same time, while his delivery left much to be desired, they all realized that it was strictly true.

Fortunately, before the silent feud had a chance to cause any more trouble, Master Shan decided to end it.

"Your interpretation then is that whichever side is in ascendance will be brought back to the level of the other, assuming that either side survives," Master Shan said, bringing the wording to a more neutral phrasing. "Is this correct?"

"Yes, Master Shan." Jay inclined his head.

"This is an acceptable interpretation," the Doberman nodded. "Padawan Clawson, you have passed this Trial, and all the Trials of Knighthood save one. We are currently working to arrange a mission that will test your skills as a full Jedi Knight; when we have, you will be called before us again."

"Yes, Masters." Jay stood smoothly and left without a trace of a reaction to being informed he had passed.

"He is still insolent." Master Noloth grumbled.

"No, he is bright, inquisitive, strong willed and you asked him." Master Charn almost smirked. "He is very respectful, but do not ask him if you do not want to know what he really thinks."

"Which will not always be a direct answer to the question at hand," Master Kareth said. "Tact is not his strongest suit, but that is something many of us can say. I believe it is time for us to hear the report from Master Ursal and Padawan Shivasta?"

"Quite," Master Surool agreed. "Fortunately, this meeting should prove less stressful than some of the others we've had today."

"* _Definitely,_ *" Master Essani agreed, grateful they'd managed to find common ground with Jay on that point of philosophy. He still wasn't in the greatest of moods, but it was better than the last time. It felt very different from last time too. He'd been angry with himself then. This time, he seemed almost ... numb.

It worried her, almost more than the last time had. It wasn't anything resembling a normal response, much less what she'd come to expect from her fiery student.

The door slid open, letting Shivasta and Ursal into the Council chamber, where both bowed their heads respectfully.

"Report, Padawan Shivasta," Master Shan told the Ice Walker simply.

"As ordered, I took a transport to Chandrila to respond to a request for treatment by the Odona family," she explained, looking up at the Councilors. She looked different than she usually did when asked to report on a mission; normally, she would be uncertain, hold back, and basically act very much like the majority of Padawans did. This time, she gave her report with the simple confidence they expected of a Knight.

"The initial report of illness turned out to be incorrect," she explained. "Cadon Odona, patriarch of the family, was actually a victim of heavy metal poisoning. After I began treatment, I started to investigate the circumstances surrounding his poisoning."

"This was beyond the parameters of your mission," Master Kareth pointed out softly.

"Perhaps, but necessary to truly complete it," Shivasta said. "Without discovering the means by which he was poisoned, he would likely fall victim to it again once I had left, and others in his household were at risk.

"I conducted my investigation primarily by means of interviews, and determined that the most likely suspect was Haskit Ral'dren, a Bothan managing Cadon's business affairs. Unfortunately, I did not have sufficient evidence to prove that she was behind it for some time.

"After a week of helping Cadon recover, his daughter collapsed, exhibiting the same symptoms as her father. I began treating her, and her brother decided to act on my findings despite the lack of proof. He had Haskit taken into custody by the house security droids. During her interrogation, she gave us sufficient information to determine how and why she had done what she did.

"She had dusted her fur with low doses of arsenic, poisoning Cadon and accidentally poisoning his daughter. Her motive was a combination of fear that Cadon would have her dismissed from her position, and frustration with how he controlled his business and family.

"With this information, we were able to go to the Chandrilan authorities with the case. The Odona family is ensuring that charges are pressed once the remaining evidence is collected, and both victims had recovered by the time I left Chandrila for Coruscant." She finished with out a trace of her very strong desire to go find out what was wrong with her mate showing even in her surface thoughts. He'd barely nodded to her when they had passed in the waiting room, and that just wasn't right. Even in public he was normally more affectionate than that.

The feelings from him were disturbing as well. Hard to name, and very unusual.

"Well done, Knight Shivasta." Master Shan smiled slightly to her. "You have proven yourself a capable Jedi Knight."

"Thank you," she said, bowing her head again. "Has the Council considered the request I made prior to leaving on this mission?"

"* _We have,_ *" Master Essani nodded. "* _And you may return to Garosh for the ceremony, along with Padawan Clawson if he is willing._ *"

"* _And if you can find out what's wrong with him,_ *" she added, shielding the thought tightly.

"Thank you," the new Knight nodded. "I will find out." With that, she turned to leave and find Jay.

She would have found out even without Essani's request.

"* _Jay?_ *" She called out mentally, riding the lift down the Council Spire. "* _Want to talk?_ *"

"* _Not much to talk about._ *" He shrugged mentally. "* _I passed. I'm dealing with old stuff now._ *"

"* _Anything you want to talk about?_ *" She asked him gently as the lift reached the proper level and she stepped out. "* _I've got some time._ *"

"* _It's nothing you haven't heard before._ *" He told her, his mind far too quiet as numbness gave way to the soft pain of feeling isolated. "* _Nothing new. They just reminded me how much I don't belong here._ *"

She walked through the halls to the gardens she knew he'd be in; the favored koi pond he'd spent so many hours at over the years.

"You've handled that before though," she pointed out softly, sitting down next to him. "Something about this one feels different."

"I shouldn't have passed." He said without looking up, his finger moving mindlessly on the water's surface. "They didn't ask the question I can't answer right. No one asked me about the nature of the Force, the Light and Dark sides."

"And you still look at it differently than any Jedi," she said softly, shifting to lay down next to him, watching the absent-minded patterns he was tracing, wondering if he might be drawing something from his youth. "It doesn't feel right to you, and they let you through because they didn't think to ask the right question."

"And they don't know I have no intention of training a Padawan, where it would matter." He closed his eyes briefly. "I can't help but wonder if I'm on the right side of this mess."

"Compared to what?" She asked, reaching over to scratch his back lightly, discreetly massaging points along his body that would help him relax slightly.

"Compared to what I know is going to happen." Jay murmured and let his eyes shut. "What I know reality wants to happen. The Force wants to be healed, to be whole again. I can feel how unnatural the split is when I let myself. The Jedi are even more opposed to healing it than the Darksiders are."

"I suppose that depends on the Darksider," Shi admitted. "I haven't met many of them. But if it really is the will of the Force that the Light and Dark sides become one, then it will happen, Jay. And the Jedi will be working towards it, even if they don't realize it."

"Faith is a wonderful thing, Shi, for those who have it." He sighed. "I'm just not one of them."

"That's one of the wonderful things about faith in this," she smiled slightly, shifting to give him a gentle kiss. "It's the faith of other Jedi in the will of the Force that will guide them towards it. They will do what they are supposed to, because _they_ believe they are supposed to. It's the nature of the beast, you might say."

"It's still faith," Jay murmured. "It's not in my nature to just accept it'll happen. It's just not what Clawsons are. We're the instigators and rabble-rousers, the ones who intervene and finish trouble. No matter how much I'm supposed to give it up, I'm a Clawson first. I see a problem and it riles until I do something about it. It's just what we are."

"Maybe you are doing something about it," she offered. "Maybe not actively, but you make people think about things. Actually stop and think about them. Sometimes, that's enough; it might not change immediately, but given time...." She dipped her own finger into the pond, the ripples the contact sent out disturbing his own, stopping some and redirecting others.

"Maybe," he consented, though he wasn't all that sure of it. "Just really subtle for a Clawson."

"But it's the way you make lasting changes," she pointed out. "Revolt can change things, can even change them in the long run, but more often they return to normal once those who led the rebellion are gone, at least around here."

He nodded, not really sure how to respond. It went against his instincts and heritage as he knew it, but it was very much in line with the universe he found himself in.

It made his head hurt to think about it too much, and he still didn't feel any sense of accomplishment at passing his Trials.

He had to wonder if becoming a Knight would feel this hollow a victory as well.

"How about a new topic?" Shi suggested, nuzzling his cheek. He didn't respond much, but he was getting back to a more normal mood.

"All right," he looked at her.

"Before I left on my solo, I asked the Council if they would allow me to undergo a rite of passage back home if I was successful," she explained. "They've agreed, so I'm probably going to be taking a trip to Garosh some time soon." She rubbed his back lightly.' "The ritual would normally involve having my first mate there with me," she told him. "Since you're not a Walker, it's not required, but... if you're willing, I'd appreciate it," she smiled softly.

"They don't care about the technicalities?" Jay asked quietly, looking at her. "That we aren't mates legally, and we can't have kids?"

"They'll accept a mate of the same sex," she pointed out. "Children aren't the key issue there; that you can do with other bedmates. It's the relationship, the bond we have. We might not be mates legally, but if they'll accept you being there, and they probably will, it means they've accepted you as my mate."

"Then I'll be there." He promised, not even caring at the moment about the possibility that his Master might object.

Shivasta was just glad that she'd checked _before_ asking him. It shouldn't have surprised her, his loyalties were in an odd order for a Jedi but very well set: his beliefs, his mates, his Master, the Order, the law.

"Good," she smiled. "The transport will be leaving in a few days. Fenrik's class is going to be keeping him here, but I think he'll understand."

"It won't be the first time one of us got left behind." He tried to smile. "It won't be the last."

"Thank you, Jay," she said, hugging him. "It means a lot to me. It might be dangerous there," she admitted. "I'm not entirely sure how things will be going when we get there."

"All the more reason for me to come." He rumbled softly and drew her close, the protectiveness he felt towards his family's heart and healer burning everything else to a cinder without even trying.

* * *

Master Essani was settling into her quarters after several more too-long hours of meetings after Shi had left to talk to Jay. Even after ten years of them together, and knowing Jay for almost fourteen, it still amazed her to experience how quickly either of his mates could bring her Padawan back to center, sometimes without even trying. She'd accepted his words on the subject, but the first few times it had happened, she was certain someone must have used a suggestion or something on him, except that she knew no one had.

She knew before he buzzed that he was at the door, and had it open for him as she stood up and hopped to a location where she could be at eye-level without him laying on the ground. He still sat down, polite as ever.

"Are you all right?" She asked him, hoping not to move directly into the conversation directly.

"Yes, Master." He inclined his head slightly.

She could tell he was still disturbed, but not nearly as badly as he had been before.

"Can you tell me what the problem was?" She asked him with a chirp, her fur a light grey. "Your reaction wasn't anything like what we expected."

"I think too much sometimes, Master." Jay murmured. "I haven't been reminded so bluntly of how different some of my views are in a long time. It made me question if I am doing the right thing in becoming a Jedi."

"Have you come to a decision?" She asked him. She knew full well that his beliefs _were_ different, sometimes dangerously so.

"Yes, Master." He said softly but firmly. "I follow my heart. I will follow the path of the Jedi."

She wasn't surprised to hear it; he wasn't prone to leaving behind something he'd worked at, and he'd worked at this for over twelve years, more than half his life.

"How do you intend to deal with the difference in your views and the Order's?" She asked rather pointedly. It would be humiliating to them both if he could not answer this properly, but she had to make sure he really could do what she said he could.

"It has come up rarely in the fourteen years I have been here, Master." He reminded her politely. "I have no intention of taking a Padawan or teaching a class that I do not agree with. As a Knight, I have the right to hold an opposing view on things like the prophecy if I can back it up. Debates are held regularly among the Knights and Masters after all."

"They are," she agreed. "What about the more fundamental differences? Your views of the Light and Dark side in particular?"

"They have not hampered my skills as a Jedi." He pointed out. "I have no intention of teaching the subject. You are welcome to convince me I am wrong about it when you have some kind of proof that accounts for what I have experienced."

"You are going to encounter more difficulty with it if others bring it up," she cautioned him. "I know you are already aware of it, but it very nearly did come up today."

"Master, if they care more about an opinion than my ability, they have chosen their fate and I leave them to it." He almost growled as she ran head-on into the line that simply would not be crossed. "I will not change what I am for a title. We never have and never will."

"I know," Essani nodded. "And I accept that your view of the Force is different from ours, that your experiences have given you no reason to feel differently. What I do ask is that you accept that we have our reasons as well. It may not be something we can explain to your satisfaction, and I consider that a failing on my part. But our views and beliefs, our faith, comes from experiences of our own."

"I know Master," he inclined his head, calming almost immediately. "I have not tried to change others minds except when it came up for other reasons and they tried to change mine. I do not intend to change that pattern."

"That is good," she agreed. "Though people don't always mean to change your mind when they question what you believe."

"That is a _very_ fine line, Master. 'Believe as I do or you may not have something' is just as much trying to change someone's mind as arguing with them directly, only much less respectable. The intent is the same. No one here is interested in simple debate."

"A thin line, yes, but not one we always cross," Essani told him. "We should have looked deeper into the reasons for what you said the first time you took this latest Trial; at its root, your interpretation and the official one are essentially the same, and we should have seen that."

"I could have explained myself better. You could have asked what I meant." He said softly, not interested in arguing any more than he usually was. He'd fight for his beliefs when he was challenged directly, but he rarely sought such challenges out. "It is the past now."

"Did Shivasta ask you about the trip to Garosh?" Essani asked, thinking that now would be a good time to find a different subject.

"Yes, Master." He nodded, more than willing to take on a different subject. "I wish to go with her."

"Which is acceptable to us, unless something changes abruptly," Essani nodded. "Shivasta made sure it would be before she asked you. I have a feeling that us approving it was one and the same with going herself," the kushiban chirped, her fur shifting to a light gold.

"It is very important to her that I be there." Jay nodded, though he didn't really understand why. "To have her people accept me as her first mate."

"I believe she is free for a time now." Essani's fur turned a light golden-pink for a moment. "You have much to catch up on."

"Yes, Master." Jay chuckled and stood to meet Shi in their quarters.

* * *

Shivasta walked to a meditation room to meet Master Shan and Surool. She took a deep breath and rolled her head. Jay was more or less back to normal now and talking to Master Essani. She had to admit that she'd rather be with him in privacy of their quarters, making sure that stayed the case, than up here. On the other hand, she had been asked to come here and it wasn't something she could refuse.

She just hoped it wouldn't take long... and that she could explain whatever they wanted to know ... no doubt about Jay ... properly without messing anything up.

She tapped the button on the console next to the door, letting the pair inside know she was there.

"* _Come in, Knight Shivasta._ *" Master Shan told her as the door opened to the pair sitting in a relaxed meditation pose. He motioned her to sit down with them.

She did so, though unable to relax as well as either of the two Masters. She was just too unsure of what she was going to say, something she knew both of them could sense easily.

"I understand that you went to talk to Padawan Clawson after your report." Master Shan began easily. "What came of it?"

"I found out why he was disturbed when he left the Council chambers," Shivasta explained. "And helped him to overcome it. He is uncertain as to whether or not he is truly qualified to become a Jedi," she admitted.

That raised an eyebrow.

"In what way?" Master Shan asked.

"His beliefs, especially about the nature of the Force, are at odds with Jedi beliefs," she explained, having the distinct feeling she might be saying something that'd cause trouble for somebody.

"I see." Master Surool regarded her steadily. "He hides them well, not to have come to our attention until now."

"Nobody has asked him about them yet," Shivasta pointed out. "He has little difficulty behaving as a Jedi should, albeit a somewhat unorthodox one. One of the things that troubled him was that nobody asked the question that would have brought them to the Council's attention."

"He was troubled that we did _not_ asked him a potentially disqualifying question?" Master Shan was clearly surprised, and concerned by it. "We will be speaking to him about this before your trip."

"It brought the conflict between his culture and the Jedi beliefs into mind again," Shivasta explained. "He does want to become a Jedi, he just doesn't want to lose a culture he was raised by, one that he was forced to leave galaxies away." It was something she could sympathize with, after a fashion. "He does make the right choices; he just does not always get there by the same path as most Jedi."

"So we have seen." Master Shan nodded thoughtfully. He could not argue that Jay behaved as they expected him too for the most part. His beliefs could not be too far off, once you got past his delivery of them. A delivery that he clearly was not inclined to give very often, since they had not heard of it before and this was something they would have heard of. "Is there anything else you wish to add before we talk to Padawan Clawson?"

"Yes, Masters." She nodded. "I hope this won't be viewed as out of line, but I do believe that he is willing and able to perform a Jedi's duties. Some of his beliefs are unorthodox, but they are not that far out of line when compared to some cultures accepted at the Temple."

"That is the purpose of these conversations." Master Shan told her. "Thank you for adding to our understanding. You are dismissed."

"Thank you, Masters," she said, standing and bowing her head. As she left, she could only hope that she hadn't done anything to harm Jay's prospects.

* * *

Jay let out a small breath as he entered the quarters he shared with his mates only a few moments behind Shi. She was too subdued, but that seemed to be the order of the day for everyone.

"Hi," he murmured gently and come up behind her to slide his arms around her.

"Hi," she murmured back, wrapping her arms around his, holding him close and enjoying the feel of his powerful body against her back. "How'd your meeting with Master Essani go?"

"Fairly well," he nuzzled her neck, enjoying the feel and smell of her thick, long blue hair covering his face. "A lot of it is what I already knew. I'm a lousy teacher when it comes to explaining things and I've got unpopular opinions."

"Mmm... well, it didn't go badly at least," she smiled, hugging his arms against her. She just hoped the meeting he'd be having soon would go as well. She debated telling him for a moment, then decided it would be best to let him know ahead of time. "Afraid you'll probably have another one soon... before we head out, at least."

"With Masters Shan and Surool?" He kissed her neck. "I'm not surprised. Did they say when?"

"Just before we leave for Garosh," she said, shaking her head slightly. "Hope I didn't end up making any trouble for you."

"If it does, we'll deal with it." Jay hugged her and kissed his way down her neck. "The worst they can do is kick me out of the Order."

"Mmm ... don't think they'll do that," she murmured, shivering a bit as his hands explored her body threw her robes. "I've missed you, so much."

"We've missed you a lot too, Shi." He purred in her ear. "We aren't whole without you."

"Mmm ... I'm not going to be gone like that again for a while," she promised, shivering lightly. "Want to go wind down like we both need to do?" She asked him, turning in his arms to wrap her own around him.

"Definitely," Jay purred and kissed her firmly.

* * *

Jay and Shivasta were snuggled up with Fenrik in bed, the red-furred tom in between his two mates, when the comlink in the room beeped.

"Padawan Clawson, please report to Meditation Room A at the first opportunity," Master Surool said.

"Yes, Master Surool." Jay answered quickly and disentangled himself from his mates as the comlink clicked off. "I guess you two will just have to entertain yourself for a while." He winked and snagged several slices of meat to finish while he showered.

"We'll be ready for you when you're back," Shi called after him, snuggling up with her other mate and kissing him deeply as Jay disappeared from the bedroom.

He showered thoroughly, but quickly, knowing the Masters had probably already been waiting for him for an hour or so and had just been polite not to call him before he was done relaxing with his mates. It was a courtesy he definitely appreciated.

Hopefully he'd manage to get out of his quarters before Shi and Fenrik got too noisy and had him wound up again. It was no state to meet a Councilor in, let alone the head of the Council and his mate.

Fortunately, Fenrik and Shi seemed content to just snuggle, or at least to be very quiet while he was still there. After a few minutes, he was on his way to Meditation Room A, mind and body relaxed for the upcoming meeting. It was strangely easy now that he'd come to terms and accepted any outcome.

The meeting was likely to be tense enough as it was, just by the subject matter.

The door opened for him even before he asked it to, revealing the Doberman and pink-skinned Twi'lek inside.

"Have a seat, Padawan Clawson," Master Shan said easily.

It was an order he complied with easily, settling down with his rump on his heels and hands on his knees.

"We understand that you were having some doubts about your current course, and the results of your latest Trial?" The Doberman asked him.

"Yes, Masters." Jay inclined his head slightly in acknowledgement. "It felt incomplete, and reminded me just how far apart our beliefs are in some areas. It made me question if I truly wanted to join a group I disagree with and is following a path I can see is not for the best."

"In what respect?" Master Surool asked him.

"The final nature and origin of the Force." Jay said softly but evenly. "The Jedi are on a self-destructive course that will take everything they touch down with them when they fall. Small things, like being convinced the Light is in descent and that the Dark is an aberration while the Light is not, will add up until it is so far out of balance the only answer is to collapse."

"Please, elaborate on what you feel the true nature of the Force is," Master Surool said. "And why," he added.

Jay drew a shallow breath, organizing a lifetime worth of experience into something that might vaguely resemble a good argument.

It truly boiled down to one thing.

"In all your records, in all the arguments that I have heard, the one thing that I was looking for was missing: _why_ you believe the Force you access is different from every other form of natural energy, every natural law, every other way to access the Force, everything else that a sentient mind has not created.

"I have tried to believe, to see the universe according to Jedi teachings. All it creates is questions that have no answers and no reason to be there other than someone decided it was so and didn't check in with the rest of reality to make sure it fit in.

"The Force that flows through machines is not divided. The Force of a world that is devoid of sentient life is not divided. The Force that flows through space and time and _life_ is not divided.

"The only Force that is divided is the Force that has been harnessed and manipulated by _some_ sentient minds. It is disturbed, unnatural, unhappy. Much like the overall state of the cultures that created it and perpetuate it."

"Have you ever been to Dxun, Padawan?" Master Shan asked.

"No, Masters." He admitted easily. "The records of that moon of Onderon have been ... artificially limited ... to an impressive extent." He kept the distrust and distaste of such things out of his voice, but not from his mind. That showed the Masters very clearly that it was a heavy mark against anything they tried to say about the world, and against the Jedi records in general. "What little there is indicates that it was twisted by the Dark long before it was discovered by Republic contacts or known sentient inhabitation.

"That proves very little, given the creature that is attached to my family. Many creatures do not leave evidence of a physical occupation in their wake. There is also the generally sad quality of record keeping before information is intentionally suppressed, how long it could have been inhabited, and then not inhabited, before anyone known to the Republic found it to consider."

"Granted," Master Surool nodded. "However, consider this Padawan. If you found a world where there is no evidence, physical or otherwise, of prior inhabitants, a world teeming with life, but that practically reeks of the energies of the Dark Side, with natural, non-sentient life forms that seem to react to this energy differently than they do to the Light Side, what would your conclusion be?"

"That it was a testing ground." He said simply. "The records you do have indicate that Darksiders find it a very appealing pastime."

"This is your reaction, despite the lack of evidence of testing there?" The twi'lek asked him. "It is typical for Darksiders to experiment, yes, but it is also typical to find evidence of such experimentation, or of inhabitation during that period."

Jay considered the Master for some time, working it over and the various permutations it caused.

"It is a more likely answer than that one type of natural energy exists under completely different laws than all others. I do not contest the existence of the Light and Dark Sides, Masters, or what they are like or the effects they can have on a person or place. I do not contest that Dark energy is destructive and can warp a person's mind and body.

"What I cannot come to terms with is the idea that this one type of Force is naturally divided when no other type is, and no other natural energy is. Everything I experience tells me that it is not meant to be divided as it is. Most of these things are experiences that only a handful of people in your history have been capable of, because they are from the Force beyond the living world that most are limited to. Other you simply look at differently, because you expect to see a given thing, so you do."

"And these experiences lead to a difference in beliefs," Master Shan acknowledged. "However, I do have a question about what seems to be your central assumption; that energy is not naturally divided. What about light, or other forms of radiation?"

"That division is also artificial." Jay pointed out politely. "Names we put on each chunk of the spectrum so we can talk about them easily. Light to me, the frequencies which I can see, are not the same as for a bee, or for you, even. The bee sees into the ultraviolet range more than our visual range, and mine goes higher into the infrared than yours. Some races see in other frequencies entirely, and as most Jedi know, you can sometimes see the Force, a type of energy that is not normally visible. Even matter is energy that is packed very tightly and in a specific frequency and pattern. You can do many things with energy, but in the end, it is just energy."

"The names are artificial, granted," the Doberman nodded. "But the effect of ultraviolet light on something is sometimes different from the effect of infrared at the same intensity. This difference is not an artificial one, but a natural difference, and one of the reasons that different names are given to them. The names may be artificial; that they have different properties is not."

"You propose that the three types of Force are three different _frequencies_?" Jay cocked his head at Master Shan, more than willing to listen if the elder Jedi could make it make any sense.

"Quite possibly," the Doberman nodded. "Even after studying it for as long as we have, few in the Order would claim that we have the definitive, true understanding of the Force and how it works. There's a reason we spend as much time as we do researching that subject. Given the differences in how they behave, how they affect things they interact with, different frequencies can appear to be different energies."

"True," he consented without difficulty and filed that idea away to spend some serious time on to see if it really held up to scrutiny.

"I doubt that clears all your doubts, but would I be right in saying hat we've made some progress?" Master Shan asked.

"I doubt that clears all your doubts, but would I be right in saying that we've made some progress?" Master Shan asked.

"Yes, Masters." Jay bowed his head. "It is an idea that makes sense that I have not encountered yet. It seems that there is less difference in our views than I had thought."

"It often seems to work out that way, in the end," the Doberman nodded, privately pleased that the youth felt relieved at the realization. It would make him reasonably easy to work with in the long run. "There is one more question I would like to ask you, Padawan. About Master Essani, and this issue in particular. You have had this discussion with her before, yes?"

"Many times, Master Shan, though not so much recently." He nodded slightly. "I think she ran out of ideas of how to make me understand, and let it go when it did not affect my performance."

"I am curious as to why she didn't bring it to our attention, given that it would likely affect your ability to train a Padawan of your own, but we'll address that with her. Now, I believe we've interrupted your first night with both your mates home in some time long enough," the aged canine smiled.

"Master Shan, I have _no_ intention of training a Padawan." Jay said firmly. "Teaching is not something I am any good at."

"That is your right, if you wish," the Doberman said, inclining his head slightly. It would make certain decisions about him easier to make.

"Is there anything else you wish to say?" Master Surool asked in the pause.

"No, Masters." Jay bowed his head.

"Then see to your mates. We will likely wish to speak with you again." Master Shan told him.

"Yes, Masters." Jay said as he stood and left the room.

"He felt more troubled by his inability to agree with us than most." Master Surool observed.

"I sensed that as well," he nodded. "He almost wants to be proven wrong, I think. The conflict between training and experience. It's a shame he couldn't have come to us sooner than he did."

"True. Much could have been avoided if the Order had trained him from the beginning. It does not help that he is the kind to seek help outside his mates. He is feline, but he acts much more like a Wolf socially." The pink-skinned Twi'lek said thoughtfully. "It is good that his focus is where it is. He is ill-suited for the more traditional roles most Knights take."

"True," the canine agreed. "I suspect he'll find Master Ishaa's offer quite tempting. I suspect the artisan's path will agree with him."

"It would certainly make the Council's life easier if he does." Surool chuckled softly and stood. "We have worked hard today."

"Some relaxation is in order." Shan rumbled softly and stood to steal a quick kiss before they walked from the meditation chamber and to the privacy of their quarters.

* * *

* * *

* * *

"Well, at least there isn't a blizzard waiting for us," Shivasta said hopefully, looking out the Sharufa's viewscreen at her home planet, Garosh, Jay sitting next to her. "That's an improvement over last time at least."

"It'll make landing a lot easier." He nodded, regarding the largely low-tech world with a mixture of curiosity and nervousness. The sensors, and his senses, confirmed that it wasn't an entirely backwater world, even in the conservative area they were landing in, but he was keenly aware of the creature comforts that wouldn't be there.

He still wasn't entirely sure about the idea of staying in a building made almost entirely out of ice. It was very much his idea of hell.

"Much," Shivasta agreed. "We don't have to come down in an escape pod, for one thing," she chuckled a little nervously. For her part, she wasn't as nervous about what would be there as she was about who might be. She really could understand the jitters some people described when they were introducing their lovers to their family.

Only her 'family' here was much larger, and known for not being overly friendly to outsiders.

And if that wasn't a description of him, nothing was. Sixteen years had done little to change that he didn't belong in this galaxy, and this world was as far away from anywhere he belonged as he could imagine.

Though, in a strange way, it gave her a little hope that they might get along with him. He didn't hate the Republic by any means, but he still wasn't particularly fond of them. It was a discomfort that might give him _some_ sort of common ground with her people. A slim chance, but slimmer ones had worked out in their favor before.

As they approached the landing zone, Shi could see that Impana was waiting, along with others of the clan. That boded well, as far as she was concerned. It meant they trusted her, at least.

She just hoped the blue-striped crevasse cats with them weren't a sign that they were less certain of Jay.

"I guess I do have kin of a type here." Jay chuckled softly. "Pretty kitties."

"You should see the kittens," Shi smiled. "Maybe while we're here we can watch a training session. They start them young; try to be one of the first things they imprint on after their mother." She took a deep breath as the sleek, Jay-designed fight-transport touched down, rolling her shoulders to release some of the tension in them.

"So," she said cheerfully, "ready to meet the family?"

"As I'll ever be." He nodded and settled his body as best he could.

The two of them started off the ship, both dressed in heavy robes, the temperature regulators they wore beneath them ensuring that they'd be comfortable regardless of the heat or cold outside. Shi knew that it was especially important for Jay; he still wasn't particularly comfortable when a room was below body temperature for her. 

She was more than a little worried what might happen if he _didn't_ have it with him; she had no clue what temperatures were too low; it simply didn't come up on Coruscant. She could feel that even with the regulator the wind and ambient cold made him edgy in a way not even the Demon did. There was something here that spoke to his instincts, and not in a good way.

Still, he managed to keep things calm and in order on the outside, and probably even to most Force-users that didn't share a bond with him.

With any luck, he'd be able to relax some once he found that the rooms weren't all that cold after all, compared to the outside.

They stepped off the Sharufa, Impana stepping forward to take Shivasta's hand and shoulder in greeting.

"We were beginning to wonder if you'd decided to never come back," the older Ice Walker said with a slight chuckle in her voice. "Come, let's get out of the wind so we can handle introductions."

They started into the nearby city, two Jedi and a handful of Stormwardens wearing their light blue winter robes, followed by the crevasse cats that occasionally moved up to sniff at Jay or Shi curiously. It was something Jay smiled at and extended his hand to one with a thought of 'I'm friendly kin'.

The big male pulled back slightly, then sniffed his hand and accepted the attention to his ears with a happy rumble that seemed to put the handlers a bit more at ease.

It wasn't lost on either Jedi that most of the Ice Walkers were armed, though they kept their weapons fairly well concealed, but then, so were they.

They made their way to the main hall, Impana and the other natives pulled their hoods back as soon as they were out of the wind. Shivasta and Jay followed suit a moment later. The room was warm enough that they couldn't see their breath in the air, though it was too large to actually be _warm_ most of the time.

"Make yourselves comfortable," the Chieftain said with a slight smile, motioning towards the stone seats with their padded cushions.

Jay followed his mate's lead as she sat down, though he did a respectable job of not _looking_ like he was depending on her for clues. Impana sat down on her own wooden seat, and the other Ice Walkers sat nearby, the cats with them lounging about comfortably, the largest of the males positioning himself between his handler and Jay, so the lean feline would be able to continue scratching his head.

"Well, it looks like your friend has made at least one good impression," Impana chuckled as Jay continued his attention to the big cat.

"Mmm ... he's got a way of doing that," Shivasta smiled. "Chief Impana, this is Padawan Jay Clawson, my mate." She said it without sounding nervous, but the reaction from most of those in the room was almost palpable. It was clearly not what most of them had expected to hear, though Impana didn't seem as surprised by the news. "Jay, this is Impana, one of the clan Chiefs, and my aunt."

"Pleased to meet you, Ma'am." Jay inclined his head to her.

"Likewise," she nodded. "I hope you will be willing to discuss your family with me prior to the ceremony."

"Yes, ma'am." Jay nodded slightly.

"You'll meet more of the clan during your stay here, but the others are Redan," Impana said, gesturing towards the handler of the crevasse cat still contentedly accepting any attention Jay would give it, "Ketla, and Joran," she continued, indicating the other two handlers, female and male respectively. Jay noticed that they all had the same tattoo on their cheek that Shivasta and Impana did, marking them all as members of the extended family.

"How long are the two of you planning on staying?" Redan asked them.

"Not too long, I'm afraid," Shivasta said. "Unless something happens, probably just a week or two; we have duties at the Temple to return to."

"So you are still following the Jedi path," Ketla said as much as asked, something in her voice telling Shi and Jay alike how little she thought of it.

"Yes," Shi nodded. "I completed my Trials and became a full Knight shortly before we left Coruscant."

"Then what are you doing here?" The female Ice Walker asked pointedly. "Shouldn't you be across the Wastes with the other reznin who want to let the Republic take over?"

Shi looked the older woman in the eyes, recognizing this as being less like the test Impana had given her the first time she'd visited, and more an honest challenge to her right to be here. Jay's ears were flat against his skull, the warning not lost on any of them, but Shi was glad that he was giving her the chance to defend herself first.

"I came here as a member of the clan, not as a Jedi," Shivasta pointed out. "I support the Republic no more now than I did the last time I was here."

"And yet you wear a lightsaber built with crystals from our mines, claim an outsider as your mate, and plan to return to the Jedi once you have been accepted as a full member of the clan, a shaman even?"

"A crystal I only took from the mines _after_ undergoing the tests and getting the permission of Chief Impana," Shivasta said, an edge to her voice Jay couldn't remember hearing ever before. "As I remember, nobody challenged her decision or my right to do so at the time.

"As for my choices, I was raised by the Jedi, and trained to be one. However, I was also raised to value my heritage as a member of the Stormwarden clan. I have done all I can to respect both cultures; _that_ is why I am here. I am not here for the rank of a shaman; that is an honor I cannot rightfully accept. I am simply here to be recognized as what I am."

"And what is that? If you are not to be accepted into the clan as a shaman, then why undergo the rite?" The other three Ice Walkers were watching closely as Shivasta and her cousin argued, watching Shivasta more closely. Neither she nor Jay had any doubt they were weighing her responses on more than just the verbal level; they were watching for any sign of weakness on her part.

"I may not become a shaman, but I am a healer among the people who raised me," Shivasta said, taking a moment to find a response that would satisfy them. "I have studied the rites of our people; the rite of spirit applies to all who feel the Force. Haven't the three of you taken it?" She asked pointedly, looking between Ketla, Joran and Redan. She received a brief nod from all three.

"And yet you do not serve the clan as shamen," she continued. "You are Stormwardens, recognized for your skills, yet using them in the manner that suits you best. Are you saying I don't have the right to the same recognition, Ketla? As for my mate, unless I am sorely mistaken there is no law against taking a mate from outside the clan, especially not if he can prove himself worthy of respect. Jay is _quite_ worthy."

"* _Prove in what way?_ *" Jay asked on their bond, making an effort to keep it private even as his glare was squarely on Ketla. In his subtle, and not-so-subtle body language and hard golden eyes with narrow black slits, he left no one in the room with much doubt he was quite willing to take them all on for her.

"* _That you're a capable mate and provider, that you'd be a good addition to the clan. It'll only come up if somebody actually challenges you,_ *" she explained telepathically.

"You are not mistaken," Impana offered. "So long as he is not from an enemy clan, that is the law."

"He is from the Republic, just as she is," Ketla pointed out.

"Just as the blaster you have under your robes is," Shivasta pointed out dryly, her mate trying not to smirk. "The Stormwardens may not want to join the Republic, may not want to deal with them as much as other clans do, but it is clear that we have not completely dismissed the value of working with them."

"There is a difference between trading for a tool and becoming one," Ketla countered. "Or in letting the temptations of sweet-spoken strangers turn you against your clan." Jay could feel the spark of anger from Shivasta as she straightened in her seat and looked at the older Ice Walker darkly.

"First, the Jedi are not tools of the Republic. We serve the Force, as the Stormwardens did before we came here. The Republic comes after that. Second, keep in mind that while my mother may have broken our laws, the daughter she gave the Jedi _has_ returned. I know the ways of our people the best I can without having lived here, and they are ways I intend to pass on to my children and Padawans, should they be Ice Walkers. If you want to challenge my right to be a part of the clan, then do so. If not, then there is no point to this, is there?" She looked Ketla in the eye steadily, not daring her to make the next move, but clearly saying that whatever it was, she would meet it.

"I suppose there is not," Ketla said after a few moments, inclining her head slightly. "Though I suspect there are others would believe there is."

"Then they can inform me themselves," Shivasta said simply as Jay settled back from his aggressive posture, though his ears didn't swing all the way forward as they had been when they had first sat down.

"I believe this would be a good time to show the two of you to your quarters," Impana said, once it was clear that the challenge would not be delivered.

Jay gave the big crevasse cat next to him a final scritch on the jaw and stood to follow Shi as she followed the Chieftain as the woman started to walk off, sighing and rolling her shoulders once they had some relative privacy.

"This might've been a mistake," Shivasta murmured softly, wrapping an arm around Jay's back and got an affectionate nuzzle of support in return.

"They're your kin." He murmured, the importance of such things clear in his voice.

"Nonsense," Impana told her. "You handled that well. There's no way that we'll be able to completely avoid the Republic; finding a medium between the Externalists and our own camp is going to be necessary, when the coming wars end."

"It is unlikely the wars will end until one side has enough power to ignore the other." Jay shook his head. "Change rarely comes easy, or without a high price."

"A lesson we know well," she nodded. "It wasn't that long ago that we finally ended the last wars; our elders still remember them vividly. However, unless the Republic will leave us entirely alone, the only two outcomes are compromise, or losing who we are. Frankly, I prefer compromise."

"A few years ago, it sounded like you would have preferred fighting the Republic until they decided it wasn't worth it," Shivasta pointed out quietly.

"I've mellowed," Impana chuckled darkly. "Or, more accurately, come to realize that sometimes, compromise isn't the worst thing."

"Loosing who you are is far worse," Jay nodded seriously. "As long as you still have your soul, there is hope and a future."

"It sounds like you have some experience with that," Impana said, looking back over her shoulder at him as they approached their quarters, a heavy hide curtain in front of the door.

"Some," he admitted. "The Republic is a long way from home for me."

"It sounds like you'll have an interesting story for me," she mused. "As I said before, I would like to talk about your family later. It sounds like you don't have much contact with them, but it's still tradition. Later though; you two could use some time to rest, I'm sure."

"Thank you, Chieftess." Jay inclined his head slightly as she returned the gesture and left.

"So, want to go take a look around the room?" Shi asked, pulling the heavy curtain aside and stepping in. "For what it's worth, it's warmer, or will be."

"You're still going to have a _very_ snuggly mate," he chuckled softly with a kiss along her neck. "Even if it doesn't feel cold, having ice all around is kind of creepy."

"And it's kind of home for me," she chuckled. "Though you are _definitely_ going to be glad for sonic showers for once, I'm sure."

"Yeah," Jay shivered at the idea of trying to dry his fur here and took a good look around the room made of ice, with stone furniture padded by cushions like the ones from the main chamber. "Is Ketla likely to be more trouble?" 

He was going to be _so_ glad to get back to Coruscant, even if the cushions _were_ comfortable.

"I hope not," Shivasta said, shifting to hug him and nuzzle his neck lightly. "Not unless I manage to set her off somehow. Others might be; I doubt she's the only one who feels that way."

"Probably not." He consented with a sigh and gently tugged her towards what he guessed was the bed, with a thicker mattress and heavy fur blanket.

"Might want to strip before you get under that," Shi warned him, stepping back a bit and starting to peel her robes off only to catch the distinctly uncomfortable look on his face as his eyes darted towards the door covered only by a leather curtain and the world made of ice.

She gave him a moment to work it through, grateful that it wasn't going to be a huge issue as his robes pooled on the floor, leaving only his temperature regulator pendant on. His fur was fluffed against the illusionary cold when he drew her close, her bare blue skin cool against the intense heat of his body.

"Mmm ... don't worry, it's as secure as any door back home," she murmured, kissing him tenderly. "Bed, get under the covers before you convince yourself you're about to freeze to death?"

"Like I need an excuse to get under the covers with you," he chuckled and kissed her on the way to the thick fur blankets to snuggle in.

"See? Just as warm as home," Shi smiled as she climbed under with him. The mattresses were comfortable, if not quite as nice as they were back home, and the blankets were definitely warmer. "Mmm... hope you're not too miserable," she murmured, kissing his neck as she pulled her regulator off and set it off on top of a small nightstand.

"I'll be fine," Jay purred and nuzzled her, his hands moving along her lean body, exploring the soft curves that marked her maturity. "You're here."


	8. Trials and Pain 2/2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adolescence left well behind for the triad, bonds of loyalty strengthen even as they spend more time apart. As Jay masters his new Force-skills and begun to work with Shi on projects that even the Council is interested in, both Padawans near the end of their formal training and their Trials. Some go well, some less so, but all go roughly as expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written with Karl Wolfemann

Shi groaned inwardly. She should have known it would be bad, given how Jay reacted to the perceived and real cold, but it had been so long since he'd _whimpered_ in the morning. The Demon was extra strong, feeding on his fear of freezing on an ice-world.

She hugged him close, wrapping the covers tightly around them. She wasn't going to give the _thing_ in his head any more fuel than it already had. She reached out mentally, touching his mind gently to remind him that she was there, and wouldn't let anything happen to him.

She wasn't going to lose him to the Demon.

It had an almost instantly calming effect. He stilled physically, the Demon backing off. For all it was stubborn, it wasn't inclined to waste energy when it didn't have a real chance of winning.

For all it was good to know that it respected her place in Jay's life, it left her with very real concerns about his solo mission. Something that would likely happen shortly after they returned. There was no option but for him to be alone through that... and it was almost guaranteed that _something_ would happen that would test his ability to stay with the Light side, even without the Demon. She kissed him softly, trying to accept that there wasn't going to be anything she could do when the time came.

It was just something that was so very, very difficult to accept. Even harder with the knowledge that if he failed to hold his own, it was Fenrik who would pay the highest price in having to kill him if they couldn't save him first ... he'd told them before, to kill him before he could do the same to either of them. 

The warning he'd given them to their assurances had cemented it in Fenrik's mind to follow that request. As bad as Jay would be if he gave in to the Dark, he could paint a very vivid picture of just how much worse it would be if grief took out any resistance he had left to the Demon and the Dark and his own taste for destruction.

It still wasn't going to stop her from doing her damnedest to turn him back, if necessary. She wasn't going to admit it to anybody, but that was part of the reason she'd focused as much as she had on ways to stop somebody that _didn't_ kill or maim them.

He'd never said it outright, but in the past couple years it had become increasingly clear that he didn't really expect to make his entire life without falling to the Dark at least once. The odds were simply too great. The one time he'd let her that deep into his mind to experience _why_ had convinced her that he wasn't exaggerating the risk much, and she had a suspicion he'd still shielded her from the worst of his troubles.

Her mind was abruptly brought back to the present by a wet nuzzle between her breasts as Jay woke up enough to find her body interesting. She scritched the back of his neck with a rumble and a shiver of pleasure, leaning down to kiss his head as he licked and nosed at her muscular body.

"You're all tense," Jay murmured as he shifted his head to kiss her and slid the fingers of one hand between her legs to lightly tease the swelling flesh there.

"I think too much," she murmured back, kissing him deeply as she lifted one leg to give him better access that he took advantage of to circle one finger lightly around her hardening clit. "Mmm... love you, Jay."

"I think we all do." He chuckled and pressed a finger lightly into her slick body. "Except when it feels too good to."

"Mmm ... and we've gotten _very_ good and making it feel too good to," she grinned, hooking her leg around his, working her hands down his back to play around his tail and the furless pucker of his ass.

"Yes," he sighed in contented pleasure and withdrew his finger from her body to spread her swollen lips wide. He kissed her heatedly and sank deep into her with a smooth, well-practiced motion and moan.

"Oh yes," Shi moaned in answer, pulling him up on top of her as she sealed her mouth against his hungrily.

* * *

"Mmm ... so, I think we've got the day mostly to ourselves," Shi rumbled, nuzzling Jay as they lay tangled together under the thick furs. It was a joy to feel him so relaxed given how he'd woken up. "Any ideas for what to do with it?"

"Besides snuggle with you here?" He chuckled and hugged her close. "Look around town, see what's here. Maybe get in a little sparring practice."

"Mmm ... you seemed to get along pretty well with the cats last night, maybe pay a visit to the training pens if they're willing?"

"We _are_ both feline." Jay cracked a grin at her. "Sounds good. Though it does mean getting up and showering."

"Mmm... me first, prove that it's possible to do without freezing?" She teased, licking his nose playfully.

"What? And miss a shower with you?" Jay's eyebrows went right up in mock indignation. "I'm not _that_ worn out, you know."

"Mmm ... just making sure you were willing to get out of the blankets long enough," she giggled. "Though we are _so_ going to have to get these blankets washed before tonight...."

"Like they won't need it again in the morning," he grinned mischievously. "Might want to bring some sheets in from the Sharufa to save the furs."

"Oh yeah," Shi agreed, kissing him with a chuckle as they reluctantly untangled from each other and the tight furs. "The ones we've got around here just weren't built to handle claws and your enthusiasm at the same time."

"You don't mind them though." Jay winked at her as he offered her a hand up, his bare fur matted and wet from their fun.

"Not at all," she rumbled, kissing him and led the way through a small door into another room. The sonic shower installed in it looked distinctly out of place in the otherwise primitive surroundings they'd seen so far.

* * *

Once Jay was dressed, he seemed to be a lot more comfortable with the vast majority of buildings being made mostly out of ice. That was one fact Shi was intensely grateful for as they explored, making their way towards the training pens. She could understand it to, to an extent. It was a lot easier for the mind to think it was warmer than it really was when you were dressed, or colder than it really was when you weren't.

"Think they're in here," she said, looking up at a sign over the building's duraplast doors, one of the more recent additions to the local architecture. "Still want to go cat-watching?"

"Can't think of a better time-killer." He chuckled and nuzzled her.

"Come on then," she smiled, opening one of the double-doors and stepping inside.

Out of the cold, it was increasingly clear that this building was a blend of traditional design and new materials they'd gained from the Republic. The floors of the pens, and some of the walls, were made out of modern materials, blue and white crevasse cats lounging about or playing, depending on their moods. Other parts were still made of ice, and Shi couldn't help but giggle as one of the smaller cats made a running start from the training area, only to hit the ice and skid straight into the wall across the room.

"I'd be more worried if I didn't know it was intentional," a deep voice behind them chuckled as they started in. "So, you're our two visitors?" A large, heavily built Ice Walker male said as they turned around to see who was talking to them.

"Yes," Jay nodded easily; his attention mostly on the felines in the room after he assessed the Ice Walker as not a threat.

"The two of you interested in the training?" He asked, nodding back towards where some of them were working. "I have a little free time, could give you a bit of a rundown on what we do."

"I am," Jay nodded, a bit more attention on the Ice Walker now that he was associated with what he was interested in. "They're such pretty cats."

"That they are," he agreed. "Though I don't think you'd feel the same way if you met a wild adult. At least not once you got close enough it decided you were food." He started in towards the training area, and the kit still playing on the ice.

"Somehow, I doubt that." Jay chuckled. "We've got a lot of training on how to avoid that particular fate."

"I didn't say it would manage it, just that you'll be less inclined to admire them once you've fought one," the Ice Walker chuckled. "My name's Keldan, by the way. I know Shivasta already; I believe somebody said you're called Jay?" He asked, taking a seat and motioning for the young kit to come over, which it did after it managed to get its footing back.

"Yes," he nodded easily, watching the kitten. "You only have to fight them if you can't get inside their head. It's not usually that difficult unless they're starving or protecting mate or young."

"Which is good if you happen to be one of the Force wielders around here," Keldan chuckled, picking up the kit, easily large enough to fill his lap as it reached over to sniff Jay curiously and was scritched between its ears for it. "Even among the Stormwardens it's not _that_ common."

"I was only speaking for myself." Jay pointed out, most of his attention on the kitten, and a bit on keeping an ear open for its mother's disapproval.

"Well, either way, it's not likely to be any real trouble here. These lines have been domestics for ages. We work with them starting after their eyes open, as soon as the mother's willing to let us near them. This little guy's a few months old now; his mother's about ready to start being trained back into shape."

"What are they used for?" He asked curiously, indulging the kitten in as much attention as it wanted and earning a raspy, heartfelt purr in return.

"Depends on the line," Keldan explained while the two visitors paid attention to the kit. "The mother's from a hunting line, he'll probably be the same unless he bulks up enough to make him a better warcat."

"What's the difference, besides what they go after?" Shi asked.

"Mostly how well they fight with others," Keldan explained. "A warcat isn't as independent and a good hunting cat is a _lot_ stealthier. A hunting cat might be turned loose to work on its own for a day or more; a warcat fights next to its handler barring something going _very_ wrong."

"So independence is something that's trained?" Jay looked up with honest surprise. "I would have thought it sorted out on personality first. Who's social and who's not."

"No, not trained," the trainer said, shaking his head. "The independent streak is natural in all of them, but it's not hard to train them to rein it in when necessary. Honestly, it's harder to train them to come _back_ when you want them to, rather than when they're good and ready to have a warm place to sleep again."

"I bet." He smirked and scritched the kitten's ears. "It seems true of all felines."

"Even the two-legged ones," Shi smirked, leaning over to kiss Jay's cheek lightly. "Though I think I've got you trained pretty well by now."

"You just have the right bait." He rumbled softly with a wink.

"Mmm ... careful, there _are_ children around," Shi teased, petting the kitten as he looked up at the two strangers with an expression somewhere between confused and curious, almost like he was trying to figure out just what they were talking about.

"What, don't want them to see what a purple Ice Walker looks like?" Jay snickered and tried to touch the kitten's mind gently. "* _Teasing my mate._ *"

The kit hopped up, standing on Jay's lap and sniffing at him intently, leaning against his chest as Jay expanded his attention to the kitten's entire body.

"I think you're the first person he's worked with who talked to him like that," Shi giggled, rubbing the young cat's back

"He is," Keldan confirmed. "We don't usually start them working with the Force trainers until they're older. I think you just found a new admirer," he chuckled.

"I seem to have a talent for that." Jay purred, enamored by the adoring, curious kitten spilling over his lap. "At least with crevasse cats."

"It's because you have so much in common," Shi chuckled, reaching up to give the kitten a playful scritch along the back of its neck, earning a happy purr. 

"I think we're lucky you two are just visiting," Keldan laughed. "You'd end up spoiling them if we didn't make sure you only played with ones that were still being socialized."

"Or I'd end up with a small pride trying to take over the bed at night." Jay chuckled. "The big ones like the attention just as much."

"You met Chillspring, hmm?" Keldan chuckled. "Lucky for you, we _usually_ manage to train them not to jump up on beds while they're occupied."

"A good thing, given it's a good way to get a squished handler." Jay chuckled with a grin and nuzzled the kitten, who was now nearly intoxicated by all the attention. "Or a _very_ upset mate."

"Or both, when they're as big as he is," Keldan nodded. "You know," he chuckled, "at this rate he's going to be just about heartbroken when you go home."

"Unfortunately," Jay nodded. "But even if you said it was okay for us to take him back, the Temple would have a fit."

"And it wouldn't be okay," Keldan agreed, as Shi quietly offered a mental 'thank you' that Jay wasn't particularly interested in pets. The kit rolled over in Jay's lap, reaching up for a furry finger and batting at it.

"So we'll just have to spoil them while we're here and head home to the big kitty that belongs in our bed." Jay chuckled and teased the kitten's chest and belly.

"Though he's much more difficult to really spoil," Shi chuckled.

"Oh, I don't know about that." Jay winked at her.

"Well, before you do too good a job on this one, it's about time for him to go back in with his mother," Keldan smiled. "You want to put him back so he can eat?" He asked Jay.

"Sure," he nodded. "* _Time to go to mom._ *" He told the kitten.

The kitten let out a disappointed-sounding 'murf,' then tried to look endearing for a moment as it stretched a paw and reached up towards Jay, clearly something it had learned _might_ get it a little more playtime sometimes.

"Sorry, little one." He laughed playfully and looked over at Keldan for where the kitten belonged.

"He'll forgive you," Keldan chuckled. "His mother's pen is the first snow den you'll see if you go through the door there," he said, indicating where Jay should take him and watching carefully as the young feline warrior led the kitten away.

Jay walked through into the corridor, the pens and dens all relatively small, just like the rooms tended to be. Other Ice Walkers moved along, some leading crevasse cats, others alone. The kitten mewed as they approached the den Keldan had told him about, and one of the full-grown adults climbed out a hole just barely big enough for it to fit through, looking at Jay with a mix of curiosity and suspicion as her kitten hopped down to join her and get a thorough licking down.

"* _Just returning your kitten,_ *" he told her and offered a hand to sniff.

She did so, licking at his hand with a broad, rough tongue that almost made his feel smooth before she was satisfied and turned to attention to her kitten and going back into the den.

"Seems the cats like you," another Ice Walker observed, walking up behind him from further down in the hall. He looked to be about Jay's age, a half-grown cat following behind him.

"I respect them," Jay sort of shrugged. "A little respect goes a long way with animals."

"True," the newcomer said. "So, is it true?"

"Is what true?" Jay looked at him squarely. He kept his body language more neutral, but he didn't miss the less-friendly manner of his questioner.

"That you're here with Shivasta," he clarified. "From the Temple on Coruscant?"

"Yes, I am." He nodded, not sure where this conversation was going.

"What she was thinking when she brought you out here? I'd thought she'd know better than to bring along guests, especially to the rites."

"I'm her first mate." Jay replied simply, his voice matter-of-fact with a hint of 'you should know that, too'.

"You have _got_ to be joking," the Ice Walker half-laughed. "You're not even the same species as we are; closer cousin to the cats than us."

"Would you have such fear if she'd chosen a female Ice Walker?" Jay couched the mocking insult in words he'd almost get away with at the Temple. Still, he couldn't help the spark of competitiveness that flared back to life and the subtle shift in his body language that warned the other young adult that he was treading dangerously close to a challenge.

It was a shift that was mirrored plainly; if Jay did make a challenge, it would be met.

"Fear? I'm not afraid of you, cat. Just sorry to see what living in the Republic can do, that it'd make a Stormwarden lower her standards the way she has."

"You'd better be able to back that bragging up." Jay flattened his ears.

"With pleasure," the youth grinned darkly. "Choose the challenge and time, assuming you even know what they are."

"Unarmed combat," Jay smirked and intentionally turned his back on the Ice Walker to leave the room for the challenge field. "Now."

The other Ice Walker followed Jay out, Shi looking up at the two of them in concern as she picked up on their body language.

"What's going on?" She asked.

"A little challenge." Jay summarized it, even as she got a silent replay of the exchange. "Keldan, you might want to teach the kid how to surrender, before he gets killed." Jay told the elder Ice Walker absently as he walked by, quite loud enough for the other youth to hear.

"* _Don't give him ideas, Jay,_ *" Shi warned him as she fell into step with him. "* _He's not going to be a pushover!_ *"

"* _Unarmed combat, love. He's not even a sensitive._ *" Jay pointed out and unlocked each of his bracers to hand to her. "* _This is one place I don't have to turn away when you're insulted._ *"

"* _Force training, maybe not. Combat training, don't count on it,_ *" Shi cautioned him.

"I'm not the one who has to worry about getting killed, cat," the challenger shot back.

"Hold it," Keldan said, standing up and looking at both the youths with authority, faintly pleased that Jay was reflexively obedient to his tone. "If this is an official challenge, you'll be handling it officially. Both out to the ring, but then wait until a judge can be collected."

"Yes, Master Keldan," the young warrior nodded.

"And sort out which of you is the challenger while you're at it," he told them as they headed out, pulling his hood up as he left to fetch one of the community leaders.

Shi shook her head, taking Jay's bracers and pendant and put them up under one arm. Just her luck that something like this would end up happening.

She pulled her own hood up, thinking about it as she followed the males out. It took quite a bit of self-control not to swear as she realized what Jay seemed to think this was about, and she hurried out to catch up with them before this went too far.

The two young men were taking up their positions opposite each other as she caught up with Jay.

"You don't have to do this," she told him quietly, aware that he was already pulling the Force around him to offset the loss of the temperature regulator that made life here tolerable for him.

"* _Between what he said about you, and me, and our already shaky standing here, yes I do._ *" He replied silently, not about to waste warm breath for speaking.

"* _No, you don't,_ *" she told him. "* _I just have to tell him he's not about to impress me by trying to beat you up. All he's trying to do is prove he's better for me than you are._ *"

She froze at the jumble of almost-words that brought, the killing hatred founded in pure disgust that flared bright and hot before he got himself back under control.

That had _definitely_ not been the thing to say. Though exactly what Jay took such incredible offence at was harder to figure out.

"* _He_ deserves _a pounding for that._ *" Jay control his shudder, only just. "* _If he backs down at your words, I won't push it._ *"

"* _Thank you,_ *" she said softly.

"You don't need to challenge my mate Elan," she said, hoping desperately that she remembered his name from her last visit. "I've been with him since before you first met me. Your skill isn't in question; I know you're a strong warrior, as he is. This challenge won't change my mind, no matter the outcome; there is no need for either one of you to hurt the other," she said.

"He accepted my challenge, Shivasta," Elan pointed out. "Don't worry," he smirked, "I won't hurt him too badly."

"One of these days I'm going to have a word with whatever idiot decided that fighting was a good way to impress a healer," Shivasta muttered under her breath as she stepped back out of the challenge ring, knowing that once the challenge began she wouldn't be welcome there unless somebody was seriously injured.

It was a very real possibility too, given Jay's reaction to the reason Elan had goaded him. If he wasn't careful... one or the other could well be injured, probably Elan. And under the rules of the challenge, unless it was obviously done maliciously, everybody else would be perfectly fine with it.

As one of the tribe's shamen walked towards the ring, moving easily despite her age, Shivasta hoped dearly that Jay would stay under control. She didn't particularly want to see what could happen if those impulses received some sort of reinforcement.

"I understand there has been a formal challenge made," the Shaman said, her voice clear and strong.

"There has, Shaman," Elan nodded. "I have challenged the offworlder's right to take one of the clan as a mate. He has chosen the terms."

"Which are?" The old woman asked, looking over at Jay.

"Unarmed combat, Ma'am." Jay answered her politely but firmly, his hot breath freezing quickly in the air. "To end when one of us surrenders, or is unable to do so."

"Are these terms acceptable to the challenger?" She asked, looking back over at Elan.

"Yes, Mistress Keva," Elan nodded curtly, dropping into a combat stance Jay didn't recognize. Fair enough; it wasn't like anybody here would recognize his own style, aside from Shi.

The tom fell into a defensive stance of his own, watching his opponent intently as they waited for Keva to give them the signal to begin, and a number of others came out to watch the proceedings.

"You understand that the results of this challenge will not be upheld over the decision of the Stormwarden chief as to the offworlder's suitability?" She asked, looking at Elan, making sure that he understood the challenge may not prove anything in the end.

"I do. I only intend to prove he isn't," Elan said easily and smugly. Jay could see that the Ice Walker's eyes were watching him just as intently as he was watching back; Elan obviously wasn't _just_ a cat trainer.

Keva pulled a short ceremonial rod, decorated with fur and feathers with a single red crystal in the end, out of her robes.

"The challenge will begin when the rod strikes the ground," she said clearly for the audience to hear. "It will end when one of the combatants surrenders, loses consciousness, or I declare a breach of honor." She took a short step back from the ring, everybody else taking a larger one, even Elan's half-grown warcat. Without a word, she led her arm fall, bringing the rod down to touch the red crystal in its tip against the ground.

Jay brought the first strike; a telekinetic thump down on the shoulders and head intended to bring Elan to his knees.

It was clearly a maneuver Elan hadn't been expecting; he fell to his knees with a thud, but quickly got back to his feet, realizing that he had to close the distance between he and Jay as quickly as he could before the feline hit him hard enough to end the match.

Another blow landed in his stomach, but he ignored it as he made the final few steps that closed the distance between the two of them. He started to swing at the kat, just long enough to get his attention before digging his foot down into the partially matted snow and kicking it up towards Jay's face.

He never expected Jay to grab his fist; closing his three fingered hand around it and using his strength and Force to crush the bones as he pulled Elan forward into a roll that put Jay on his back for a moment and sent Elan flying from a kick in the stomach and the momentum of both their moves.

Jay was back on his feet and in his defensive stance again before the Ice Walker even landed on the other side of the ring. 

To his credit, despite the broken bones in his hand, Elan wasn't down for long either. A powerful flexing from his legs to the top of his body had him back on his feet almost as soon as he hit the ground, and he spun to face Jay again, keenly aware of the part of his body that was outside the ring. His heel wasn't enough to end the match, but it was a reminder that he had to be more careful facing the offworlder and his unusual techniques.

Unfortunately, the fact that he could wield the Force put Elan at even more of a disadvantage in the fight. While the Ice Walker had to get close enough to actually fight, his opponent could simply buffet him with Force blows until he was forced to surrender from exhaustion. His broken hand only compounded the issue. The cat was clearly willing to do real damage to him.

Elan decided to change his tactics; just attacking hard and fast would only get him hurt again. He started moving back into the ring more slowly, steeling himself for the Force blows he knew he'd be facing. Fortunately, while it was and advantage he didn't have, he had learned how to weather it before.

He didn't even see his opponent move until Jay's bared fangs were barley inches from his face and the kat's incredibly hot breath puffed across his skin. That realization came with a hard punch over his heart and the pain of razor-sharp claws ripping across the side of his neck before the feline was gone again.

He reached up with his injured hand, pressing it against his throat as he assessed the damage. He was bleeding, but Jay hadn't hit anything vital. He had no doubts it was very much by intent. His ribs would be in serious pain after the fight, but they hadn't cracked as badly as they could have. He could tell he wasn't going to beat him; with a different challenge, under different terms, maybe, but not like this.

Still, he'd be _damned_ if he was going to surrender without getting in even one hit. He charged forward, watching Jay's reactions, not waiting for an attack, but instead for the brief moment of focus that typically preceded a Force user summoning his powers.

He saw it, and spun to the side, the surprise clear in his eyes as Jay didn't come to meet him. He commenced his charge again, closer this time as he unknowingly moved around the tom's wall of Force. He was gratified to see surprise on his opponent's face for just a fraction of a second before the tom set himself to receive the attack.

Jay jumped out of the way, spinning around to counter the attack. Elan took the blow on his injured arm, hard muscle and bone accepting the punishing kick before he countered with a hard blow to Jay's torso that nearly doubled the feline over. 

Then Jay's claws were deep in Elan's injured arm and an invisible force against his back as Jay rolled backwards again, pulling him along for the flying ride to the far side of the circle again. This time the kick that sent him flying was lower and much harder

Blood stained the white snow and ice of the challenge ring as Elan hit the ground, his face twisted in pain as much from the cracked pelvis as from the foot to his groin. He managed to raise his good hand, letting it fall to signal his surrender. Even if he could stand like this, he wouldn't be able to fight.

He didn't even see how Jay twisted in the air, his jaws closing as he landed on his hands and rolled to his feet several steps away instead of on the chest of his opponent.

"Elan has surrendered and it has been accepted," the Shaman said outside the ring. "Somebody fetch a healer to see to their wounds."

"I'm here," Shivasta pointed out, stepping into the ring and moving to see how badly hurt Elan was. He'd taken a serious beating, but it wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been if Jay had really tried to draw things out and _hurt_ him. The gashes to his neck and arm were deep but had been precisely controlled to not do serious damage unless they went untreated for days and Elan bled to death.

A shattered hand, cracked ribs, a broken pelvis, and bruising that would no doubt normally be incredibly painful without a healer's attention rounded out the damage. Considering his feelings, Jay had held a lot back. Not enough that most Jedi wouldn't lecture him for hours on it, but by local standards, given what she knew he could do, he'd been careful to only cause damage he knew she could fix relatively easily.

She felt, on the outside of her awareness as she went to work, that Jay was content to see to his bruised stomach while she tended to the more seriously injured.

She worked to rebalance Elan's body in the Force, setting his bones manually before working to heal them carefully. All in all, it wasn't _that_ much damage, just damage calculated to cause enough pain or temporarily cripple his fighting ability to make him stop without forcing him to.

"You'll be a little stiff and sore, but you should be fine with a day's rest," she said, helping Elan up before looking over to Jay, grateful that he seemed to be fine. "Take it easy on that hand for longer. The bones are knit, but they will take a little while yet to be back to normal."

"Thank you," the Ice Walker said, bowing his head gratefully before turning back towards his rival. "You're good," he said with grudging respect. "Would have been a hell of a fight if you weren't Jedi."

"Then we would have both needed a strong healer," Jay acknowledged his opponent's skill without difficulty.

"I think it would be best if you went to take care of what Shivasta couldn't heal now," Keldan told Elan with a slight chuckle, the audience starting to disperse.

"My pride, mostly," the young Ice Walker admitted, limping a bit as he walked off, his cat following him.

"That could have gone worse," Shi murmured.

"It could have," Keva agreed as she walked up to the two of them. "But it did not, and Elan will be able to fight again in a few days, if necessary." She pulled one of the small feathers off the rod she had use at the beginning of the duel, offering it to Jay. "You fought well, Jay Clawson. Congratulations on your victory."

"Thank you, Mistress Keva." Jay accepted the token of his first notable victory and bowed respectfully to the elder, Shi mirroring the gesture.

"I'll see the two of you this evening at dinner," the elder smiled, returning the bow.

"Thank you," Shivasta smiled as Keva turned and left. "Now, let's go get you warmed up, and let me make sure those were just bruises."

"Maybe now not quite so many will be looking to start a fight." Jay smiled and nuzzled her as he put his regulator on, then his bracers.

"Here's hoping," she agreed, returning the nuzzle as they walked back towards the building they were staying in. "Mmm ... you managed it, by the way."

He looked at her quizzically for a moment before it sunk in that she was referring to keeping control in a serious fight; something that had been in doubt even that morning. "I wasn't really thinking about it." He smiled slightly. "I was focused on him, and all the rules here."

"Hey, it still worked," she smiled. "How do you feel about a little reward once we're in private, before we go about the rest of the day?"

"Like I would ever turn you down," Jay shivered inside in real anticipation.

"Just checking," she chuckled, walking into the building. "Mmm ... let's just get up to our room first," she winked back at him, pulling her hood down and got an affectionate nuzzle to the neck since no one was in the hallway.

"You don't have to be _too_ restrained here," she murmured, turning to kiss him lightly as they reached their room. "Though I have to say," she added with a smile, "you're holding up pretty well."

"Some days are easier than others," he purred and pulled her close against his chest for a lingering kiss. "The culture here ... I _get_ it."

"Mmm ... if it wasn't an ice world, I think I'd have a hard time getting you back to Coruscant after this," she smiled, kissing him back and working his robes off. "Think you can handle not being under the covers for a bit?"

"For you, I think so," he shivered, half from the temperature, half from anticipation of what she had in mind for him. Still his hands roamed over her body, pushing her robes from her shoulders as he kissed down her neck and cupped both her breasts in his hands to indulge in her very feminine curves.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Impana watched from the back of a small crowd of Ice Walkers as Jay and Shivasta practiced with their lightsabers inside a relatively small room the warriors usually only used during blizzards. The two youths were doing katas for warm-up, Jay's double-bladed blacklight lightsabers flashing as they moved in gleaming arcs, Shivasta's own single one-bladed lightsaber in more traditional strokes. If it weren't for the obvious differences, Impana would almost have thought Shivasta was fighting with an ice blade. But then, the styles _were_ similar....

She decided to let them practice; invite Jay for the conversation about his family later. She would ask him about the crystals he'd used as well. The effects of his blades were not ones she'd ever heard of before. For now, she wanted to see the two Jedi perform in their natural forms and with their preferred weapons. Even at this stage, where they were only moving through moves on their own, it was clear that Jay had put _many_ more hours into his skill with his weapon. It was hardly surprising. Shi was a healer, he was a warrior. She handled herself well, but it was clear she was not among the more skilled Jedi with her weapon.

It was easy to read the surprise on a few faces when the pair moved from katas to actual sparing without apparent signal, but her Force-awareness, even weak as it was, clued Impana into the fact that the pair had coordinated it by speaking threw the Force.

It was just as clear that this sparing match was for Shi's benefit. Three blades Jay's unique double-bladed staves disappeared, one hilt put away in his bracers with an almost invisible motion and his remaining one shifted in his grip to match his opponent's weapon in length and use.

This was the important part. As the two of them started sparring, Impana tried to focus not on how Shivasta was doing in this match, but how she fought in general. It was clear that Jay was the superior fighter of the two, but she needed to know, that aside, how well her niece could handle herself.

All in all, she had to admit ... Shi was lucky she was a healer. If this was the best she could fight, at least right now, she wouldn't be a match for most Ice Walker warriors who could match her senses. It was clear how much Jay was holding back to stretch out the match, give Shivasta a chance to learn to do more than just block and parry blows.

Then the tactics abruptly shifted, again with a Force-communication preceding it. Shi went on the offensive and Jay defended. She couldn't challenge Jay's skill, but he gave her openings; some that she should take, some that would get her killed in a real fight if she did.

To her credit, Shi made the right choices most of the time. Of course, if Jay had been fighting with the second blade burning, even on the one hilt, it would have been over with the first opening she took, even Impana could see that much.

Shi wasn't a warrior, but she could fight, and have a reasonable chance of winning against an opponent who wasn't Force sensitive. The Chieftain had to approve; she could be very useful if she was on-planet when things finally blew up between the two camps. So would her mate, if it could not be settled with a formal challenge. Their first hour in camp left her with no doubt that he'd fight at her side unless honor, or Shi herself, demanded otherwise.

She had to admit; he seemed to be a good mate, from what she had seen. They wouldn't be able to have children, but when Shivasta was ready for that, he would be an excellent protector and provider for them.

Jay switched to fighting with the second blade ignited, Shivasta going back onto the defensive, concentrating on blocking the blows that fell like rain.

* * *

Jay and Shi were walking out of the dining hall after dinner that night, ready to head back to their rooms for a little time alone after spending most of the afternoon sparring, exploring, or talking with the Ice Walkers. Dinner itself had gone well, for all that they hadn't had an ounce of privacy.

The Ice Walkers were starting to warm up to the two of them slightly, asking about the galaxy outside the Garos system and trying to find out what they could about the Republic, and its appeal to the other clans. They'd answered questions and told stories between bites of roast game and thick, hearty bread made from the local grains the Stormwardens grew.

As they left the dining hall, they became aware that somebody was following not far behind them.

"Shivasta, Jay Clawson," Impana said politely as they turned to see her. "Would this be a good time to speak with you privately?" She asked, clearly asking Jay more than Shi.

"Yes, ma'am." Jay inclined his head politely to her.

"Follow me then," she said politely, starting down a side hallway.

"I'll meet you back in our quarters," Shi promised, splitting off as Jay went to follow the middle-aged Chieftain.

"Don't have too much fun without me." He purred softly before Shi was out of earshot.

Before long, he and Impana had reached another room, one with an actual door made out of imported wood.

"A recent addition," Impana explained, opening it to let Jay in. "How well do you know your family?" She asked him.

"I know my heritage, but I haven't had any contact since I was eight." He explained and sat down on a seat that looked like it was from the Republic after she did on another wooden seat.

"But you were raised by them, that you can remember, rather than by the Jedi for most of your life, as Shivasta was?" Impana clarified. "Family is important to us, but if you were raised by the Jedi since you were an infant, they may as well be your family."

"I was with my family until I was eight, when a managed to do something while working on a hyperdrive to drop my tail several galaxies away onto the streets of Nar Shaddaa. A Jedi found me two years later and I've been with them since." He elaborated. "I do remember by kin and most our ways that a child learns about. I _am_ a Clawson, ma'am. I am just also a Jedi."

"Tell me about them, then," she told him, leaning back comfortably. "After all, as Shivasta's mate, your family is connected to ours, several galaxies away or otherwise," she explained.

"The Clawson family traces our line to Jermain Tabisan, my great-great-grandfather. We know names going back another two hundred years and what village we're from before than. There are two sides to our line; those with the family Gift, and those that do not. Jermain was the first to display it, so that is where the modern line began. He was also the first to loose his mind and fall to the Darkness." Jay added more softly.

"His son, Jake Clawson, was raised without knowing him. Jake became an Enforcer, position much like the Jedi. They kept order and defended the people and city. Jake and his partner, Chance Furlong, eventually defeated Jermain, who had become the territory's greatest threat. Jake only learned that Jermain was his father a few weeks before Jermain was killed.

"Not long before that, a scientist had gotten genetic material from Jake and Jermain and used it to create a female, Jessie Clawson. Friends of Chance, a strike team, found her when they raided the laboratory. She was only a few days old. The team, including Jake and Chance, raised her as well as the kittens of the teams other members.

"Jake and Chance were killed on a mission when she was sixteen. When she was nineteen, she led a team of her own, SWAT Alpha. Their first mission sent them into the future to stop an invasion. They came back with experience, the invader's starship, much more advanced jets and knowledge of when, where and how the enemy would come.

"Jessie also came back pregnant with three kits, despite being between fertile times."

"This is unusual for your species?" Impana asked him, paying close attention.

"Three kits are not that unusual. Four or five are known but are considered a high-risk pregnancy. One or two are the most common, and it varies a lot by her family line. Female Kats have a very obvious fertile time twice a year." He answered both possible variants without thinking about it. "To become pregnant outside that time is all but unheard of."

"Understood," Impana nodded. "Two of the three generations you've talked about so far have been protectors, warriors. Has this been the case for most of your line, or only after the gift began to manifest itself?"

"It is true for the rest of the line as well." He said seriously and tried to think back to the ones that didn't have the Gift as well as the rest of their story. "Our family Gift is for machines, Chieftess. We design and build things than have no right to exist according to most. Whether you call any of us an inventor-warrior or warrior-inventor, you can't separate a sane Clawson from their inventive nature _or_ from their protective drive."

"Something we are familiar with," she nodded approvingly. "Please, continue if there is more."

"After Jessie returned with her prizes of war, it was a frantic decade taking the city from just having developed practical supersonic jets to full space combat technology. We did not have long. It would be only seventeen years before they arrived again. Jessie would lead the assault again; her three children served SWAT as warriors, mechanics and tacticians.

"It was over in a matter of days and we had two ships. Another decade of frantic activity and learning produced the first colony-battleship-explorer of Aristal design and we began to spread out into the galaxy. Most of the family stayed behind on Aristal and our home. My father was the only one of the family to go to the stars. He was also the first that actually chose to have children. I am his oldest kit by his third lifemate, though my oldest sister is older than my mother."

"Would you be willing to repeat this, and any noteworthy stories about yourself and your family's adventures and exploits, to be recorded by the Clan?" Impana asked him.

"Yes, Chieftess." He smiled softly, honestly a bit warmed by anyone who actually _wanted_ to know about the people and heritage that were still central to his view of himself.

"Good," she smiled. "You are not a full member of the clan, but you will be accepted as Shivasta's first mate. She has a second mate, Fenrik I believe? Another feline?"

"Yes, ma'am. A Panther." Jay nodded easily. "He is my mate as well."

"Good," she nodded. "Shivasta told us that he was raised by the Jedi, so his kin aren't as large an issue for us. Do any of the three of you have mates beyond your triad?"

"No, ma'am." He shook his head. "Fenrik has found a lover for the night on occasion, he has a taste for female felines sometimes, but none of us has found anyone else we want to stay with."

"That makes things easier," she smiled, picking up that none of them were particularly interested in another mate as things stood, and an inkling of just how long things had stood that way. "You have an interesting family, Jay. It's a shame they're as far away as they are; I think it would be a pleasure to meet them and talk about a more formal alliance. Do you have any questions about our clan?"

He hesitated a moment, trying to word a question in a way that wouldn't offend.

"How likely is a male to take offense if asked to sire a child and not be their father?" He asked quietly. "I think Shi is going to want children in a few years, when the newness of being a Knight wears off and things settle down. While I would welcome and care for them as my own, I can not sire them myself."

"I expected that question," Impana chuckled slightly. "It's actually fairly commonplace. Sometimes a male, particularly a good hunter or warrior, is simply a good mate, without any real interest in raising the children himself. The children would, however, still be considered a part of our clan," she cautioned him seriously.

"As is Shi," he nodded. "As any young I actually sired would be Clawsons. Especially if they showed any sign of the family Gift. I expect the actual logistics of who raises which kids if they are or are not sensitives are between you and Shi."

"It is," she nodded. "And the Order, for the sensitives," she said, a hint of distaste in her voice. "I should let you get back to Shivasta, if you don't have anything else you want to ask me."

"No, ma'am." He stood and bowed to her. "Thank you for your time." He added politely before he left to mull over what he'd learned and what he'd been asked to do.

* * *

The next day, Shivasta and Jay had another sparring session that was being watched intently by some of the locals. Between the crowd and their own exertions, the room they were working in was heating up rather nicely; it had to be in the mid-seventies, Shi decided, as she and Jay paused to strip off their outer robes in the middle of their match.

She'd suggested that they leave the regulators off while they practiced, and was just about regretting it. They were working up enough of a sweat to make it distinctly warm from their perspective. Of course, that had been the whole _idea_ , but it was still tiring. Before too much longer, she was heading out of the practice circle to rest for a few minutes, slipping her inner robe back to expose her shoulders, mottled blue and white, to the cooler air of the practice room. A couple of Ice Walkers looked over at her as she took a seat, but quickly returned their attention back to Jay's practice session.

Shivasta watched along with them as Jay put on a show that was almost enough to embarrass her for as much as it showed what he was holding back when they practiced together. She bit her tongue to keep from murmuring appreciatively when he stripped off his own inner robe, leaving himself in nothing more than his trousers, his workout displaying his chest and well-muscled body nicely.

Her empathy made it hard to miss that she wasn't the only one appreciating the view. A few of those gathered had taken an interest in her mate in a way she had never expected. One woman in particular, standing with her full-grown crevasse cat, was distinctly aroused by the show Jay was putting on.

Thinking back, she tried to remember the woman's name. It took a few moments, but she finally remembered that she was Kiryntha, one of the handlers she'd met on her first trip here.

This could be interesting. Of course, she knew that Jay wouldn't notice Kiryntha unless she showed up in their quarters naked some night, and even then he had good odds of not getting it at first, but it might not be a bad idea to talk to her a bit after the workout was done. Jay was certainly doing enough to show off most of what she wanted to see. More than enough to whet her appetite for more.

Shi could hardly blame her; she knew Jay tended to have the same effect on her. Though she had to admit, knowing that Kiryntha was interested reminded her of a few rumors she'd heard before, about the handlers in general.

Then again, if just being interested in Jay meant you were interested in cats more generally, she was in _serious_ trouble. She chuckled to herself and shook her head, dismissing it with that and returning her attention mostly to her mate's workout.

She watched until he was just about done, keeping her senses half on Kiryntha and her reactions until the tightly muscled built tom pulled his robes back on and started looking around for her.

"* _I'll be a few minutes love,_ *" she told him telepathically. "* _Want to talk to one of your fans,_ *" she chuckled mentally, standing and starting to follow Kiryntha as she started out of the workout room.

"* _See you in our room then,_ *" He nodded easily and headed off, eager to get the sweat out of his fur before it chilled.

"* _See you there,_ *" she agreed, following the Handler until she wasn't in as crowded a hall.

"Kiryntha?" She called out, speeding up to catch up with her as the slightly older woman turned around to look at who was calling her name.

"Yes," she nodded as Shi got close.

"I noticed you watching Jay work out," Shi smiled easily. "Want to talk?"

"Umm, sure." She motioned her to follow. "I didn't expect anyone to mind."

"I don't," Shivasta said easily. "Just wondering if you're actually thinking of trying to do anything about it?" She asked as they walked along.

"Thinking of it," Kiryntha admitted. "I've ... um ... heard some impressive things about him."

Shi wondered what she might have heard for a moment ... then remembered something from the night before.

"Were you the sound I heard outside?" She asked, blushing a bit.

"Probably," the older woman nodded, blushing herself as she lifted the hide covering to her own door. "He seemed very good at pleasing you."

"He is," Shi admitted as she followed her in. "Of course, he's had a lot of practice too," she chuckled. "Which is where you might run into a little trouble, honestly. He has no problem noticing when somebody's flirting with one of his mates, and he's more than willing to encourage us, but he's not so good about noticing when somebody's interested in him," she smiled fondly.

Kiryntha considered her for a moment as they sat down on thick pillows. "Because he's not normally interested in anyone, and you're an exception, or because he has everything he wants?" She asked softly.

"A bit of both," Shi said after a few moments to think about it. "He's not usually that interested in women, to be honest. Beyond that, I think a fair amount of it is his Jedi training. We're trained not to pay much attention to people flirting, and we usually don't. He has Fenrik and me, and he's taught himself not to notice much else, the way most Jedi wouldn't notice, or at least respond to, anybody."

Kiryntha was thoughtful again, considering the options and timing. "If you and your other mate don't mind sharing, would you let him know I am interested in some of his time before you leave?"

"Gladly," Shi smiled. "It's about time somebody does a little pushing for him. You just want me to let him know, or encourage him a bit?" She asked, not sure how much help the other woman would want.

"It sounds like encouragement will be needed." She chuckled ruefully. "He's a handsome male, but it sounds like he is a little too happily bonded to stray without it."

"Mmm ... you should see him when he thinks nobody's looking and he's watching two feline Knights practice back home," Shi giggled. "He's just guy-focused, though I haven't heard him complain about fems since he was in his late teens. I'll talk to him," she promised.

"Thank you, Shivasta." Kiryntha said warmly. "You certainly know how to pick a handsome mate."

"Thanks," the younger Ice Walker blushed slightly. "Though he picked me as much as the other way around, I think. I know I'm lucky to have him," she smiled fondly. "You'll be at dinner with everybody else tonight?" She asked.

"Yes," she nodded. "Perhaps you will sit by us?"

"That's what I'd been thinking," Shi smiled. "For what it's worth, you'll probably hit it off better with him if you can start by introducing him to your friend," she offered, reaching down to scritch the cat lightly. "What's his name, by the way?"

"Mizin," she grinned. "So it's true that he's very social with the crevasse cats?"

"Very," Shi nodded with a grin. "You should've seen him at the training pen yesterday. Think it's the feline thing."

"The young ones _are_ just adorable too." Kiryntha smiled fondly. "Maybe they remind him of his own kind's young."

"It could be," Shi nodded. "Though I think he just likes cats," she chuckled. "He's always liked them, just about any species or type."

"That could be useful in the wilderness." She nodded with a smile. "What is your other mate?"

"A Panther," Shi smiled. "He hooked up with Jay first, but the two of us got together after a while."

"I imagine it's rather difficult to share a bed and not eventually." Kiryntha chuckled. "Especially if they're that important to your mate."

"It is," Shi smiled. "And he's a good guy in his own right. Why don't I go talk to Jay," she offered, "we'll see you at dinner tonight?"

"Talk, and probably a bit more." Kiryntha winked at her playfully. "He looked quite worked up when he left."

"He usually is," Shi giggled, standing up. "Good to talk to you, Kiryntha. Have a good evening," she smiled.

"I plan to." She nodded and watched as Shi left. She was already wet between her legs. It would be a long time to dinner.

* * *

Shivasta snuggled up close to Jay in their bed after they'd finally managed to wind down a bit after practice, the sheets they'd brought in from the Sharufa warm and smooth against her skin. She'd never questioned how they did that after so much fluid was spilled on them, but it was very welcome after the first night in furs.

"Mmm ... you're getting a bit of a fan-club," she murmured, kissing his neck lightly.

"Oh?" He raised an eyebrow, catching that she wasn't talking about his combat skills.

"Mhm," she nodded, nuzzling his neck. "A couple of the handlers were watching you pretty closely during your workout earlier. One of 'em's definitely interested in you," she smiled.

"Okay ...." Jay looked down at her, more than a bit at a loss as to why it mattered.

"I'd been thinking it might be good for you to at least think about playing around a little," Shi explained, rubbing his back lightly. "At least to talk with Kiryntha, see how the two of you get along? She's one of the handlers," she added. "Very attracted to you."

"I'll talk to her, sure." He agreed easily. He wasn't even going to bother saying again that he really wasn't interested in playing around, and certainly not with a _female_ Ice Walker of all things. "It hardly hurts to be friendly."

"That's all I'm really asking," Shi reassured him. "Mmm ... though I've got to admit," she said, blushing a bit. "If you two did hit it off, I could think of a few interesting things to do."

That got her a quizzical look. "Like what?"

"Jay? After all these years of you, me, and Fenrik, you can't come up with any ideas for what might be possible with another fem playing along once in a while?" Shi asked, kissing him with a chuckle.

"I know the mechanics," he grumbled. "Just not the appeal." He sighed softly and stroked her hair. "You find it appealing, though."

"Mmm ... a bit," she admitted. "Not sure if Kiryntha does yet, but ... I suppose I'm a little curious."

"You know I don't mind if you find someone, or a couple someones, to play with." Jay reminded her softly and nuzzled her hair.

"I know," she agreed. "But you know I'm not usually inclined to play any more than you are. It just struck me as being an interesting opportunity," she said, kissing his neck. "I'm happy with you and Fenrik. If anything happened between either of us and Kiryntha, it'd just be a temporary thing. Really don't think any of us are looking for more."

"I'm not," Jay purred softly and caressed her jaw line to draw her face up for a kiss she returned happily.

* * *

Shivasta looked around the dining hall briefly as she and Jay arrived later that night. She grabbed his wrist lightly and tugged him off to one side as she noticed Kiryntha and Mizin eating with a couple of seats free next to them.

"C'mon," she said quietly with a smile. "Even if you two only talk, I think you'll like her."

"She's got a cat, she can't be that bad." He chuckled and followed without issue. "Greetings, Kiryntha." He smiled at the slightly older Ice Walker when they were close. "May we join you?"

"Of course," she smiled, motioning towards the seats next to her. Shi sat down in the one farthest from the older woman, giving Jay little choice but to sit down next to her, her big crevasse cat resting on the floor between them. "This is Mizin."

"Hello, Mizin." Jay smiled and offered his hand. "* _Friend._ *"

The big cat sniffed his hand, then pressed his big head against it and rumbled in approval.

"They weren't exaggerating when they said you get along well with the cats, were they?" Kiryntha asked with a smile.

"You might be surprised how much they appreciate being talked to directly." He chuckled and scritched Mizin's ears as they were served large bowls of well-spiced stew. "Telepathy is a great way to make friends with animals."

"I know," she smiled. "Most people just don't think of it except the sensitive handlers," she explained, reaching down to pet her partner while Jay scritched his ears. "Do you work with them back home?"

"No," he shook his head. "I just got used to the idea of everything being able to talk, if you can figure out how. People respond to politeness, animals aren't much different."

"True enough," she nodded with a smile. "You just have to know how to listen, sometimes."

"Natural ability doesn't hurt either." He chuckled softly after a bit of the spicy meat stew that reminded him in many ways of Fenrik's cooking. "Not even all sensitives can do it. It's a lot harder when you don't share a language."

"It's something we're taught when we're trained," Kiryntha explained. "You can get a lot closer with your partner when you can actually talk to them. You like the stew?" She asked, starting to eat herself, Shi quietly eating and letting them talk.

"Yes, it's very much like what our mate likes to cook. Spicy and thick with meat." He chuckled softly. "It's good Shi's a happy carnivore with two cats in the house doing the cooking."

"I cook too... sometimes," Shi teased. "You two are just better at it."

"Meat's about the easiest food to come across out here," Kiryntha chuckled. "We can grow grain and vegetables, but it takes a lot of resources, especially when the thaws are short. Meat grows itself, really."

"Quite true," he nodded and scritched Mizin's ears with one hand while he ate with the other. "At least as long as you keep your population low enough that it doesn't tax the animal population."

"Most of the animals around here are more than happy to see that happens," Kiryntha said seriously. "Even the sheeloth will take a hunter down if he's not careful. Though we are careful about it; we've been farming more the past few decades."

Jay considered her for a moment. "Maybe when things settle down politically, you'll be ready to try building a small hydroponic farm building. It would do a lot to help in lean times."

"* _It'd be a good idea to let him talk,_ *" Shi told Kiryntha quietly. "* _He'll go on for a while, but it'll keep his attention with you._ *"

"What's that?" Kiryntha asked with a mental nod. "Something the Republic uses?"

"Not much, though I haven't a clue why. It's an incredibly efficient way to grow food for people or as animal feed. I've already helped the AgriCorps double the production in the few facilities they have." He began, his body language and tone shifting as he got into his favorite subject: technology. "Quite a few types of food-plants grow very well when their roots are kept in a slow-moving water solution full of nutrients and the lights are left on all the time. Because of the growing method, a single acre can produce the food equal to a half-dozen acres for each level of the building. When you start to multiply levels, you could feed an entire planet on a few acres if it's built and managed right."

"Sounds like that'd be pretty hard to set up around here," she pointed out, gesturing towards the ice that made up the building. "Wouldn't you think?"

"You can build buildings." Jay countered simply. "I've seen all the required technology locally developed. It just hasn't been turned to this particular application."

"I suppose," she admitted. "Want to talk more about it somewhere a little quieter?" She asked, finishing up her stew.

"Sure," he nodded easily and made quick work of his own meal.

"My room?" She offered, standing up and taking her bowl.

"Works for me," Shi said, finishing her meal and standing up to follow the other three. Even if he wasn't thinking sex, at least Jay was willing to be in private with her. Of course, he'd never been uncomfortable talking with somebody, especially not talking tech, but it would be interesting to see how this went.

The four of them walked back to Kiryntha's room, the older Ice Walker pulling the hide out of the way to let them in.

"Take a seat anywhere comfortable," she said, sitting down on the bed with Mizin while Shivasta took a seat on a short couch and found her mate, not surprisingly, next to her.

"Please, go on," Kiryntha asked Jay after a moment. "I really did just mean quieter," she explained with a bit of a chuckle. "I don't know much about technology; it's easier when I don't have half a dozen conversations going on nearby."

"Well, you have the ability to heat your buildings to a comfortable level, so as long as you stick to plants that are local or at least adapted to a similar climate, the temperature shouldn't be an issue. Water doesn't freeze nearly that warm and you've created systems more complicated already." He started to explain. "Now, you might not be able to grow things native to my homeworld, where the prime growing season is in the high eighties, but anything edible in your territory should take to it rather well. It works as well for animal-food as it does for people-food."

"Something like the ritual sauna might work too," Shi offered. "At least for a starting point. It wouldn't be heated to the same extent, but it would still be warm enough to keep things from freezing, keep the plants healthy."

"That could work," Kiryntha admitted. "Might be something to suggest to Impana or one of the others in charge before you leave."

"Without looking like a pompous outsider." Jay nodded.

"I think you could manage," she smiled. "So far, you seem to be doing a pretty good job of respecting our ways, who we are. Better than some of the diplomats we've met do."

"Respecting others comes with respecting yourself," he smiled slightly. "When you don't feel you have something to prove to yourself, it is not that difficult to the value to the ways of others. Our cultures have a lot in common, if you look past the glaring differences."

"It seems that way, from what I know," she nodded, assuming he meant his home-culture rather than the Jedi. "Certainly closer than the Republic seems to be."

"Parts of the Republic at least," Shi agreed, hoping to keep the conversation from getting too far into a topic she was sure they could both agree on _far_ too well.

"Yes, the real pity about the Republic ... it's so huge that any general statement is going to be wrong for at least half of it." Jay shook his head. "It's a very small number of things the worlds seem to even try to agree on. Most of that has to do with either trade or fear of invasion."

"The two things that are easiest to get anybody to agree to," Kiryntha agreed. "Even here, it's how we started moving away from the old wars. Now the Republic's here, and they make the other clans look downright familiar, even ones where the Peace had been uneasy."

"And with them came the usual disrespect for social development and everything else that doesn't turn a profit." Jay sighed. "It wouldn't be nearly this stressful if you'd made it into colonizing worlds on your own, before you were hit with everything that's out there."

"That would have taken a long, long, long time," Kiryntha pointed out. 

"Centuries, at least." He nodded in agreement.

"It's not all bad," she admitted. "We don't have to walk, ride, or use sleds to get everywhere. We have weapons other than spears and ice-blades. We're getting more materials in, slowly. And then some of the people we meet are nice," she smiled at Jay.

"And many are only looking to take advantage of you." He added. "It's a double-edged blade, being part of a larger community. Hopefully you'll still be Ice Walkers when things sort themselves out."

"Hopefully," she nodded, deciding that he clearly wasn't going to take any particular openings and she wasn't interested in being any more direct with a male that disinterested. "I should probably let the two of you get going; you'll need your sleep for tomorrow," she smiled.

"Yes, it is the big day." Jay grinned.

"I'll see the two of you there," Kir smiled as Jay and Shi stood.

"Thank you," Shivasta smiled. "I just hope everything goes smoothly."

"* _Sorry it didn't work out,_ *" she told the other Ice Walker telepathically.

"* _I'll live,_ *" Kiryntha chuckled mentally, bowing her head slightly to them. "I'm sure it will," she added verbally. "Maybe we'll talk more after that."

"Maybe," Jay inclined his head to her before they left. "* _That was decidedly uncomfortable._ *" He all but muttered to his mate in the silence between them.

"Sorry," she apologized to him quietly once they were far enough away and had enough privacy nobody'd hear. "The two of you seemed to get along at least. Just not meant to be anything more, and I think she got it."

"I hope so," he sighed and nuzzled her. "The desire just isn't there for me, can you understand that?"

"I can," she murmured, turning to kiss him lightly. "I shouldn't have pushed the way I did. Come on, let's get back to our room," she smiled. "I'll apologize properly."

"Mmmm, if I didn't know how easy it is to get one of your massages, I'd consider it time well spent." He teased her lightly.

"I notice you're not turning it down, so you're obviously not _that_ upset," she teased back, giggling as they returned to their room.

* * *

* * *

* * *

"Shivasta Stormwarden, you have demonstrated sufficient skill with the Force to be considered as a Stormwarden Shaman," Keva said as Shi relaxed after she'd finished one of the tests the Ice Walkers had for her. All in all, they'd been much simpler than most of her Jedi Trials ... but, then, that was expected. A number of the Trials were philosophical, or testing the ability of the Padawan to survive in the field.

On Garosh, if you weren't able to survive in the field, you didn't last long enough to become a shaman, so they didn't bother testing for that.

There was only one test left she had to take; she had to prove she had the Stormwarden gift.

She could feel her mate's silent support threw their bond from where he stood nearby, but not so close that he'd be in the way. Impana and others from her part of the Clan were there as well; they were all waiting for this, proof that she'd kept the clan's ways even among the Jedi.

"Summon the Storm Wardens," Keva told her, referring to the centuries old 'bluff' the clan had used, their claim that they were allies with storm demons that didn't really exist. Still, the phrasing was part of the ritual, and Shivasta recognized it well by now. She leaned her head back, looking up at the sky above the area cleared for her to work in.

As Jay watched, both through his eyes and through the Force, he saw the swirling, flowing patterns in the sky begin to shift, becoming more ordered, taking broad, sweeping paths through an area almost a kilometer and a half across.

"Wow," he breathed, his eyes going wide as he realized just how much power was involved and her control. In the same moment, he was memorizing, analyzing ... storing the information to understand it himself.

He could never remember Shi practicing this skill while anybody was around, though she had told him about using it on her solo mission. She always insisted that, when she practiced, there wasn't anybody around except her to get hurt if she lost control. It, ultimately, left Jay more shocked by the display than anybody else there as the wind started to pick up, conditions gradually shifting to pull what moisture there was in the air together into heavy clouds, winds starting to whip up snow as an isolated blizzard formed.

He had to wonder just what it looked like when everybody in the Clan who could do this worked together. Even as relatively inexperienced as she was, Shi was creating whiteout conditions in the area cleared for her to work in.

No wonder the Stormwardens had remained independent as long as they had. Even with Republic tech, it would be nearly impossible to enter the territory, much less fight in these conditions.

The storm swirled for a few moments, the assorted shamans watching to make sure it didn't get out of control. Shivasta focused, concentrating the storm down to half its size, more than doubling the intensity of it in the smaller region, then let it dissipate naturally. It wasn't long before it lightened up to a regular storm, still too much for a ship to fly in comfortably, but easier to walk through if you were up to it.

Shi was visibly drained by the time she was done, but she had completed it.

"Let the clan know that Shivasta has proven her skill with the Force!" Keva called out. "When she desires it, and has proven her knowledge of our ways, she will be allowed to join the ranks of the shaman." Shi stood, looking at Jay with a happy smile before she moved to join him, the Ice Walkers cheering as they started to gear up for the part of this they were all most looking forward to.

The celebration.

"Good work," Jay kissed her softly and drew her close into a warm embrace, suppressing his usual unease at public affection. It was expected of him right now, as her first mate.

"Thanks," she smiled, hugging him back. "Mmm ... so, should we go do the socializing that's expected of us?" She asked, taking a few moments to relax before she stepped back a bit and noticed that parts of the crowd were already moving back inside. "Storm should be gone in a couple minutes," she observed, looking up at the gradually shrinking clouds.

"And some of the feast," he cracked a grin and shifted to slide an arm around her back as they headed inside. "The food's good here."

"Mmm ... y'know, maybe I should get some recipes down for Fenrik to work with," she rumbled, squeezing him affectionately as they walked in. "At least tonight we won't have to worry about finding good seats," she pointed out, nodding towards the spaces reserved for them near Impana.

"Quite true," Jay purred softly as they walked to the place of honor. Despite trying to behave by local standards, he'd put half an arm's distance between them before they sat and was mostly in Jedi manners by the time they were served. If anybody noticed, they didn't seem inclined to mention it. It was hardly the first time he'd stepped a bit away. No matter how affectionate they knew he was towards her in private, out in public, he generally kept his hands to himself.

Large glasses of a local drink were passed around while the food was being served by some of the children and older Ice Walkers who'd managed to earn kitchen duties for some infraction, and Shivasta took a sip of the pale golden liquid they hadn't had before.

"Well, it's alcoholic," she observed quietly as Jay purred deep in his chest. "Doesn't taste too strong though," she reassured Jay, taking another sip of the drink her mate clearly enjoyed.

"It's very good too." He added with a slight grin and set the glass down to start on the steaming, spicy meat and vegetable stew, a little more varied in its flavor than it had been the last couple nights.

"That it is," Shi agreed, ripping off some of the bread being passed around to eat with her meal. "Can you imagine what a meal like this would be like at the Temple?" She asked, chuckling at the thought.

"Seriously chaotic." Jay chuckled, imagining hundreds gathered with all the languages and manners. As noisy as it was here, the Temple was far bigger.

"Mmm ... well, we'll be heading back in a day or two probably," she smiled. "Bet you'll be glad to be somewhere the temps get up above freezing."

"Always," he shook his head a bit and took another drink of wine. "Though it is easier to stay warm than to cool off."

"Mmm ... you mean like it was on Ryloth?" She teased lightly, taking another drink herself as she ate. "Have to say, I'm glad we only went there once. Coruscant is _so_ much more comfortable."

"That place is too hot even for me." He made a bit of face. "Just about _anywhere_ is more comfortable than that oven."

"There are some nice things about it though," Shi chuckled. "Just definitely not somewhere to live."

"Mmm, yes," he rumbled deep in his chest. "Such a close source of Ryl. I think our Masters regretted bringing us along."

"Only because you walked by that mine," she giggled. "Mmm ... don't think I've ever seen you that worked up."

"It's not meant to be inhaled," he rolled his eyes in tolerant amusement. "That planet should have a 'no felines allowed' sign on it. Though I don't recall you minding all that much."

"Mmm ... not at all," she half-grinned, leaning over to kiss him playfully as she finished her glass. "Though I think our Masters were seriously worried about you after that one."

"Only until they were sure I wasn't hooked on it." He shook his head with a chuckle. "I think Fenrik still grumbles about missing out, though."

"Mmm ... once in a while. Somehow, he usually manages to get over it after a little re-enactment," she winked, taking a second glass as the bottle of wine was passed around again.

"He is _so_ easy to please." Jay rumbled and licked his whiskers back before topping his own glass off. "But then, so are you."

"Mmm ... and you're not?" She grinned.

"As long as it's you or Fenrik." He almost smirked, absently aware that he was getting a bit drunk, and that Shi was probably even worse unless it was a species thing.

"Mmm ... and who says familiarity breeds contempt?" She asked, kissing him lightly. "Mmm ... think we've had enough to eat for a while, make it worth heading off to see what they're up to?" She asked with a half-grin, nodding towards some of the other Ice Walkers who were leaving to start celebrating in earnest.

"Works for me," he chuckled and stood easily, wrapping an arm around her for the short walk to the gathering in the other room where music was playing and Ice Walkers were starting to dance.

"Mmm ... follow my lead?" Shi asked, stepping away slightly and starting to dance along with the others, though she was clearly not as experienced as most of the people here.

"Any time," he rumbled and let himself go with the pounding music and flow of Force in the room that the dancers created. He was vaguely aware that their partners changed several times, males and females both had danced with him when one got much closer than before.

"Hi Kiryntha." He smiled a bit loopily at the woman almost pressed against him while they danced.

"Hey," she smiled back, brushing up against him lightly and just a little suggestively. The heat of his body was deliciously intense, and she knew he had the senses to smell her light arousal already, only this time his body language was much more amicable to her advances.

She brushed up against him again, this time more blatant about her interest. She wasn't sure where Shi was, but she knew she wouldn't be likely to mind.

She was probably getting picked up herself, right about now.

Kiryntha groaned softly as Jay slid his hands down her sides, the heat of his furless palms burningly intense as he pulled her close and claimed a kiss that she returned easily, playing her tongue along the soft fur around his mouth in an enticing reminder of why she wanted him so much.

Then his tongue, rough like that Mizin's, was in her mouth and demanding her attention. She gave it all she could, suckling the rough length and wrapping her arms lightly around his back, gradually starting to try and work him towards the door so they could make it back to her room before things got started.

She drew a sharp breath when his mouth worked down her jaw and neck, only to freeze when his body went tense and he abruptly looked up, scanning the gathering for something.

Silently cursing her luck, she looked up and tried to see what it was, only to be left alone as he broke off to make his way through the crowd towards Elan and Shi, who seemed to have the same idea the two of them almost had. She couldn't help but join the small crowd that was drawn to Jay's abrupt display of disapproval. The Kat put his _arm_ between them and had all but forced Shi to take a step back, but nothing in his body language or expression backed up the aggressive first move.

For a moment, it looked like he might have to, but Elan backed off after a brief hesitation, leaving everybody wondering what was up. Kiryntha at least knew they weren't monogamous, which took out the obvious reason, and Shivasta didn't have any better idea what was going on than the rest of them did.

"Jay?" Shi asked, her speech a little off thanks to the drink she'd had before and the effect it was having as it worked through her system.

"This is not a good time to have children." He said softly, his focus remarkably steady given his own state.

She blinked at the statement, and then ran through the math mentally with more difficulty than usual.

"I was off a few days," she admitted very quietly.

"* _I can still taste it,_ *" He almost shivered, a very clear memory of what tasting her fertility did to him with the thought. "* _This morning was very hot. Did we bring anything ... or local?_ *"

"Now that I know, I can handle it myself," she murmured, kissing him. "Mmm ... though I should thank you for the reminder first, I think...."

"Enjoy yourself." He purred softly and claimed a heated kiss before stepping away with a smile towards Elan.

"Mmm ... you too," she rumbled, moving to give Elan a light kiss before they started back out, the other Ice Walker still sorting out just what was going on from the conversation he'd only half-heard and the rest required translation from the mate's shorthand.

"Mmm ... everything okay?" Kiryntha asked as she stepped out of the crowd to draw Jay back into it, hoping his mood hadn't broken completely.

"Yes," he rumbled and pressed close again, his arousal obvious against her body by its intense heat as he claimed another kiss, his rough tongue against her lips until they parted. "We're just not quite ready for kids yet."

"Mmm ... understandable," she murmured, returning the kiss and not bothering to tell him that the only reason she wasn't a mother already was because she hadn't found a mate. "Want to go somewhere more private?"

"Unless you like it in the open." Jay rumbled, his tone teasing, though he was drunk enough to go through with it.

"If this was harvest, I'd take you up on it," she chuckled, leading him back to her room, her body practically buzzing with excitement that Jay was not only picking up on, but encouraging.

She opened her mouth to say something only to have it cut off by his mouth as she was slammed against the wall and Jay rubbed his aroused, hot body against hers.

She groaned into his mouth, glad they'd just made it into her room. She spread her legs slightly, running her fingers through his fur hungrily as his layered robes were pushed off his shoulders. She was dimly aware of the Force he used to help get them both undressed, then her entire world was closed to the rough inferno of hard, barbed flesh that drove into her body.

She was vaguely aware of crying out, trying to tighten around his body. His barbs raked her insides, and she milked them, doing everything she could to pleasure him and willingly drowning in the pleasure she felt from him. It far outweighed the pain of barbs so much larger than Mizin's.

She decided quickly that Shi had been being quiet the night she'd overheard them.

* * *

Jay groaned softly, the coolness of two hard bodies around him and the heavy scent of male sex a not-quite-right familiarity that almost lulled him into agreeing with his pounding head to go back to sleep. What _had_ he been up to? This was definitely not the female and her cat that he actually remembered playing with.

He made a mental note to make sure he never touched whatever he'd had the night before again....

That, or to take a bottle home just to share with Shi and Fenrik.

Ryl was better. He _remembered_ with Ryl.

Still, it had been one hell of a night ... and the rough tongue lightly, almost curiously, licking at the matted fur on his thighs suggested it might be an equally interesting morning if he wanted it to be.

"* _Morning._ *" He mumbled silently to whoever was down there, fairly certain it was the crevasse cat of one of the two guys passed out in bed with him.

A light rumble from under the furs confirmed it, though from the mental 'feel' of the cat he was with it definitely wasn't too used to whatever had happened last night, but it also felt curious about more.

As much as he didn't particularly want to, he thought back and mentally decided that he'd probably been with a half-dozen or more different people the night before, and probably two of the crevasse cats. A part of him seriously hoped nobody else remembered anything any better than he did... he wondered where Shi was, and who she was with.

"* _Love?_ *" He reached out awkwardly with his mind while he reached down with one hand to scritch the big cat's ears, earning an affectionate lick.

"* _Never let me touch that...._ *" Shi's mental response rapidly degraded to a number of creative descriptions for the drink they'd had the night before in several different languages. Well, she was awake at least, and apparently about as impressed with its ability to cause a hangover as he was.

"* _Ditto,_ *" he agreed, even as he moaned from a broad tongue licking precariously close to his balls. "* _Where are you?_ *"

"* _You're going to make me open my eyes, aren't you?_ *" Shi asked him with a mental groan. "* _Our quarters, with Elan,_ *" she said after a few moments.

"* _Calm night._ *" He half chuckled. "* _Hope you don't mind me being a while._ *"

"* _Mmm ... okay,_ *" Shi told him. "* _Good night?_ *"

"* _Wild night. Maybe someday I'll actually remember most of it._ *" His words abruptly filtered out to the pure pleasure of a strong hand around his balls and sheath. "* _Really wild._ *"

"* _I'll let you get to your morning,_ *" Shi told him mentally, gradually returning to her own mind, probably to sleep, as one of Jay's bedmates kissed him lightly.

"Mmm ... morning, handsome," the Ice Walker rumbled.

"Morning," Jay rolled over slightly and kissed his companion while he set his body to the task of undoing the imbalances creating the hangover. Even as the male next to him stroked him to full harness, he was debating whether or not with was worth it to decline, ask where the shower was and find his way back to his bed, or ignore the pounding behind his eyes and wear himself out again.

In the end, the pounding headache outweighed the affectionate males waking up on either side of him, and the curious crevasse cat who'd managed to work out from under the blanket.

"How about you guys play with each other, while I grab a shower." Jay smiled at the stranger.

"Sounds good," they both chuckled. "If you're interested once you're out, just let us know," the first one grinned as he crawled out from between the guys and started for the showers.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Impana strode through the city with purpose in her step, making her way towards the indoor sparring chambers. Once in a while she would pause to give orders to one of the other high-ranking Stormwardens, telling them what she had learned and sending them to make preparations.

The Republic's supporters were on the move, approaching across the wastes on speeders and other vehicles. They wouldn't be here for days yet, but the time for war had finally arrived.

There was only one plan Impana had left that might forestall it.

She winced as she heard Shivasta grunt, hitting the wall of the sparring chamber as she and Jay practiced. It was a reminder that this plan was motivated more by pragmatism than confidence that it would work out the best way possible.

Still, Impana was ultimately very pragmatic when it came to her clan.

"I'm afraid I have to interrupt your sparring," she told Jay and Shi as the young Ice Walker picked herself up. "We have some news about the Republicans."

Jay immediately stepped back and bowed to Shi, ending the round, before he turned to face the chieftess with curiosity on his face.

"What is it, Chieftain?" Shivasta asked as she turned to face her aunt.

"They've begun to move towards our land. The Republic vehicles they're using will have them here in a matter of days, according to the Seers."

"Do you wish us to leave?" Shivasta asked, half-sure that that was why Impana was here. The ceremony had been two days ago now; it was nearly time as it was.

"No," Impana said, shaking her head. "I wish you, Shivasta, to face their champion in battle when they arrive."

Impana felt in the Force what the young feline kelp himself from saying; that he was the warrior. That a Healer shouldn't be doing such a thing. That Shi wasn't ready for that kind of fight.

She felt just as strongly what it took to keep himself silent, and that the champion had better pray they lost to Shi without hurting her badly. He had been willing to take on the Stormwardens for his mate when they'd first arrived. He'd held himself back considerably at her unspoken request when he'd fought Elan. If Shi was badly injured, there would be no such mercy given to the Ice Walker facing him next, or their allies.

"Do you know who their champion is, Chieftess?" He got out in a tone that was almost not a growl. The growl wasn't directed at her, but at the champion to be faced and the situation that kept him from being the combatant and not his mate.

She had to admire the feline for not objecting verbally; he wasn't entitled to take Shivasta's place, but he was ultimately right, in Impana's opinion. Unless Shivasta had some combat talents she hadn't used yet, the fight would be very difficult for her.

And Impana was not new to identifying a skilled warrior.

"Not yet," Impana said, shaking her head slightly. "She will be a skilled warrior, probably one of the sensitives who turned to them." 

"Why me?" Shivasta asked, knowing that as well as the others did. "Clearly there are more skilled warriors in the clan; one of them would be more likely to win the battle."

"Your vision," Impana explained. "It implied that you would be the one among us to face this battle. Given that, I feel it would be irresponsible to ignore what both you and our shamen have seen over the years."

"Think about it Shi." Jay added quietly, his eyes downcast and his body tense as he accepted the situation and the utterly pragmatic reasons for it. "If you win, the Stormwardens win. If you loose, an Ice Walker has defeated a Jedi, the finest warriors of the Republic. Either way, the Stormwardens win a victory."

"It would, of course, be preferable if you won," Impana said quietly. "But yes, that did play into my decision as well."

"It is what would ultimately be best for the clan," Shivasta admitted. "Though a victory would be best; end the war without question of Jedi or not."

"An issue that ultimately relies on both sides keeping to the promise to end the war based on the challenges' results," Impana pointed out. "Are you willing?"

"Yes, I am," Shivasta said, barely taking a moment to think about it. "My lightsaber should give me the edge in the fight, if nothing else."

"You'll never get to in a challenge, love." Jay remained her quietly. "Even if you can choose the weapon, they can claim a lightsaber as an unfair advantage in technology."

"You will probably have to fight with an ice blade," Impana agreed with a nod. "I will train you as best I can in the time we have, but we'd best get started soon." She glanced at Jay, considering extending the offer to him as well.

"If you wish, I can train the both of you," she told him. "In case it comes in handy some day."

"I have been interested in learning to use a real sword," he inclined his head to her. "I will take you up on that offer."

"You'll find some blades in here," Impana said, turning to open a small cabinet, revealing a rack of gleaming swords carved out of Force-hardened ice. "Each of you select one; you'll probably find the weight the hardest thing to adjust to."

"What Force-skills do warriors know here?" Jay asked as he let his hand drift over the selection of blades until one resonated better than the rest. He was surprised by how heavy the curved blade was, though not as surprised as Shi was when she picked one out for herself. She managed not to drop it, but it was clear that she wasn't expecting it to weigh as much as it did.

"It's easiest to wield if you hold it closer to your body," Impana explained, helping Shi find a decent grip. "As for your question, it varies from one warrior to the next, but most Jedi techniques we've heard of are ones that we have here as well. That's something you'll probably find helpful; the techniques for an ice sword are similar to the ones you use with a lightsaber, barring the obvious differences."

"Shi?" Jay stepped back and dropped into a basic combat stance as he found his balance with this new weapon.

"Right," she nodded, gripping the hide-wrapped hilt and dropping into a similar stance.

"The first thing you'll have to keep in mind is that you need to end the fight quickly," Impana told them. "A lightsaber doesn't have any weight except at the hilt; with this you'll be tiring yourself out with every blow. You'll want to defend until you can get a killing blow, let your opponent tire herself out first."

Jay moved first, a simple strike that was intended to give him a feel for the momentum and reach of the weapon more than actually challenge Shi to make the block. Instinct brought him around with the weight of the swing, using its weight and momentum to bring him into position for another strike.

Shi responded to block the blow, quickly returning herself to a more centered, balanced stance. Impana watched the two of them work, focusing more on Shi's performance than Jay's as the two of them got used to the weapons. She had to admit that for all his youth, Jay was doing an admirable job of getting Shi to practice what was needed and ignoring the rest. He wasn't a predictable opponent, even when he was signaling when he was on the offensive or defensive.

"Break for a moment," Impana called to them, pulling a pair of light gloves out of her robes as they came to a brief stop. "Shivasta, put these on. When you're practicing now, try to think of the entire weapon as being one, not just the cutting edge." She tossed the gloves over to Shi, who pulled them on. "Brace the blade with your off-hand when you're blocking, use that to help you balance. The gloves will also keep the blade from doing more than breaking your fingers if they get hit."

"Yes, ma'am." She nodded and settled back into a defensive stance to face her mate, sliding one gloved hand up along the back of the curved blade to find a good balance point for it.

* * *

* * *

* * *

"It is beautiful here." Jay said softly as he held Shi's back against his chest, his arms wrapped around her as they stood and gazed out over the storm-swept lands the Stormwardens called home. "Alien to me, but beautiful in its own way."

"It is," she agreed, pressing back against him softly on top of the lookout tower. "It's even more impressive when the storms aren't blowing," she murmured. "You can see almost forever, it seems like. Funny, in a way."

"You'll surrender before you're hurt too badly, right?" He asked with a nuzzle, his fear palatable in his scent even to her. It was something that only got stronger when he realized she had to stop and think about it before she could answer him.

"If I can, Jay," she said softly. "It'll be up to my opponent if they accept it or not."

"You know I can't let you die." He whispered, his nose buried in her hair and the fear he rarely felt a viscous, shimmering pool of cold desperation in his mind that all but called the Demon to him with it's crooning of warmth and soothing focus on destruction. "No matter what it means."

Not for the first time, she was keenly aware of just how honestly he meant that. On the one hand, it was touching... on the other hand, it was very, very frightening to know just how far he was probably willing to go.

"I'm not going to die," she promised him. "I'm the healer, remember? I might not be as good a fighter, but I have my tricks. Besides," she murmured, shifting to kiss his cheek softly, "even if my body dies, I won't let something like this take me away from you."

She felt it, in the Force and in his body, that they had once again crossed that line between her faith and his own lack of it in such things.

"No, you are not going to die." He shifted his head back to look her in the face. "I am sorry, but a ghost is not close enough."

"I won't die, Jay," she promised him. "Just... don't ask me to show you how I win, if I have to do it the way I might. Okay?"

"All right." He kissed her softly and calmed down some, though the knot was still in his gut. "I'll do my best not to interfere."

"You can't, Jay," she told him softly, but seriously. "If you do, then none of this matters. I have to do this... just please, trust me to handle it."

"If she is about to kill you, I can't stand by." He dropped his eyes in apology and regret. "I just can't."

"Then I'll just have to keep her from getting that far, won't I?" Shi murmured, pressing back against him and closing her eyes as he held her tightly. He was like this with Fenrik too, though not usually as noticeable, at least not to her. Of course, Fenrik hasn't gotten into a pre-arranged fight the Jay had to _watch_ and not help out in. 

"I'll be all right," she promised him, trying to keep her mind as confident as her voice was. At least he was steady enough to stay out of things unless it really was her life at stake. "Jay... depending on how things go tomorrow...."

"I'll take care of you," he promised softly, her needs focusing him away from his own fears without either of them trying. "The first messy kill is always hard."

"First kill, period," she murmured softly. "I've lost patients before, but never actually...." She licked her lips, turning in his arms to hold him close. "It's never come up for me before," she admitted.

"I'll take care of you Shi." He promised again and held her tightly, his rough tongue tenderly grooming her thick hair. Even though he couldn't understand having a problem with killing, be it on the hunt or in battle, he knew it was something she never wanted to have to do. "We'll be back at the Temple soon. It will be all right if she makes you kill her."

"Let's just hope she doesn't... or that I can take the choice away from her," Shi murmured softly, kissing his neck and looking out at the storm clouds again. "Want to watch the clouds a bit more, then go back to our room?"

"Sounds good. They'll be here in the morning. You need your rest."

"Yeah," she murmured, turning back around, hugging his arms close as they returned to watching the frigid scenery.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Shivasta and Jay were watching the clouds again from the lookout tower the next morning, chilled by more than just the winds. The blizzards were clearing up, and where clouds in the sky would fade, armies were revealed.

Snow half-buried many warriors and many vehicles, several of which Jay and Shi both recognized as transports bearing the emblem of the Republic... the Trade Confederation... the IGBC... other groups with a vested interest in seeing that Garosh became another resource world for Republic interests.

The Stormwardens were outnumbered and outgunned alike. Angry clouds remained, threatening another 'demon storm' if it was necessary, but that was close to the only edge they had right now. That, and probably ten-times the number of sensitives loyal to them and the two Jedi watching from the tower that intended to end it.

"Shivasta!" Elan called up from further down the tower. "It's almost time."

"Too soon, but at least it will be over with." Jay sighed and hugged her tightly before they turned to head down.

"Assuming they'll accept the results," Shi shivered, walking down ahead of him. She pulled on the gloves she'd been working with, the heavy ice sword at her hip in place of her lightsaber. It still didn't feel natural to her, but she knew how to use it now. "Here's hoping."

"If not, it's where I come in." Jay said simply and firmly. "The may be ready for Jedi interference. They aren't ready for _mine_."

"No, they're not," Shivasta agreed, knowing full well that every ounce of technology on the battlefield would turn against them if necessary to stop this.

"It looks like their champion is young," Elan offered as they reached the bottom. "Nobody I recognize, but not as experienced as some of the people they have available."

"The same can be said of ours." Jay reminded him quietly. "Force skill doesn't show as easily as physical training."

"And there are pre-teens with more training than I've had," Shi admitted.

"Perhaps, but you have your Jedi training," Elan pointed out confidently. "Besides, the vision you had said you were meant to face this battle. If you _and_ your grandmother shared the vision, at two different times, clearly it was meant to be."

"And Jedi training is nothing to discount." Jay reminded her with a nuzzle. "Our reputation isn't empty."

"No, it's not," Shivasta agreed, taking a deep breath as they walked out. So much that could go wrong today... if she wasn't able to keep things under control, somebody was going to die, possibly many somebodies.

That thought alone was enough to keep her focused. She was a healer; it was her job to save lives, no matter the method. She was just doing that same familiar work today, by means she was barely familiar with at all.

The biting cold outside brought her attention outside once more; to the gathering crowds from both sides of the conflict, and the two males walking with her to the challenge field.

She straightened up, walking purposefully forward as she noticed the groups converging and forming, almost instinctively, a circle between them for the champions to fight if a challenge was made.

Champions... somehow, the title struck her as being distinctly awkward, especially applied to her. She was about as far as one could _get_ from being a champion for anybody.

The Stormwardens were clearly outnumbered at least three to one as she made her way through the several-thousand strong force of warriors and crevasse cats. The tension in the air was literally palpable to her Force senses, but there was something else that she felt as the Republican camp stirred.

Something familiar to her.

An Ice Walker woman, a few years younger than Shivasta for all they looked the same age, stepped forward into the circle. She carried a metal shield and an ice blade, her body clad in light battle armor that Shivasta recognized as being of Republic design. It wasn't much better than what they could make locally, but it was much cheaper and easier to get a suit of. Still, in this fight, it wouldn't be any more effective than a suit of sheeloth-hide, and the shield no more useful than the light ice-shields most of the warriors carried.

She had passed up the chance to use both; armor would just slow her down, and the shield would force her to fight one-handed. Besides, with the gloves she was wearing, and accepting a little pain, she could almost use her hands as shields if she had to.

There were days she was devoutly grateful she was a healer.

"Where is the champion of the Stormwardens?" The Republican champion called out.

"I am here," Shivasta responded, stepping forward into the ring of bodies, leaving Elan and Jay behind. With a deep breath, she calmed herself, focusing on what had to be done here and now, and how best to do it. She still wondered where she knew the other Ice Walker from... she didn't recognize her from her first visit, but there was something there that seemed to connect them.

"So, the Stormwardens have stooped to asking a Jedi to protect them from us?" Her opponent taunted her, and the army behind her.

"I am a Stormwarden." Shi replied with a sharp edge on her voice that did little to indicate her true state. She knew what was expected of her and she provided it. "I fight as a Stormwarden."

"So you're the one," the younger woman observed. "Tell me, have you forgiven your 'clan' for sending your mother to die in the Wastes for what she did for you? Or did they forget to mention that little tidbit to you?"

"I know her crime, and her punishment." Shi shrugged, showing more indifference than she really felt as she finally placed where the familiarity was from. "Clearly she did not die before giving birth to a true traitor, sister."

"She only lived because she was taken in by a clan that cared about her," the other Ice Walker countered. "And are you sure I'm the traitor here? After all, I serve my clan. You... I wonder what the Jedi would say if they heard you were here for this. Do you intend to die a traitor to the people who raised you, to serve the ones who decided to throw your life away?"

Before anyone could respond a flash fire of murderous rage erupted in the Force, almost visible to the non-sensitives. It ended just as quickly, but not before Shi recognized exactly what had caused it and just how on edge her mate really was. He wanted to be on the battlefield _badly_.

"I will not die today, sister." Shi said simply, hoping she could end this before Jay gave in to the Demon so close to the surface right now. "Enough of your talk; show what you can do."

"Very well, if you're in a rush," she shrugged, bringing her sword and shield up into a neutral stance easily, holding the heavy blade in one hand with a practiced grip. Suddenly she reached out through the Force, starting a whirlwind at Shivasta's feet, wind, snow, and ice buffeting the older Ice Walker and distracting her. The younger sister bolted forward, charging as fast as she could without using the Force.

Shi barely had time to bring her blade up to block the crushing blow that followed, her sister's ice blade crashing into hers with the force of a charging bantha that Shi guided slightly to one side as she sidestepped and spun around with a touch of Force, her blade aimed squarely across her opponent's back.

She felt it bite into the thick synthetic fiber of the armor, but the other warrior spun before it could get into her flesh. Shivasta reeled as her sister struck her in the side of the face with her shield, knocking her back and following up with a swift thrust for her stomach that she brought up a telekinetic shield to block until she could get out of the way almost instinctively.

She took the moment it took her sister to recover to hit her hard with malacia.

The look of surprise on the younger Ice Walker's face said she hadn't been expecting it, but a hard, fast Force thrust threw Shivasta back before she could take advantage of the few moments it took for her to recover.

It didn't take this time, not all the way, but it was the edge that Shi had expected, and needed, it to be.

The distance between them gave Shi the time to hit her again with malacia before her opponent could do anything else.

She was ready for it this time though; the vulnerable point in her Force pattern had been sealed; the young Ice Walker wrapping the Force around herself like a protective cocoon. She stood again, bolting for Shi with the Force behind her motions. Shivasta bit her lip in pain as she felt the deadly cold blade bite through her robes, leaving a shallow cut in her arm.

It was also just the move Shi was waiting for. It brought her opponent close enough to use the morichro technique. If her sister could withstand two malacia attempts, she just about _had_ to be hearty enough to survive this.

She reached out through the Force, piercing the younger Ice Walker's barrier and latching on to her Force pattern. She started applying the proper energies to the proper focal points, slowing and stilling the flow of the Force through her opponent's body. A moment later, she had stopped it completely, and the Ice Walker passed out faster than if Shivasta had put her in a chokehold.

She quickly released the pressure, letting the Force start back through her body so she would only be unconscious, then stood to looks of shock from both sides. Shi knew she was expected to kill her at this point; her sister had lost the battle, her life was forfeit.

Shivasta didn't care. It was over, and she wasn't going to kill her if she didn't have to. She tossed her blade to the ground, moving her sister's next to it. Only one person wasn't shocked, but he was relieved. Very, very relieved.

"The battle is over," Shivasta said clearly, turning towards the larger army. "Your champion lives, but she is helpless for now." She reached out to the Force users among her clan, and to Jay, drawing on their power to add the full weight of the Force to her words. "Your army is defeated; return to your homes and your lives, and seek a peaceful compromise among the clans. How our people deal with the Republic isn't worth a war."

She picked up her sword, and her sister's bloodied one, as the younger Ice Walker groaned softly and started to return to consciousness. She moved quickly to hand both weapons to Impana, praying that this would be over for now. One of the Republicans stepped forward... but only to help her sister back to her feet.

"I don't know how you beat me," she told Shivasta. "But you did. Thank you for my life... I will return to our chieftains, and we will withdraw for now."

"That is all I have earned," Shivasta acknowledged, inclining her head. "What is your name, sister?"

"Etreia," she answered simply, turning to start walking back towards her camp, shaking her head to try and clear the last of the grogginess from it.

Shivasta put her hand over the cut on her arm, summoning the Force to close the wound. She moved back towards Jay as the two armies started to stand down, taking a deep breath.

"This is one tradition I'm grateful for, just now," she murmured as he pulled her close and trembled ever so slightly from the tension seeking release.

"It is a lot less bloody." He agreed and nuzzled her, his warmth a welcome reminder of home and calmer places.

"I'm the one who's supposed to be on edge right now," she murmured, shifting to kiss him lightly when she was sure nobody was watching. "Let's get back to our quarters... don't think we should leave until tomorrow."

"When they've actually left." He nodded and wrapped and arm around her as they walked, his flickering tail the most obvious sign of his continued agitation that was slowly draining away, much to the frustration of the Darkness in his mind.

* * *

* * *

* * *

"The Republican forces are leaving," Impana told Jay and Shi as they prepared to do the same the next day. "It looks like we'll be able to negotiate with them, convince them to let us handle our own bargains with the Republic."

"I hope so," Shivasta smiled, taking Impana's hand and making the last of her goodbyes. "I'd like to be able to come back some time and see that things aren't on the verge of war."

"Agreed." Jay nodded with an easy smile. "It's much more pleasant to visit when the skies are clear."

"They'll always be clear for you two," Elan chuckled. "Just make sure to give us some warning."

"That we'll be able to manage," Shivasta smiled. "Thought it'll probably be a while before I come back again."

"Maybe next time you'll stay," Impana chuckled, though she knew it was very unlikely at best. Jay's silent reaction only reinforced that idea. He was decidedly not happy with the thought.

"At least long enough to actually teach us a few of those Jedi tricks." Kiryntha grinned at him. "And have a little more fun."

"I was about to say we'd bring Fenrik along next time, but I don't think I'd ever get them back if I did," Shivasta chuckled, stiffening slightly as she sensed something. She looked over towards the Republican warriors preparing to leave, and saw Etreia making her way towards their landing pad along with a young Ice Walker. Shivasta could sense the relation between them, and the Force in the Ice Walker who was probably still too young to talk.

"I think we're going to have company on the trip home," she told Jay quietly. "Assuming you think the Sharufa can handle a toddler until we make it back to Coruscant?"

"Easily." He nodded, his gaze on his mate's sister with a curious edge.

The other Ice Walkers noticed the newcomers next, looking over at them with expressions ranging from curious to concerned. The child next to her was younger than most Ice Walkers were brought out into the cold, though she was well-bundled to make up for it.

"I heard that you were going to be leaving soon," Etreia explained to Shivasta, sparing a brief nod for Impana. "I wanted you to meet your niece first."

"All right," Shivasta nodded, kneeling to look into the bright blue eyes of her sister's daughter. She looked up at her mother, then back at her aunt, not saying a word. Shi could tell that the young woman was a sensitive. Not the strongest, but strong enough that a part of her said she should be brought back to the Temple if it was acceptable. She wondered if that was why Etreia was here.

"She doesn't speak very much yet," Etreia explained. "Kanna, this is my sister, Shivasta."

"Hello," the little girl said softly.

"Hello," Shivasta smiled warmly. "Good to meet you, Kanna."

"I've spoken with mother, and with the chiefs of father's clan," Etreia explained softly. "We can all tell that Kanna is a sensitive... a fairly strong one, mother feels."

"I have to agree," Shivasta nodded slightly. "The Force is strong with her. It seems to run in the family," she smiled up at her sister.

"Stronger in some than in others, it seems," Etreia chuckled slightly. "We felt it would be best if she went to the Temple. I don't like giving her up, but... she's more likely to grow up there than she would be here."

"Is that okay with you?" Shivasta asked Kanna. She was old enough to talk... and old enough to resent being taken from her family, when she grew up. The toddler nodded slightly; Shi wasn't sure if she understood, but it wasn't an entirely new concept to her at least.

"I'll take her back," Shivasta told Etreia, standing up. "I'm sure she'll return, eventually," she smiled slightly.

"I hope so," the other Ice Walker nodded with a slight smile of her own. She stepped forward to hug Shivasta lightly, a gesture she returned.

"Thank you, for bringing her to me," Shivasta said.

"And thank you, for giving me the chance to. I didn't expect the both of us to leave the battlefield yesterday."

"You're welcome," Shi nodded, not mentioning her own doubts about whether or not they were going to. "We should probably be leaving soon."

"Come and visit the rest of your family when you come back next," Etreia offered. "I think our parents would like to know how you've turned out."

"And now that I know mother's alive, I think I'd like to meet her," Shivasta smiled. "We'll take good care of Kanna," she promised.

"I know," Etreia smiled, and then looked over at Impana. "One of the chiefs would like to speak with you, before returning to our territory."

"I will meet with her... and your mother, if she's with your party," Impana nodded.

"We'll make the arrangements," she nodded, stepping back, and then kneeling by her daughter.

"Be a good girl," she smiled, kissing her lightly. "I'll see you once you're grown up... maybe sooner. Good bye, Kanna."

"Bye, mama," Kanna said softly, kissing her mother goodbye and stepping back next to Shivasta.

"I think this is our cue to leave," Shi told Jay softly. "The Sharufa ready?"

"Since we arrived," he nodded, letting her lead the way to the ship he'd built years before.

* * *

* * *

* * *

"Padawan Clawson, have you been following the news from Coruscant during your absence?" Master Kareth asked Jay as he faced the Council, just a few hours after he, Shi, and Kanna had gotten back.

"Yes, Master." He answered easily; flipping through the headlines in his mind as he refreshed himself with them. Only one stood out, and it really stood out. A serial killer was loose in underground with a MO of a wild animal with rabies. "The killings in the Southern Underground?" He asked, deciding that was the most likely subject the Jedi would be discussing.

"Yes," Master Shan nodded. "The Council has decided that, the bounty hunters that have been called in aside, it would be prudent for a Jedi to be involved in the hunt for the killer as well. If possible, we want you to capture the perpetrator so they can be brought to trial. If necessary, we will understand killing them, but we will want proof that the responsible party has been stopped. This is your first solo mission; we will be judging your performance when you return."

"I understand, Master." He inclined his head slightly even as he requested the Temple to build him a full briefing. "Is there anything known that is not in the Temple system?"

"Very little," Master Kareth said easily. "We are not sure if it is a sentient or non-sentient being responsible. There seems to be little connection between the victims beyond the fact that they live in the area; you will want to start at coordinates that are already available to you. You already know that there are several bounty hunters involved in this hunt; expect them to be ready to use lethal force unnecessarily and to attempt to hinder your own progress."

"I understand, Master." He nodded. He did too, a little too well. Intended as part of his mission or not, he wasn't about to let a bounty hunter best him at one of his best skills. It called to far too much of his predatory nature. A hunting, competitive nature that was extreme even by his kin's standards. "I will do my best to ensure they do not succeed at either."

"Remember that they are not your enemies, Padawan," Master Noloth cautioned him. "Ultimately, their goals are in line with ours. Theirs are merely motivated by self-enrichment, more than the safety of the public."

"Normally, a solo mission would be conducted farther from the Temple than this," Master Shan admitted. "However, we feel that it would be best to involve you in this mission. You may return to the Temple in emergencies, or if it is necessary for your mission, but we expect you to conduct this as though your mission was further abroad."

"I understand, Master Shan."

"* _Do you have any additional questions for us, Padawan?_ *" Essani asked him.

"No, Master." Jay nodded to her.

"Then you should get started as soon as possible," Master Shan told him simply. "We hope to hear back from you before we hear about this creature again."

Jay nodded and rose, turning without a word at his dismissal. His mind was already accessing the database and assessing his options for hunting the killer, whatever it was. He barely nodded to Shi as he passed her and Kanna waiting for their turn with the Council.

* * *

Jay spoke softly to himself, repeating the most salient points of the information he had, what he still needed to know, and what he needed to take as he readied his gear and kept it heavy on the non-lethal side. His lightsabers and skills were more than enough to tackle anything else required of him. His belt and Glovatrix were for capturing his target.

He felt the excitement building until he found the plateau that would allow him to work for days without being so wound up he was likely to make a stupid mistake. He had no intentions of sleeping. It wasn't a smart choice for a hunt like this unless it lasted for more than a week. There was simply too high a chance that it would kill against while he rested.

One last check of his equipment and he grabbed his heavy outer cloak, left a message with the computer for his mates and was gone from the place he'd called home for fourteen years with few the wiser.

* * *

The Southern Underground was never pretty. In its way, Nar Shaddaa was better than Coruscant's slums. At least on Nar Shaddaa the people in charge admitted there were slums and problems there; they just didn't care about them. Here, Coruscant would have gladly forgotten this entire place existed if it could.

Frustration and desperation vibrated through the Force, almost palpable as he moved towards the location of the last attack. At the Temple, it wasn't too hard to filter it out. Here, surrounded by it, the quiet undertone of the planet's slow death was a throbbing beat, almost as hard to ignore as the smell of the garbage pits nearby, only a kilometer or so down. A dull crack split the air as a waste canister broke passed through the tractor ring flinging it up out of the atmosphere. 

He added a command for Sharufa to watch her sensors and not get hit or boarded in these tight quarters and stay close. There was a very real possibility he'd have to leave in a hurry, with or without his quarry.

He walked into a small building... more of a hovel, really... and found the room where the last victim had been taken.

The blood hadn't even been cleaned up yet; it seemed everybody was content to just wait until the filth that covered everything else covered it as well. There had clearly been a struggle; there were scorch marks from blasters on the wall. Two hits on the wall, with just enough space between them for a body to have been hit by the second shot in the burst. There were other marks, but they had clearly been wild, probably after the attacker had grabbed its victim.

Jay knelt and sniffed the air, testing it for any too fresh scents before he gave himself over to the calling up the memories in the floor and walls, even the furniture, seeking the moment just before the kill to get the best idea of what he was hunting before he actually went after it.

All he could get was a sense of utter wrongness; nothing in the building had been able to recognize what had attacked, just that it wasn't any sort of a normal species. More frustratingly, a quick check with the databases confirmed that it wasn't a known species. The attacker was big and muscular, with a shaggy coat of fur that looked almost more like a patchwork carpet than natural fur. Reds, bright blues, browns, all were present in irregular patches along the thing's body.

And there was nothing quite like it in the system. Its face, when Jay managed to find a working display that could show what had been seen, was vaguely like a Bulldog's, but its mouth was even more filled with sharp, uneven teeth. Its arms were long and gangly, ending in massive, wickedly curved claws. It just didn't _look_ natural.

Of course, this far down, there was no telling just _what_ had been created over the past millennia, whether by nature, mutation or manipulation.

He let out a small breath and shifted his focus, seeking how the creature had come in, and how it had left.

That wasn't hard to figure out at least, even without his Gift. He could see the claw marks on the door, now that he looked at it. It had probably jumped down while the victim was coming in, followed him in, killed him, and then pried the doors back open to get out safely. Between the time and the fact that this _was_ one of the worst possible parts of Coruscant to live in, anybody who'd noticed anything had probably done their damnedest to ignore it.

But that meant there would be blood to track it by, at least part of the way.

He focused a bit more of his energy on his senses to avoid being surprised by anything, be it a local, his prey or a bounty hunter, and moved with the balanced grace his training brought even at speed.

He picked up the blood trail outside, going up and over the building. That would explain how it managed to stay undetected. He could sense something familiar up ahead ... he couldn't tell if it was his prey or something else, as he followed the blood easily.

It was still reason enough reason to pull the Force around him in preparation for a battle where a fast kill just wasn't an option; he was likely to have to deal with bounty hunters as well as his prey. It was categorically the worst combination he could think of ... shy of prey that was immune to the Force.

He dismissed the thought as quickly as he could; no sense in tempting fate. He really, really didn't want to have to deal with something like that.

Buildings skimmed by as he moved just a little faster than natural across their roves, all his senses alert for trouble and for his quarry.

He found the creature moving deeper into the slums, somewhere near the center of the attacks in areas nobody lived in willingly. He heard a shout of pain up ahead, a blaster firing repeatedly before it was silenced. He put on his full speed that wouldn't cost him his ability to react if there was a trap up ahead.

His Force-senses caught the scene ahead before his eyes did; one bounty hunter down, the beast trying to eat. He called on enough Force to surround the creature with a telekinetic bubble.

He reached the scene before the creature realized it was trapped; it was just as ugly and hard to describe as he'd thought. It looked something like a nightmare orangutan. The thick green scales and blast armor of the Trandoshan who was being gradually ripped apart hadn't helped him against the powerful claws.

Jay almost felt sick as he realized that the lizard-man was in few enough pieces he might still be alive, or at least be able to survive if he made it to a medical facility quickly enough. . So far, it had only actually lost an arm, something the Trandoshan would recover from given the chance. It made his next priority separating the beast from its meal, a trick that was gratefully not too difficult with a strong telekinetic grip on each to pull them apart even as he called for Sharufa to join him. She was capable of transporting the beast and its prey safely to the Temple.

Unfortunately, taking its food away alerted the creature to the Jay's presence. The creature let out a piercing howl of rage as the Trandoshan was pulled to safety and set on the ground so Jay could turn his full attention to containing the beast. It tried to charge, but the bubble kept it in place. For now at least; the thing was strong enough that it was taxing even Jay's ability to maintain the field, hammering away at the invisible barrier with all its strength.

"* _Sleep._ *" Jay put the full force of his will and the Force behind the demand. As strong as it was, its mind wasn't up to the test of the suggestion; it fainted dead away, leaving Jay to work on stabilizing the latest victim with the suspended animation cube he'd intended to use on the beast.

Sharufa's engines were easily audible in the background as the ship brought herself in as close as she could to her creator to his relief. He moved to pick up the creature telekinetically, still wondering what the Hell it was, when something hard and heavy hit him across the back of his head, making him see stars and drop the killer even as he rolled with the blow and lashed out with the Force against the object and its wielder. He heard a satisfying crunch as the weapon was destroyed, but noted with some annoyance that he didn't hear anything from whoever had attacked him.

He was on his feet, the Force heavy around him even as Sharufa powered her weapons up and took aim on the attacker.

"* _Get the beast and Trandoshan secured._ *" Jay ordered his ship, leaving him to focus on his first real lifelong enemy while his ship used its equipment to deal with the rest. "Hello Navik."

"Long time, Jay," Navik responded. His Basic was better, and the years had clearly bulked him up. The bully from Jay's childhood finally looked as tough as he'd always thought he was. As much as Jay wanted to say he still wasn't any smarter, he knew better than to underestimate him after so long.

The Rodian discarded his destroyed blaster rifle, pulling a long double-pike off his back. He held it skillfully, taking up a defensive posture. He was wearing a simple suit of light armor, similar in design to the Trandoshan's, but covering more of his body. Maybe he'd finally found a partner he could work with.

It'd be just like him to have let a partner like that get killed before he did anything to help him.

"I'm just after the ogre," Navik explained. "You can go back to the Jedi and tell them the thing won't be hunting here any more."

"No." He replied evenly and slid both his lightsabers out of his bracers and lit them, lighting the area up around his hands as the arc of energy over the hilt protected them. His own stance was defensive as well, one mental ear open for trouble on his ship or anywhere else around them. "You aren't that trustworthy." He added as the beast was taken into his ship by a tractor beam where it would be quickly secured in a force-field reinforced cell with a constant supply of knockout gas to keep it down.

"Those are new," Navik observed. "Though they're not the only thing that is here. I'm a bounty hunter Jay; you really think I'd throw a contract just to get you in trouble with the Jedi?"

"Probably not." He acknowledged the odds. "It's still not your capture."

"And what do you think the Jedi will do when you bring it back, eh? They're not about to kill it."

"Find out what it is and where it came from to start with." Jay pointed out evenly. "If that thing is as unnatural as it feels, finding out who created it is important to stop this from happening again."

"You really haven't been down here long, have you fuzzball?" Navik laughed, shaking his head. "Figures. You try talking to people while you were hunting it, or just the walls?"

"I didn't need to talk to either," he pointed out and silently acknowledged Sharufa's silent message that all was ready. "The blood trail leads right from the last kill to here. Have better luck on your next hunt." He told Navik and made an easy turn and leap to the open hatch of his ship.

"Oh I will!" Navik called after him. "I'll just bring that one's mate in. Just try not to be too loud about having caught it? Look bad for the Order to have another turn up after they say they've ended it."

Jay didn't reply, but he did take note of it as the hatch closed and Sharufa peeled away as quickly as she could in the tight confines. He had other concerns right now; the injured hunter and the beast he had captured. Both needed to be returned to the Temple as quickly as possible.

The short trip back gave him a chance to think about what Navik had said. It was certainly possible that there was more than one, even if it was somebody's escaped experiment. He'd have to find out as much as he could as fast as possible before he went back out to check on that.

Fortunately, it wasn't far to reach the Temple in the small transport. A brief, fast flight later, he was touching down, medics waiting to help the injured Trandoshan as soon as the ship had landed. Shi was with them, and first on board the ship to start moving the injured bounty hunter.

Jay waited until they were done, then greeted Fenrik and a sleek silver Vixen Knight with a nod when they boarded. "It's this way."

"Thank you," the Vixen nodded. "You're sure that it's an unrecognized species?" She asked him, following him back to the holding cell.

"It's not in any database I have access to, Knight Cesta." He nodded as they came to a stop in front of the force-field reinforced room-cage with the unconscious bulldog-orangutan-Force-knew-what monster. "It's not even close to anything known. It feels decidedly unnatural to me as well."

"I can see that," the Vixen said, looking at the sleeping creature with a perplexed expression.

"Can you tell if it has a mate, or ... young?"

"Not without more of an examination... this is what was responsible for the killings in the Southern Underground?" She asked. "I'll need to move it to a more secure location."

Jay nodded and unlocked the cell to hold the creature in a telekinetic bubble to move it. "It is the species responsible for at least the last kill. I've been told it has a mate still loose down there. I haven't had an opportunity to examine the other kill sites or try to track it back to its lair yet."

"Who told you?" Fenrik asked curiously as they moved the creature, watching it warily as it started to stir slightly.

"Navik," Jay answered quietly and got ready to send the creature back to sleep if it actually woke up before it was caged again. It turned out to be necessary, but simple to do. "He's one of the bounty hunters after it. He tried to steal this one, and told me there was another he'd get when that didn't work. I think the Trandoshan was his partner."

"Think you can trust him, or think he was just trying to get your goat?" Fenrik asked.

"It doesn't really matter right now," Jay shook his head. "I haven't gotten the chance to really examine anything yet."

"Maybe we should get this one restrained before distracting the person restraining it?" Cesta suggested.

"Of course," Fenrik nodded. They made it to the holding area without further incident, where Cesta had Jay place the creature in a holding cell.

"That should keep him quiet if necessary. It shouldn't take long to find out if I can trace a mate to it; you two sort out what was going on with Navik while I do so?"

"Yes, Knight Cesta," Jay bow slightly to her. "Please contact the Sharufa when you know something. I'm going to go back down to learn more."

He was several steps outside the lab before he remembered that a Knight's orders or no, this was his solo and having his mate and partner along for the hunt was definitely not called for yet. "Do you know anything about Navik that I don't?"

"Probably not," Fenrik admitted. "Didn't have much to do with him while he was still here, less since then. I should probably butt out before I cause any trouble with your mission, but just be careful when it comes to dealing with him Jay."

"I always will," he nodded seriously. "Take care of yourself and Shi, and have her let me know when the Trandoshan is up for talking."

"Will do," Fenrik nodded. "Force be with you, Jay."

"* _Thank you, love._ *" He smiled and headed back to his ship for a proper investigation of the kill-sites and the trails that the killer took to and from them.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Later that day, Jay had run through the full history of the area again. The most recent killings had been misleading; they were in a different part of the Underground than a number of historical murders. Something had scaled up recently; given what Navik had said about a mate, it seemed possible that they were either gearing up for, or had, started a family.

That made it even more important to catch up. Coruscant's population could do with being knocked down a few billion, but this was overkill.

He'd figured out a new likely territory, one of the local garbage dumps. He was wearing a breather now, slowly and carefully working his way down the kilometers-deep pit, looking for any sign of a next or den. It was something he had to be a little careful about; one likely hole had already turned out to be a dianoga pit instead. His Force-senses could pick up life and the relative size, but he wasn't nearly as good at telling what kind of life it was.

It wasn't always easy to tell what was a nest and what was a cluster of junk that had landed properly. The entire place was well and truly chaotic.

Finally, he managed to find something that looked like a likely spot. There were bones there, including a couple skulls from various species. They looked like they'd been collected intentionally, but they'd clearly been left behind just as intentionally... and some time ago, he was sure. The nest was small enough to fit one of the creatures he'd found; if there were more now, they would have had to move to a larger area.

The sound of shouting from below filtered up; probably junk hunters sorting through the fetid piles of trash for anything salvageable. A moment of focusing on the sounds and Force backed up that it was nothing unusual, though they would be the ones who knew the area best. If there was a monster, they probably knew where.

He moved down further, trying not to think about what he was probably stepping in as he drew close. He was _so_ going to need a long, hot shower and scrubbing after this.

The salvagers turned towards him as he got close, a couple of them reaching for blasters to defend their find; most of the remains of some sort of droid, discarded after something had smashed it up pretty well. Probably some sort of industrial accident.

A scrawny looking Ferret, probably the leader to judge by the fact that his blaster was more or less stock, rather than tinkered and overhauled a half-dozen times like most of the others, looked at Jay with an expression somewhere between fear and suspicion.

"You, who are?" He demanded.

"Jay." He answered easily. "I'm hunting the beast killing people down here."

"Beast? Ogre you mean?" The Ferret asked cautiously. "Or dianoga-snake?"

"Ogre." Jay clarified on a combination of knowing he wasn't after dianoga and what Navik had called the creature. "Do you know where they live?"

"Ogre left long ago. Many people it killed, their heads took. Second ogre came, both left. Two months ago."

Just about when the other killings started. So there was a mate... still, this didn't help him get any closer to finding it. The hunters conferred for a moment, speaking in hushed, rapid tones.

"You have food? Tools?" The leader asked after a moment.

"Yes," he nodded. "For trade."

"You show us first," the Ferret said. "They good, we tell you more."

Jay considered the Ferret and though about his supplies for a moment, then called Sharufa down, smiling slightly at her flamboyant entrance that matched her personality and name so well, and in many ways, his own and his heritage. Jedi or not, he was still a Clawson _and_ a Furlong. Flashy was in his blood in a very real way.

It certainly seemed to impress the locals; some of them squeaked and ducked for cover in the garbage, clearly more used to ships coming down and trying to either catch them or shoot them, while others simply stared, not used to seeing ships down here at all that were still flying under their own power. The leader, for his part, moved to where there was some cover, watching Jay and the ship warily as Sharufa settled with a fast turn to present the open main hatch to him.

Jay made the leap easily, a much simpler move than many he'd done and reappeared to jump down a moment later with a good-sized bag in his hand. He walked over to the Ferret and offered it. "Food."

The Ferret opened the bag and looked in, inspecting the contents; rations heavy on the meats and quality field rations the Temple provided. He looked back at Jay after a moment; pleasure, eagerness and satisfaction clear in his mind, though he didn't show it.

Jay was sure that was enough to get what he wanted, but just as sure the Ferret was going to see what he could get out of this arrangement. Of course, living and working down here, he couldn't really blame him.

"Last stranger down here, offered a power cell too," the Ferret suggested.

Jay considered him for a moment, easily catching the surface thoughts and just what kind of offering would get him exactly what he wanted and what the Ferret considered most valuable. The kinds of things these folks wanted were easy for him to get, and he honestly couldn't mind paying more than he had to. They were just trying to survive and he respected that far more than the greed he was used to dealing with and tended to play hardball against. "This is probably worth more than a power cell to you." He said and brought out a field tool kit from his belt, opening it to show the Ferret its high quality and immaculately kept contents in one smooth motion.

He had to give the Ferret credit; he didn't show the surprise and pleasure he felt on his face.

"Us, you give that to, Eney will show you to last place ogre he saw."

Jay nodded and folded it up again with the ease of long familiarity and offered it over. "Deal."

The Ferret accepted the kit, motioning towards a young Rat who probably wasn't much older than Jay had been when he'd come to the Temple.

"Ogres left the pit," Eney explained. "Slum-people I saw one hunting, us more than they did. You I will take there... ship, take us out?" He asked, glancing at the Sharufa. It would certainly be easier than climbing out.

"Easily," Jay nodded even as the ship lowered itself so the young Rat could board without taking a flying leap with Jay. Soon, they were both on-board, and flying up out of the reeking garbage pit, much to Jay's relief and the youth's fascination for the view of his home turf from a very different angle.

"Padawan Clawson, are you there?" Cesta's voice came across the open comm line to the Temple.

"Yes, Knight Cesta." He answered reflexively.

"I've examined the creature. It's definitely not natural, but I can't find any sign of extensive genetic manipulation. I suspect the mutations are more the result of exposure to something present in the environment than intentional creation. We're looking at a prime example of Coruscant's ecosystem at work," she said quietly.

"They're called ogres, and I've confirmed there is at least a second one. I expect it's a species at this point."

"It's possible. I can't confirm if it has bred yet; it's a male, there aren't as many signs. But I can tell you that it probably has a mate, or at least that there's another down there; there are light wounds and scratches consistent with claws like its own. It has a very powerful sense of smell, and seems to be sensitive to the light. Intelligent too, for an animal. Have you seen anything that might be a sign of an early culture, or at least the potential for it?"

"Not that I've seen, but I have seen very little." He admitted. "You may have another and young to study soon, however."

"I'll let you go then," the Vixen said. "Just be careful."

"Yes, ma'am." He acknowledged, though he had no intention of not being careful.

"Person talking, who was that?" Eney asked, looking out the windows of the Sharufa as they traveled towards one of the more recent kill sites.

"Knight Cesta. She's studying the ogres I capture."

"Jedi?"

"Yes," he nodded. "As am I." He answered the unasked question in the Rat's mind.

The young Rat nodded silently, then looked at one building in particular.

"Ogre, last seen there," he said, pointing it out a building near several kill sites.

Jay nodded and set down nearby. "Did you see where it headed from here?"

"No," Eney admitted. "It was sniffing, looked like hunting. We ran when sister I warned."

Jay nodded and stood to head for the hatch. "Stay on the ship. I'll be back."

The Rat nodded, waiting obediently as Jay left the Sharufa and cautiously started to look around. He was struck immediately by the variety of scents coming through; the winds and ventilation shafts down here made this a prime spot to locate any of a number of different creatures by scent.

Looking around, he spotted what looked liked a fairly easy way of getting to and from the location, a duracrete wall that was partially crumbled, and wouldn't be too hard to climb. It all made for an excellent hunting point.

Jay let his Force-senses spread out, seeking his quarry by its aura while his nose and eyes searched for any trace of where to head from here.

He could only sense the one he'd found before from here... it must have been the one he'd caught. But what his Force senses couldn't pick up easily, his regular ones could. The creature had clearly gone over the wall multiple times; examining it, he could see where the claws had scored it, and the small tunnel above.

It would be too small for the Sharufa to move through, but he could fit through easily.

Time to do something stupid.

He activated the flashlight on his Glovatrix, set it to infrared and slipped a simple pair of band shades over his eyes to take better advantage of the band and went in.

The IR beam painted the surroundings with a light warmth that he could see, and he _hoped_ the creature couldn't. He started to move through very carefully, testing the area ahead of him, looking to make sure each next step was safe. It looked like there was something up ahead, smaller than the first creature he'd caught... but he had no way of telling what the regular sizes for them were.

A few more steps and it was clear it was Navik, setting up a stake out of his own. Given he was looking _into_ the den, there were high odds the second one was inside.

So that was where Jay headed.

As he stalked forward, it was clear that Navik didn't hear him until he was just about on top of him. The Rodian spun around, pulling a short blade out before he recognized who it was.

"What are you doing here?" He asked in a harsh whisper that didn't carry far. To judge by the contours of his face, he was wearing a pair of low-light goggles to help him see down here.

"My mission." Jay said simply and continued to move past him.

"More like suicide," Navik muttered, moving ahead with him until the Kat stopped to face him. "You think you're going to fight that thing in its lair?"

"I don't have to fight it any more than the first one, and it's better than having Knight Cesta angry with me." He shrugged. "It's only suicidal for you."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Navik asked, his temper flaring visibly in the Force.

Jay rolled his eyes, though it wasn't visible. "It's not suicidal for me." He said and moved further into the tunnel, all his senses alert for the first sign of his prey.

He heard the click of a trigger, but he'd already disabled Navik's blaster. For the Rodian's sake, he hoped one of the ogres didn't come on down until he was out of range.

Assuming, of course, that the tunnels went down that far. They seemed to; there wasn't much down further that was sending off heat. They split off up ahead, and it looked like there might be a few basic traps up ahead.

At the split he shifted focus to his nose, testing the ground for which tunnel had the freshest scent.

He headed off to the left, tracing the smells of blood and animals. He found a crude deadfall up ahead and disabled it easily; Cesta had been right about the creature being smart. For something that wasn't sentient, it was clever.

And here he was following it into its lair, where it quite possibly had young waiting.

He kept himself ready to put a telekinetic shield between himself and any attack, and moved forward cautiously. Hopefully it _was_ home.

He saw the warmth up ahead as he rounded a corner; three bodies, one large, two small. To judge by the scent, at least two of them were ogres. He couldn't be sure if the third was an ogre, or possibly one of the several races he could smell here, along with the scent of death.

He quickly put up a shield between him and the warm bodies, then approached quietly. He had to get their attention to get them to go to sleep, but the closer he was the better.

The big one looked up sharply, its body outlined in bright reds and oranges to his goggles as it caught his scent and roared, the sound echoing painfully in the relatively confined space.

"* _Sleep._ *" Jay ordered with all the power he could muster for the Suggestion.

For a moment, he was worried that it wouldn't be enough. The creature's young seemed to be giving it enough mental strength to resist the command. A little more reinforcement and it fell, the smaller bodies squalling in fear until they too sank unconscious to Jay's silent orders.

With a small breath of relief, he lifted all three telekinetically and ordered Sharufa to get as close as she could, and prepare a cage for the mother and two young while he walked out, ready for another confrontation with Navik.

He knew that he'd shut down the Rodian's goggles, so he'd probably be outside if he had any sense whatsoever. Admittedly, that wasn't necessarily the case with Navik when he was ticked off, which he almost certainly was. The Rodian _hated_ to be shown up even more than Jay did, and he'd just done it twice in less than half a day, _and_ cost him a lot of money on upwards of four bounties.

He carefully pulled his glasses off and stored them when the natural light became strong enough, more than a little surprised that he hadn't run into Navik yet. The guy was too damn good at hiding himself too.

Jay was in mid-step when he felt the mother begin to stir, and he quickly focused on reinforcing the command to sleep.

The momentary distraction was all it took for Navik's plan to make itself known; Jay sensed the grenades concealed near the entrance just a split-second before they started going off, letting off piercing, shrill bursts of sound just barely inside the high-end of his audible range. He barely had time to register the bone-deep pain before his brain shut down, leaving him on the ground just as unconscious as his cargo.

Navik smirked outside the tunnel as he heard the high-pitched blasts from his trap going off. Most of his gear turned back on as Jay passed out, including his goggles, but he didn't bother to put them back on as he rushed into the tunnel. He'd just pack up the ogres, carry them out, and leave the kat there to explain to the Jedi how he'd been bested by the student they'd thrown out years before.

He quickly shackled the mother, noticing the two young ogres and restraining them with smaller devices he quickly improvised. He hadn't been expecting young, but he had no doubt they'd bring in some extra bounty money. As he was getting ready to head out, he couldn't resist the temptation to gloat a bit.

"Bet you never thought I'd be the one beating you," Navik chuckled, keying the call sequence for his own ship into the tracker on his belt.

That was just the distraction the half-conscious kat was waiting for. His higher brain functions were still down, but his instincts opened his eyes and recognized the theft of _his_ catch.

Navik caught the sudden explosion of violence almost square on, his Force-senses were sure the kat was still unconscious, but the claws and fangs driven into his flesh and armor were very real and very sharp.

He responded with a more honed instinct of his own, calling on the Force to throw Jay back towards the entrance, buying himself enough time to realize his blaster was beeping with a potential overload. He threw it to the side and grabbed his double-pike, grateful _that_ at least didn't need power to function. He was surer now than ever before that it was something Jay did that had been responsible for most of his problems with anything that involved a computer or powered system.

Fortunately, it was a lesson he'd taken to heart in the Arena. He was ready for it now, and fairly sure that the kat he was dealing with was functioning on a level he could handle on his own.

"And they said _I_ couldn't control myself," the Rodian muttered. He'd never seen somebody who'd been nailed with sonics respond like this, but he knew full well that Jay wasn't quite like anybody around here. He made a mental note to be careful about that in the future.

Jay recovered quickly from the blow, replying with a Force-strike of his own; one with more power behind it than was even remotely required to put his opponent off balance. It was meant to crush.

Navik was knocked back by it, digging into the debris at the bottom to keep from going too far as he forced most of the blow around him. The Rodian scrambled for something to distract him; he tapped into some of his less-honed skills, creating an illusion of himself to give Jay two targets to focus on as 'they' leaped forward to deal with him.

It had the desired effect, the kat moved on reflex, choosing the illusion by mistake and lunging right through it to roll to his feet on the other side with flattened ears and a twist to lock him on to the correct one.

He had a feeling that Jay was starting to return to normal, his mind starting to wake up properly. He knew full well that the best way to end this would be as quickly as possible; no sense in fighting him at full capacity. He reached out telekinetically, grabbing for the feline's throat and squeezing.

The reaction was instant, reflexive and as expected. The frantic clawing at the invisible grip was base instincts at work.

"* _SCATTER._ *" A potent blow to Navik's mind almost sent him to his knees as his mind started to obey before he caught it and pulled his attention back to the here and now. When he looked up he saw his opponent between him and the ogres. Jay's ears were still flat against his skull but his stance the same loose, controlled one as in the face off they'd had over the other ogre.

"That really wasn't the smartest move, Navik." Jay told him evenly.

"Neither was not staying unconscious, you still did it," the Rodian countered, reaching out to grab Jay and pull him into the range of his double-pike only to find the grab sidestepped and dissipated as the twin double lightsabers came out, casting an eerie shimmer of blacklight colors in the dark space.

"This does not need to be a fight."

"Like you'll just let me haul them off to the CSF?" Navik asked with a half-laugh. "I don't think so." He mentally called up a couple times he'd fought somebody with similar weapons; usually they were about twice Jay's size, but a lot of the same tactics should work.

"* _Sleep._ *" Jay ordered silently, hoping to end it without any more violence.

"Not going to work on me, fuzzball," Navik shot back, charging forward and found his attack met by one of the double-bladed weapons while the other swung around to hamstring him. In the very back of his mind, he had to give a grudging respect to this kat for his skill with his weapons.

It was a skill he could match reasonably well though. He was able to meet both weapons with the ends of his pike, and whenever Jay would attack with the second blade, he could raise or lower his own weapon to meet it. As Navik had noted several times in the past, the extra cost of having his weapon designed to counter lightsabers had paid for itself several times over in the fact that he was still alive.

He winced as Jay managed to strike a glancing blow to his leg, and started to go more on the offensive. He focused on the Force, sending his perceptions a split-second into the future to keep track of what Jay would be doing so he could react and look for an opening. When he found it, it brought the center of his pike up to catch Jay in the jaw with the haft.

It sent the tom backwards as he rolled with the strike as much as he could to lessen its damage and got off a shot from his Glovatrix. The dart hit Navik squarely in the gut; it's sedative drug beginning to take effect quickly.

He tried to speed the drug through his system; the one hit wouldn't put him over, but enough of them might. He grabbed Jay telekinetically and threw him against the wall of the tunnel, staggering a bit as he got his footing again.

It was a situation Jay took advantage of with another telekinetic blow designed to spin the Rodian around and slam him to the ground. It didn't have quite the desired effect, but it was enough to knock Navik back a few steps - just far enough for him to step on the mother ogre, who was just recovering from the sonic blasts that had started the fight.

Navik screamed as powerful teeth latched into his leg, spinning and trying to stab his pike into the creature, but his sedative-slowed reaction time wasn't quick enough to keep the female from pulling him down and getting her restrained hands around him.

"Damnit!" Jay cursed under his breath and focused his mind on getting Navik away from her and getting her _back_ to sleep. He could feel her rage, and could hardly blame her at all, but what she was doing just wasn't acceptable.

Besides, it wasn't _entirely_ Navik's fault she was pissed off. Two-thirds his fault maybe, but not _all_ of it.

Jay was able to put her back under quickly, leaving Navik's legs badly mauled, but most of the rest of his body protected by the shield Jay had put up. He noticed that the Rodian seemed to have put himself under instinctively; the bleeding wasn't nearly as bad as it should have been, almost like he'd dropped into a death-trance defensively.

It certainly made getting him to a healer easier. He wasn't awake to argue about it.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Master Essani hasn't felt this nervous inside in years. Her Padawan was about to report on his solo mission, and it was an interesting story from what she had caught of it already. The entire Temple was buzzing about the semi-intelligent species that had come out of a murder investigation.

Several other Councilors were intrigued as well. Most were surprised by what had filtered to them already and were expecting a briefing just as interesting.

What Essani found most worrisome though, was the strange reaction she'd felt earlier. Most of his mind had completely shut down, and what had been left was functioning at a level of raw instinct. That would be something they had to nail down before deciding on the results of his training. What had happened and why would be very important issues.

She stilled her thoughts as Master Shan summed Padawan Clawson in. She had to look at him as a Councilor as well as his Master. It was one of the more difficult things to do, no matter what was said about both having the same goal.

Jay walked in, his motions smooth and controlled as he knelt before them. He looked every bit the Jedi Knight that he would soon be, if all went well.

"Begin your report, Padawan Clawson," Master Shan ordered him calmly.

Jay inclined his head and relaxed as he settled in to tell the story that they knew parts of already.

"I began at the last known kill site, investigating the method of attack and attempted to obtain a visual impression of the attacker. I did succeed at both, though there was little other information. I learned later that the beast is an intelligent animal the locals call an ogre. It is well known to them.

"I followed the ogre's trail from the house, seeking to find its lair. Before I got that far I encountered one trying to eat the live Trandoshan I brought back with the male ogre. While ogres are physically very powerful and resistant, their minds are relatively vulnerable to the sleep Suggestion and the male did not put up much of a fight.

"While I was moving the ogre to Sharufa, Navik attacked me in an attempt to obtain it for the bounty. When the first strike failed to knock me out, he did not attack again and a short standoff ended with my return to the Sharufa and his return to the hunt for the second ogre he had learned was in the area. It was at this time that I learned of the second one.

"After seeing that the Trandoshan was delivered to the healers at the Temple and the captured ogre delivered to Knight Cesta, I returned to the kill sites and began to track the hunter, looking for its lair. I found one location that had been abandoned some time before. While investigating it, I heard some locals scavenging nearby and went to talk to them.

"For a week's worth of my rations and a field tool kit, the leader of the group provided me with a guide that had seen the ogre recently. The young Rat, Eney, is still on board the Sharufa until I have time to take him home. Navik's medical needs took precedence over returning him to his family.

"Eney directed me to a location where he had seen the ogre hunting, but did not know where it had gone from there. It was an excellent place to catch scents from the crosswinds, likely why the ogres favored it. Not far from the building was another den, much bigger and more complicated than the first. This one also had primitive traps and a false tunnel to discourage intruders.

"Navik was also staked out not far inside, waiting for the ogre to come out. I passed him and went further inside to find the mother and two cubs. She was much more resistant to the sleep suggestion, but she did go down to it. I used telekinesis to transport her and the cubs out, but as I reached the entrance several sonic grenades detonated and knocked me unconscious.

"When I came too, I was in the middle of a fight with Navik and the ogres were shackled." Jay finally paused, seeking anything worthy to add to that blacked out time. "I do not remember very much of what happened while I was moving but not awake. The primary impression of that time is a need to protect the ogres and a good deal of irritation at the lingering pain from the grenades. 

"I attempted to talk Navik out of fighting over the bounty, it was not something I cared about, but I did not succeed." He admitted quietly, now sure that there was _some_ way to get everyone out of there without injury. He still wasn't sure what it was, but Navik wasn't that unreasonable anymore. 

"The fight continued a few more rounds, and he resisted my attempt to put him to sleep. He also resisted a knockout dart. While we were fighting, he got too close to the mother ogre and she managed to bite his leg before I could stop her. Though she went down to my suggestion and I shielded most of Navik's body, his legs were badly injured. It seemed as if he put himself in some form of trance when the ogre attacked him.

"I tended the worst wounds to make sure he would make it to the Temple and loaded all four on board the Sharufa. Navik's ship was not difficult to get to follow us. It is currently docked next to the Sharufa."

"Have you ever had a blackout like that before?" Master Kareth asked as they absorbed the salient points of his words. "That you are aware of, at least?"

"No, Master Kareth." He answered simply. "I can be fairly sure it has not happened before. The sensation is quite distinctive."

"You will think on this in the next few days, yes?" Master Surool suggested. "The how and why."

"Yes, Master Surool." Jay inclined his head. He would have done it anyway. He hated unknowns in his own mind. It was messy enough in there without any extra surprises, and this was an ugly surprise.

"We look forward to your report on it," Master Surool nodded.

"You said that you attempted to convince Navik that there was no need to fight," Master Noloth asked next. "Did you consider bargaining with him?"

"Yes, Master Noloth. He laughed at the possibility and attacked me before I could make an offer."

"What did you feel, when you saw the ogre attacking him?" The Lizard asked. Everybody on the Council was fully aware of the history between Navik and Jay.

It took Jay a moment to translate that out into words acceptable to use in front of the Council. The string of curses he'd said and still associated with that moment were not among them. Naming the emotion they represented was another issue entirely.

"Irritation at myself for not stopping things sooner." He finally got close enough to what he'd felt to say it to the Council.

"* _Did you consider allowing him to turn the ogres in?_ *" Master Essani asked him.

"Yes, Master Essani. If he had stopped attacking me long enough for us to talk, it was what I intended to suggest."

"What is your assessment of his abilities, and what he has done with them?" Master Shan asked.

"He is a skilled warrior, my equal at least if he had a lightsaber, and he has leaned several Force-skills to an impressive level, particularly hiding himself. I do not expect the Dark Jedi kills on his record are from luck. He is not, however, a match for a Master or experienced Knight if he cannot surprise them." Jay gave an honest assessment of what he'd faced with the respect his opponent was due.

"He is self-centered and still sees violence as the first option, but he has also mellowed some since his time at the Temple. Even though he still has issues with me and wanted the ogres I had, he did not try to kill me for the male. If he had a serious interest in doing so, he could have then. He took me by surprise with that blow. If he had used something other than the butt of his riffle, today may have ended quite differently.

"Though it was much more serious, I do not believe he was trying to kill me over the female and cubs either. He used sonic grenades when he could have used something more deadly. He could have shot me while I was down. Even when we were fighting, he was not fighting to kill, but to incapacitate.

"He is dangerous, Masters, but he is not Dark in my assessment."

"And your opinion of what should be done with him?" Master Noloth asked.

"Healed and allowed to leave with his ship." Jay said simply.

"If you intended to offer him the bounty and he was not trying to kill you, why did you not back off and allow him to take the ogres?" Master T'qu'l asked him levelly.

"The ogres are intelligent enough to create traps in their lair to protect themselves and their young, Master T'qu'l." Jay answered more levelly than he felt. He couldn't name why it was so important to him, but he wasn't going to deny the potency of the drive to protect the family unit either. "They are intelligent enough it would be wrong to separate the family. I cannot trust the Coruscani Security Force to turn them over to us alive if it was not already arranged."

"* _You cannot, or you do not feel the Jedi could trust them to do such a thing?_ *" Master Essani asked him.

"I can not, Master Essani. They are too easy to bribe by anyone with the credits and inclination."

"I believe those are all the questions we have for you at the moment, Padawan," Master Shan said, looking around the Council to confirm it. "We will reserve our final decision regarding your Knighthood until you, and we, have had the chance to meditate on what has happened."

"I understand, Master Shan." He said easily and stood to bow before leaving, eager to return Eney to his group and come home for a long, hot shower and scrub the rest of the garbage smell from his fur. He'd made himself presentable to the Council, but _he_ could still smell it.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Fenrik paused and blinked as he picked up the heavy, musky scent of the shampoo Jay was using in the other room. So he had ended up having to go slogging through one of the garbage pits on his mission. The Panther shuddered slightly as he disrobed and made his way back to the bathroom. He slipped into the shower, picking up a second bottle of fur shampoo and squeezing some into his hands.

"Want some help with your back?" He asked his mate with a friendly tone.

"Always," Jay purred in return and set down the towel he'd been using with a little telekinetic help to do the job. "How'd the rest of your day go?"

"I got to play guard duty for the most part," Fenrik chuckled. "So pretty dull, compared to normal. Wouldn't want to have to deal with those ogre-things if I had a choice, but they seemed to settle down once the family group was together and given slightly more 'natural' surroundings. Sounds like you had a more exciting time of things." The Panther started working the shampoo into Jay's back-fur, nuzzling his neck and noticing that _most_ of the smell was gone. Shi probably wouldn't even notice it.

"I'm not surprised. They're smart animals. There were even a couple primitive traps built into their den." He groaned softly in the pleasure of a solid backrub that went with the scrubbing. "Navik was the only real excitement, though." He paused, thinking back over the past day and the years before it, then turned to slip his arms around Fenrik's neck and kissed him softly. "When did I stop hating him?"

"I didn't know you had," Fenrik admitted, kissing him back. "Maybe about the time you got better about Rodians?"

"Maybe," Jay purred softly and nuzzled close to his mate. "I just realized that I didn't feel anything towards him, good or bad. It was kind of weird."

"Good thing though," Fenrik murmured, scrubbing his back lightly then rinsing it off. "Means you're getting over all that." He kissed Jay tenderly. "Been _way_ too long since we've been able to spend some time together," he purred.

"A normal day is too long." Jay chuckled and kissed him back with a bit of fire. "I missed you, even as short as that mission was."

"Mmm ... and then you had that trip to Garosh with Shi all to yourself," Fenrik purred deeply. "Up for some shower play?"

"Always," Jay grinned and slipped a hand between them to tease Fenrik's sheath. "I love how you feel."

"It's _more_ than mutual," Fenrik rumbled, his shaft starting to harden as he pressed Jay's back against the tile wall of the shower, running his hands down to caress the powerfully-built tom's ass.

"Gods, I've missed this." Jay moaned as he surrendered his body to his mate. "You, hot showers ... No one else can make me feel like this."

"Mmm ... feel how?" The Panther rumbled deeply, spreading Jay's cheeks and fingering his anus as he rapidly hardened to Jay's attention and own arousal.

"Safe, warm ... home." He breathed and claimed a heated kiss. "Hot and bothered."

"Mmm...." Fenrik rumbled into the kiss, probing his mate's mouth as he shifted to spread Jay's legs, rubbing their cocks together before shifting to press his cock up against Jay's tight, hot entrance. He groaned with his mate as he sank into Jay, the dark caramel tom trapped between the shower wall and Panther as they moved in slow pleasure with each other.

"So tight," the Panther groaned, dark fur moving along Jay's own, his fingers tracing the slightly smaller tom's rosettes and fine stripes from memory as his barbed length moved in and out of his ass.

"So hot." Jay shuddered as his balls tightened, his cock pulsing in pleasure. "Missed you so much."

"Missed you too," Fenrik groaned, biting down lightly on Jay's soaked shoulder as the pleasure flowed and echoed across their bodies and minds. His barbs raked Jay's prostate as his balls pulled up close to his body, almost on the edge of an orgasm.

"Yessss!" Jay roared as his body tightened around his lover and his balls pulled up tightly to empty their contents across his belly.

Fenrik answered Jay's roar with one of his own, pumping his seed deep into the younger tom's ass, his claws raking Jay's back while their pleasure peaked and ebbed to a panting exchange of kisses and touches of long familiarity and affection.

* * *

* * *

* * *

"We're decided then?" Master Shan asked the Council after they'd finished deliberating about what to do with the ogre family. "Contact the Ithorian councilors in charge of the Telosian Restoration Project, see if they can find a responsible niche for the ogres, and keep them in the Coruscani Preserve until we find out?"

"It seems the most responsible answer," Master Yamari said to a nod from both avians on the Council, Masters Krry'nnu and T'qu'l.

"Master Noloth, I will leave contacting the Ithorians to you," Master Shan said easily as no objection came from any of the other Councilors. "Which leaves us with the question of Padawan Clawson's solo mission. I believe we can all agree that his skills need to be tested more seriously before he is Knighted?"

"* _Yes,_ *" Master Essani agreed first, though they all could feel the lack of contention amongst them. "* _I would suggest that if we can arrange it, that a mission be given before he has given his second report. He knows as well as we do that he did better than expected on his Solo mission and just how unusual it is to have such a performance be insufficient. We will see a more accurate representation of his choices as a Knight if he is not aware he is still being tested._ *"

"Agreed." Master Yamari nodded. "He is unusually sensitive to being tested, as we have seen in his Knowledge and other Trials."

Master Kareth smiled slightly and keyed something into her console. "I was going to wait until latter in the session to bring this up, but a perfect situation presented itself only a few hours ago. Alderaan requested our assistance in finding a serial bomber, and named Jay Clawson in particular, regardless of his rank. His talents did not go completely unnoticed after the Kallarak Amphitheater incident."

"* _I believe this would be reason to delay his Knighting, even if we did not have doubts._ *" Master Essani commented. "* _I have not seen such a direct reflection of our needs in the Will of the Force in some time._ *"

"More than enough reason," Master Noloth agreed. "And the trip will leave him with enough time to contemplate the unusual reaction he had."

"Master Essani, will you contact him?" Master Surool asked her.

"* _Yes, Master Surool,_ *" the Kushiban agreed, sitting up and making the connection to her Padawan across their weakening link and mentally winced when it became clear that he was still greeting his mates.

* * *

Jay roared, his burning seed rushing into Shi's welcoming body even as Fenrik tightened his jaws on Jay's scruff and picked up his pace, seeking to come himself before Jay's ended.

The second roar that echoed through the room was muffled by Jay's fur, Shivasta crying out as she came with her two mates. The three of them lay still in a sweaty, contented pile of fur and flesh before Jay became aware of Essani's voice in the back of his mind.

"* _I'm sorry to interrupt you Jay,_ *" she told him. "* _But we have just become aware of a matter that requires your Gift._ *"

"* _I'll be ready in a few minutes, Master._ *" He responded without a trace of the frustration or irritation that almost had to be there as he disentangled himself from his mates far too soon as far as any of them were concerned. "* _Where?_ *"

"* _Alderaan,_ *" she told him. "* _The details will be on the Sharufa when you are ready. Force be with you._ *"

"* _Understood, Master._ *" Jay replied. "I have a mission on Alderaan." He explained to Shi and Fenrik. "Have fun while I'm gone."

"Mmm... don't be gone any longer than you have to be," Fenrik murmured, kissing him before he got out from between them.

"Love you Jay," Shi smiled. "Force be with you; come back home safe."

"I will," he chuckled softly and traced his hand along their entwined legs on his way out of the room. He reached out to the Sharufa to start going over the briefing while he cleaned up.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Jay relaxed in Sharufa's pilot's seat as Alderaan's gorgeous blue-green globe came into view only a few hours outside of Coruscant. Here in the core, it could take longer to navigate the two solar systems than the space between them. Of all the core worlds, it was one of the few that still looked pristine. It was an expensive effort for the world, but one they still deemed worthwhile.

"Try to raise Sennif Ortol." He instructed Sharufa easily as he began to quietly browse the relevant news and files on the bombings. According to the files, they'd all been very public, usually timed around political events. Clearly, somebody was trying to influence the upcoming elections.

"Jedi Clawson?" His contact's voice spoke over link to the planet clearly.

"Yes," Jay replied easily. "Where is the best place to land? Sharufa doesn't need a spaceport."

"The spaceport," the Fox said seriously. "There's a fair amount of traffic in and out, but we prefer that it be obvious the Jedi have sent somebody to investigate at the Count's request."

"Understood. Will someone be there to meet me?"

"I will," the Fox offered. "You've been cleared for docking slip Zeta-9."

"Understood. I'll be down in a few minutes." Jay told him and closed the connection to enter the relatively uncongested patterns ... uncongested by Coruscani standards at least.

He touched down fairly easily, the prescribed landing zone already cleared for his access. He could see the red-furred Fox waiting for him nearby, alone. With several hours of flight to prepare, Jay was ready as soon as he stood and made a dignified appearance in his full robes, hood and all, with his Padawan braid tucked back along his neck. He may not be a Knight yet, but there was no reason to advertise that fact.

The Fox greeted him with a bow as he walked down the Sharufa's ramp.

"Jedi Clawson," he said politely. "Count Koron is grateful you arrived so quickly."

"Fortunately I was on Coruscant when the request arrived." Jay told him easily. "In what capacity will I be assisting the investigation?"

"In any capacity you are able," the Fox answered just as easily. "Primarily investigative and trying to locate the bombs before they go off. I understand you have a unique talent with things like this?"

"Yes," he nodded. "It is not flawless, but I can usually get more information out of objects than most."

"How useful would it be for disarming a device if you found it before it went off?" Sennif asked him.

"I have managed it before. How vulnerable a device is to my talent depends a great deal on the type of device. From the reports, these are not the easiest kind to deal with, but far from the most difficult."

"That's good," the Fox nodded. "Count Koron is very concerned about these explosions; he's concerned that the next might happen during this week's address to his constituents." 

They left the spaceport; Jay couldn't help but notice that they were moving through the most heavily populated parts of it, where he would be seen with the Count's aide by the most people. His presence was being advertised subtly, but to judge by the looks he was getting by the locals, it would prove to be effectively as well.

He could hardly blame the Count for the move. Purely political or not, it _would_ calm the people, and that too was part of his duties as a Jedi. As much as politics irritated him, he was fully aware of the needs of the Order were sometimes purely political. Jedi were feared by evil and respected by most because of walks just like this one that showed their presence before action was taken and problems solved. It would serve the Order as well as the Count when he succeeded.

"It would be a likely target," Jay nodded inside his hood. "I would like to see any remains you have of the previous bombs."

"We can arrange that," Sennif agreed easily. "There isn't much, not of the core devices, but some of the earlier ones were less efficient, I understand." They reached a small air car, and Sennif held the door open for Jay to climb in.

"Sometimes the smallest pieces can tell a great deal." He said simply and settled easily in the air car. "I may be able to glean useful information from the locations as well."

"The planetary security forces are eager for you to look at them," Sennif agreed, climbing in and taking off. "To be honest, we simply aren't set up to handle something like this. It's upsetting the people quite a bit, understandably so, and our police forces are set up for handling minor disturbances, not mass murder."

"I do not know of any police force that is," Jay nodded slightly. "It is not a common event, thankfully."

"I'd hate to live on a world where it was," the Fox agreed. "Do you want to visit the latest blast site first, or see the parts of the devices we've recovered?"

"The devices. Has anyone attempted to reconstruct them?"

"The police forces, no," Sennif explained, turning the air-car down one of the quieter side-streets of the district. "Count Koron hired somebody to reconstruct one of the early ones, and to develop the analyses of the blast sites, but she had to leave the planet before the third blast happened."

"Yes, extensive training was evident, but not the contacts to acquire detonite in quantity or other military grade supplies." Jay nodded thoughtfully. "As damaging as they have been, it does mean that they require knowledge of the location and a good deal of time to prepare. That is to our advantage in several ways. It also means that they are unlikely to be working with a large group."

"Unfortunately, we haven't been able to determine the locations ahead of time," Sennif pointed out, pulling up outside the ornate building that served as police headquarters around here. "Or even why they're doing what they are, beyond theories."

"Theories are where knowledge begins." Jay said as they got out of the air car. "We will have more than before soon."

"Hopefully," the Fox agreed, leading Jay through the quiet building. The young tom could feel the tension in the air; it was quiet, but everybody felt like they were just waiting for the other shoe to drop. Given the situation, that was about right too. They had nothing to do but wait for the next bomb.

He was more than a little surprised to feel how little irritation existed at his presence; quite a few of the officers were grateful for his arrival, hopeful.

They seemed almost as helpless as the civilians.

"Sergeant Gavin," Sennif said to a middle-aged Doberman as they approached him. "Jedi Clawson has arrived."

"Ah, it is good to meet you," Gavin extended his hand. "How much have you gotten to read on the case?"

"Most of the reports," Jay acknowledged and shook his hand firmly. "I wanted to see the evidence. Has a Force Sensitive been involved yet?"

"No," the Doberman said easily. "I'm afraid we haven't had any available to us with any sort of skill in dealing with situations like this."

"I'll leave you two to handle this; I would like a report at the end of the day," Sennif said, backing off as Gavin nodded.

"I'll show you to what we've been able to put back together so far," he offered Jay, who nodded and followed the canine into an evidence workroom strewn with the remains of something like a half-dozen bombs, each on it's own table.

"Most of these are from the first two blasts," he explained. "After that, they seem to have perfected the art of making sure the blast destroys any evidence we can find."

Jay nodded and walked to the table with the most bits of things and began to brush his fingers lightly over the objects, coaxing what he could of their last moments 'whole'.

It wasn't easy; they seemed less than willing to 'talk' with him at first. He got a mental image of somebody planting them; they were skilled, knew where to place them to maximize the damage, but he couldn't actually see who it was for some reason. That was something they weren't willing to give up.

The explosives that had been privately made were a little more forthcoming, but mostly about how and where they'd been made. It wasn't a full-scale laboratory, but whatever it was had been capable of producing large amounts of the highly unstable chemicals necessary. Almost pure, no less; it wasn't a complete hole in the wall.

It was much less than he was hoping for, and the building directly around the primary blasts had been vaporized by it. From the schematics, there was no one way to those locations either. It made the odds he could get anything useful from the buildings unlikely, though he'd try.

"They're well-organized and very skilled." Jay said quietly. "And they have a Sensitive doing the most critical work."

"Do you think it might be connected to the Amphitheater bombing on Coruscant?" Gavin asked him.

"It is possible," he admitted. "It is not the same people, but it could be the same group. We have not captured two of their leaders yet. Do you have a holonet room I can use for several hours?"

"We don't," Gavin admitted, "but the Count may. We've only got a small transceiver for the network here. He's scheduled to give an address at a similar location in a few days," the Doberman explained. "We're particularly concerned that they might attempt something similar here."

Jay nodded. "The best precaution is to increase security where the bombs are most likely to be with people. The Sensitive with them will likely be able to get any droid or security system to look the other way. Have any of the bomb sites been opened to the public since?"

"Only for a few supervised memorial ceremonies," Gavin explained. "And we have taken additional precautions already. That is something we're set up for."

"Good," he nodded. "I'd like to see the sites then. The devices aren't providing much, but the buildings may."

"Will you need transportation, or do you have your own available?" The Doberman asked him.

"I do not have an air car," he shook his head slightly. "My ship is likely a bit big for it."

"If you would like, we could loan you a speeder for the duration of the investigation," Gavin offered. "The targets have all been at ground-level anyways."

"Thank you, Sergeant." Jay inclined his head politely. "It would be most useful."

"I'll show you to the vehicle pool, you can pick out one of them," he nodded, starting down the corridor. 

Jay followed easily; his measured pace and robes making it look almost like he was floating just above the floor. He couldn't help but find the whole 'Inscrutable Jedi' thing he was expected to project outside the Temple both amusing and silly. But right now, it was fun to have people _not_ asking him how he did this or that. He was finally the professional to be taken as his word, not the student that had to explain or justify everything to someone.

Besides, there were definite perks to being recognized as the guy who'd been _asked_ to come and take care of a problem too big for them to handle around here. If he wasn't already used to the sometimes heady feeling of everybody looking at him with that hint of deference and awe, it could prove downright intoxicating.

He could easily see how some Jedi could fall to craving it or take it too far. He couldn't help but remember that it was the lessons from his parents, aunts and uncles, not the Temple, that held him in check the best. This too was part of his heritage. The awe and being the 'fix it' people were very much what the Clawsons were. They faced the same fears from outsiders too, as the masters of strange abilities.

Fortunately, it wasn't a major issue here and now.

He was led back into the vehicle pool where a number of speeders and small air cars were waiting, various people tinkering away at them.

"Just give Sparks your transponder ID on the way out and we'll make sure all the files we have are transmitted to it," Sergeant Gavin told Jay easily.

"Thank you for your assistance, Sergeant." Jay inclined his head slightly as he began to move among the vehicles, seeking one that resonated with the kind of traits he wanted. Traits that most said shouldn't be there, but all who deal with high performance things knew were. Each creation had a personality and quirks of its own.

He finally found one that felt right, and was looking it over when somebody walked up behind him.

"Figures that the Jedi'd walk in and manage to find himself the most temperamental speeder we've got here," a deep voice chuckled behind him.

"They are the best performers." Jay replied simply to the buff Lion. 

"Yeah, when they work right," the Lion agreed. "Every time somebody tries taking this guy out, it's maybe a half-hour before they bring him back and want to switch for another one. By the way, I'm Sparks."

"Clawson," Jay introduced himself. "I have a talent with temperamental machines. It's why I'm here."

"The bombings," the Lion nodded. "Well, if you can get him to work out for you, you've made a good choice. Fastest speeder we've got, just about the most maneuverable. I've done some tweaking on him personally, working on his flight ceiling, but there's only so much you can really do with that."

"I'll try to return him in a condition that someone else might be able to use it." Jay winked at him and opened the speeder's door. "Sharufa brings a new level to fussy."

"Just make sure you document any tinkering you do," Sparks chuckled, shaking his head. "They'll get _awfully_ peevish if I don't know what somebody did to 'im."

"I understand," he nodded and slipped into the driver's seat, bringing the power up and crooning softly to the speeder before it lifted off and darted from the vehicle bay.

Sparks just shook his head and went to go transmit the speeders' transponder code to Sergeant Gavin before he got back to work. That cat would either be back soon, or that speeder would never be the same again. He had a gut feeling it would be the second.

* * *

Jay sighed as he finished his examination of the sixth blast site. He couldn't say he'd expected to get much, given the blast had all but vaporized everything within several yards, but it did mean that he really was down to using his _skills_ , not his Force abilities. Skills that were largely untested. Some of that didn't even exist yet in the Republic.

He walked slowly to the speeder, a decidedly 'male' speeder, and tried to work out what his best next move was.

"Excuse me?" Somebody asked, walking up to him. It was a Cheetah... female, by the looks of her under her dark, fairly unisex clothing. She was one of the mourners at the small memorial shrine just outside the site's boundaries; he recognized her from the way in. "Are you the Jedi they asked to come here?"

"Yes, ma'am." He nodded slightly to the woman likely a decade or more his senior. Attractive, but she had definitely left her youth for mature beauty.

"I just wanted to say it's good to know that somebody's finally doing something about these horrible attacks," she said softly. "Do you know where you're staying yet? I'd like to offer you dinner, if it wouldn't be a problem. I know Jedi usually don't carry much money with them."

"Your words are thanks enough, ma'am." He smiled slightly, though he had to admit company was appealing. He was already lonely for his mates. "There is no need."

"Please?" She smiled hopefully. "It's the least we can do, and it wouldn't be any imposition. I want to do something to thank you for helping us."

"Then I accept, and thank you for your hospitality." Jay bowed respectfully to her.

"You're more than welcome," she smiled, returning the bow. "Should I meet you somewhere, or would you rather meet me at my place in the Spacer Quarter at about eight tonight?" She asked, clearly just offering a convenient place and time to meet him.

"Your place would be welcome." Jay nodded slightly and stepped towards the speeder painted in police colors. "I will be there."

"All right," she smiled, brushing a strand of white hair back over her shoulder. "The Kelarin Towers; if I'm not there to meet you just ask them to call Stacey Young at the desk."

"I will, ma'am." He smiled slightly at her. "My apologies for leaving so quickly, but I do have work to do before we eat."

"Believe me, I understand," she nodded, stepping back and letting him get on his way. She smiled as he pulled away in his speeder; everything was going according to plan.

* * *

Stacey rumbled lightly as shi rode the lift down from her apartment to the ground level. Shi was wearing a burgundy dress that accented hir feminine figure nicely without being obviously suggestive; shi didn't particularly want to scare Clawson off tonight.

What shi _did_ want to do was give him something else to think about; hopefully something that might distract him a little bit from his mission.

He may be a Jedi, but he was a young, strong male and shi'd met very few of the later that couldn't be tempted to distraction for a little while.

The door opened, and shi started out of the elevator, making hir way into the lobby where shi hoped he'd be waiting. Shi was a little early; and it turned out that he was as punctual as he was unusual, giving her several minutes to focus her mind on not giving away her plans. You couldn't be too careful with a Jedi.

Stacy smile warmly and went to greet him, pleased that he had left his concealing outer robe behind. He would definitely be a pleasure to bed if his well-muscled physique and layered cloth and leather outfit was any indication. He'd somehow managed to make Jedi robes look stylish. Sort of.

About as close as anybody came, at least.

"Glad you made it," shi smiled, inclining hir head slightly towards him as he walked in. "Do you want to eat in, or somewhere else?" Shi asked him.

"Whatever is most convenient for you, ma'am." He bowed politely.

"How about my place then," shi offered, making the decision quickly and turned to lead the way back to the lift. It would be easier to control everything there, and he clearly didn't object.

"Who did you lose?" Jay asked softly after the lift doors closed.

"Co-workers," Stacey admitted. It was close enough to true. "Some friends of mine were in the Plaza when the bomb hit. I was lucky I wasn't in it myself."

"You were spared for a reason," he said with the soft certainty of his training, the closest he could come to soothing words.

"I hope so," shi said softly. Of course, shi knew just how true that was, but shi kept hir mind and voice in her role. There were some days it paid to call in sick. The lift dinged as it reached the top, the doors sliding open.

"I hope you're not a vegetarian," shi smiled, changing the subject as they got off.

"Not at all." Jay actually chuckled. "I prefer meat."

"Good," shi smiled, leading him back to her apartment, waving her hand to signal the door to open. "I've got a friend at Latli's who came up with a new recipe that's just incredible."

"I'd be shocked if anything from Latli's _wasn't_." His eyes went a little wide for a moment. It was definitely not what he'd been expecting as a 'thank you dinner'. Latli's was a restaurant not even he could afford all that often, and tended to order when he had the money and excuse. Shi's Knighting would be such an event, especially with his coming before they could really celebrate. Such meals were never shared by just two.

"Like I said, I've got a friend who works there," shi chuckled, blushing a bit beneath hir fur as shi lead him in. "He's as grateful as I am. It should be up here in a few minutes; would you like something to drink before dinner?"

"Milk or water would be welcome, ma'am." He smiled and bit back a comment about how his mates would be jealous of the meal.

On the other hand, if it worked out well, maybe he could bring them back after he got back home.

"All right," shi nodded easily. "Make yourself comfortable," shi told him as shi walked into the other room. It gave him a chance to look around; whatever she did, it paid reasonably well. Probably a trader of some sort, given where she lived. Kelarin Towers wasn't one of the best places in Alderaan, but it was the higher end of middle-class for the Spacer Quarter.

It was comfortable to him. That was what struck him first. She had nice things and lived in a nice place, far nicer than his own at the Temple, but it did not reach the level of ostentatious. Everything was either practical, beautiful or comfortable if it wasn't all three. It was colorful and natural and organic artwork, not gold and gems.

"Have you been a Knight long?" Stacey asked as shi walked back in, carrying a glass of milk for him, and a glass of a dark wine about the same color as hir dress for hirself.

"I'm not one yet," Jay fingered his long, thin braid as he accepted the milk in his other hand. It was mildly temping to say he was one, no matter how short a time, but his Master hadn't cut his braid yet, so he wasn't, even if he had finished all his Trials. "I had not finished my report on my final Trial when I was needed here. I'll be Knighted when missions allow long enough at the Temple for it."

"Ah, I understand," shi nodded. That was something that could be useful - the Count calls for Jedi support, and the Jedi don't care enough to send a full Knight even. "How is your investigation going, if you don't mind my asking?"

"Not as quickly as I would like," he admitted. "Whoever is building the bombs can block my talent for reading objects, but I've begun to put together a pattern using other means since we spoke."

"Oh?" Shi asked, sipping hir wine. "Anything useful?"

"Some," he nodded. "Nothing I can talk about."

"Understandable," shi nodded. "Especially if you only just got started. Have you ever handled something like this before?" Shi asked, knowing the answer full well.

"Once," he nodded. "I worked the Kallarak Amphitheater bombing on Coruscant. It's why the Count asked for me, and not just Jedi help."

"That's good to hear," shi smiled. They'd definitely been right about who it was, then. "Anything from then helping out now?"

"Yes," he nodded seriously and took a sip of chilled milk. "I can't really talk about it, either."

He was doing a good job of keeping off any topics that would give her a solid idea of how much he knew, but she didn't _think_ he knew too much yet.

Just in time, there was a knock at the door.

"That should be dinner," shi smiled, standing up and gesturing to open it and let the well-dressed Chadra-Fan through the door. The short, bat-like humanoid bustled in, whistling and chirping happily as he set up the meal.

"Padawan Clawson, this is T'achak Ta'avon," Stacey said by means of introduction. "He works for Latli's, and is glad to meet you," shi translated for him as trays that more than filled the long-fingered hands of the small chef/server were set up.

"It is a pleasure to meet a free Chadra-Fan." Jay smiled and bowed politely to that small bat-like humanoid. "Dinner smells delicious."

He received a few grateful and proud chirps in response.

"He says thank you, and that it's more a pleasure to be one," Stacey chuckled. "Though like most of them, it didn't much bother him." Shi took hir seat as T'achak pulled the lids off, letting out the potent scents of the exquisitely prepared sliced, roasted meats and stewed fruits from all across the galaxy.

The smell was enough to make Jay's mouth water as he followed suit and did his damnedest to remember his manners.

"It looks wonderful too." He purred deep in his chest. He _loved_ this food.

"You've definitely outdone yourself this time," Stacey agreed, smiling to the chadra-fan. The small cook bowed with a cheerful chirp, then headed out to return to the restaurant he worked at.

"His old owner sent him to the Epicurium to learn to cook," Stacey explained, "things went from there after his status was found out." Shi took a small plate for hirself, passing the other over to Jay. "Help yourself."

"Ah, the danger of having your slave become known as a slave in the Republic." He chuckled and selected a hearty portion of the meat and vegetables. It was excellent food and he intended to eat well, there was certainly enough on the table, without taking so much that it looked like he was eating a lot. It was a fine line and he hated having to worry it about appearances.

Stacey took hir own portion, a little smaller, and started to eat some of the stewed fruit, letting the juice add some extra flavor to the meat.

"From what I've heard, nobody at Latli's has ever complained," shi grinned.

"I don't doubt it," Jay smiled and watched himself more than usual at a meal. Smaller bites, eating slower in general. It was always nice to savor a meal, but it was also an effort to remember too.

This was definitely worth it though. It tasted incredible. The meat all but melted on his tongue in a cascade of spices and flavors that were intoxicating in their own luxuriant way.

"Mmm ... I swear, the cooking there is enough to make people around here work for their raises without anything else," the Cheetah rumbled appreciatively as shi ate hir own portion.

"It is some of the best I've ever had," Jay nodded agreeably. He was honestly enjoying the food too much to notice something was just a little off ... and familiar ... about it.

Stacey smiled mentally as shi recognized the buzz she was getting, and that shi knew Jay would be feeling more strongly, from the heavily processed ryl spice T'achak put in this recipe. Shi honestly didn't know if the chadra-fan _knew_ the effect it had on some of his customers, but shi knew full well how useful it could be.

Soon she could smell the distinctive edge on Jay's scent that marked his arousal, though he didn't show any other sign of what must be an almost painful erection.

Hir own body was just about as eager by the time they'd finished their first helpings.

"You like?" Shi asked him with a rumble, shifting slightly so he could pick up hir own scent.

"Very much," he nodded and licked his whiskers back, his body language changing subtly as he recognized that something was definitely off. She was attractive, but he shouldn't feel like _this_.

Shi recognized the 'now or never' moment, and shifted out of hir seat to cover the brief distance between them and kiss him, pressing hir body against his in all the right ways, at least as well as shi could the way he was sitting. He was hot, aroused and responded instinctively to claim hir mouth from hir kiss with much more skill than shi'd ever expected. The feel of hir rock hard cock against his own only seemed to excite him more.

Jay groaned deep in his chest, the body pressed against his exciting him in ways he didn't think possible. Hir breasts were firm and full against his chest, but where hir crotch pressed against him was the hard rod of a cock pressed against his own. It, and whatever was in the food or milk, was doing an exquisite job of locking his attention on the feline against him that so clearly wanted exactly what his body did.

Shi slipped hir hands under his robes, guiding him to his feet as shi worked their clothes off.

"Different type of hungry?" Shi asked him with a seductive rumble, familiar with the half-resistance, half-helping manner of a Ryl-drugged feline by now.

"Shouldn't." He gasped as hir hand closed around his straining cock, still enclosed by cloth. "We're drugged."

"It's okay," shi rumbled, kissing him again and felt his resistance take a sharp drop. "Something in a few of the recipes, it's legal." Shi added before claiming his mouth again, catching on that if he couldn't talk, he didn't think nearly as much.

"I-I'm mated." Jay made one last effort to pull away that didn't working nearly as well as it should have. Then shi had his mouth again, hir hand inside his trousers, stroking him, and the physical stimulus ganged up with the ryl to shut off his resistance to what was happening even better than the wine on Garosh had. This time though, he cried inside. He'd remember every moment of tonight, everything that happened, and he couldn't stop himself.

Shi worked his trousers off, hir cock outlined against hir silky dress as shi pressed him back against the wall. Shi used one hand to pull hir dress aside and rub hir cock against his and grinned at the way he shivered and thrust back against hir. The way he moved and reacted to the contact confirmed that he was into toms at least. Shi'd had enough practice reading bedmates to be sure of it, and that he did bottom. He was probably into females as well; he seemed to have a good idea what he was doing.

Stacy shivered hirself when shi felt a sharp pair of claws slice through her dress, sending it fluttering to the floor in several large ribbons.

Shi rumbled, kissing him hungrily and spreading hir legs slightly; he could either press into hir, or shi could do the same to him, from this position. Shi gasped as sharp teeth dug into hir shoulder enough to draw a little blood and shi was suddenly on the floor with hir prey over hir.

The groan he drew from hir was part pain and a lot of pleasure as he drove into hir body, his teeth still in hir shoulder and his claws running down hir body. Shi was used to this sort of treatment, and had to admit shi enjoyed it, giving as well as receiving. Shi wondered idly if shi'd get the chance.

It didn't much matter; shi squeezed down around his length, raking his back with hir own claws as shi kept him occupied with their mutual pleasure. Hir body began to twitch too soon, on top of hir rubbing hir cock between their bodies as he pounded into hir wet sex with the full abandon of surrendering to the Ryl in his system.

His fur and flesh teased hir barbs, his own raking hir insides mercilessly. Shi dug hir claws lightly into his back as shi let out a lusty rowl of pleasure, hir sex spasming around his length, hir cock right on the edge as shi milked him hungrily. Shi lost it completely when his claws dug into hir ass and his bite tightened in the crook of hir neck just before he came hard with a growl, pumping hir body full of his seed.

Shi rolled over on top of him with a rumble, pulling hir feminine sex off his cock and pressing hirs up against the tight, furless pucker of his ass. Shi started to press forward, careful about how much shi moved hir top half until he let hir shoulder go with a groan and surprisingly sudden shift to submissiveness.

Given hir preferences, shi'd have just let him keep going, but shi needed to be in one reasonably solid piece in the morning and his manner wasn't giving good odds of that if shi had let him go.

Shi started thrusting with abandon, biting down on his shoulder lightly, taking over his role as shi worked hir way towards fucking him senseless.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Shivasta stiffened slightly in Fenrik's arms as the two snuggled up together in one of the side gardens.

"Something's wrong," she murmured. "Jay...."

"I feel it," he nodded and hugged her tightly. "Can't tell what it is though."

"Neither can I," Shivasta admitted, pressing close to her mate. "You don't think he might have...."

"I think we'd have a coal-gray kushiban yelling for us by now if it was that serious." He tried to reassure her. "She _is_ still his Master. He's probably disturbed by something he's involved with. I don't think he's ever seen a mass slaughter before, much less six of them."

"You're right," Shi admitted. "I just hope he's all right. Think we should leave a message with the Sharufa for him, check if he's all right?"

"It never hurts to remind him we love him," Fenrik smiled and nuzzled her.

"No," she smiled, kissing him gently. "It doesn't. Why don't we go leave the message, then we can have dinner while I help you get your material for that trip to the Ice Crypts ready?"

"Sounds good," he nodded and twisted to his feet and offered her a hand up. "You know them much better than I do."

"Doesn't hurt that I spent a good chunk of my time as a student exploring them," she smiled, accepting his hand and standing up. "Much to the chagrin of a few Knights," she chuckled.

"What Knight wants to admit they were out-sneaked by an Initiate?" He chuckled easily. "That should have clued everyone in that you wouldn't be a perfectly party-line Jedi."

"What, you never sneaked out when you were a kid?" Shi giggled as they started back towards their quarters. "And to think, I thought I was the quiet, boring one."

"Who hasn't? Though I don't think either of us snuck off quite like Jay did."

"Most of us didn't sneak off to major conventions," Shivasta chuckled. "Come on; let's go make sure he didn't sneak off again."

* * *

* * *

* * *

Stacy shivered in memory of the hours it had taken to wear Clawson down enough to drug him with an actual knockout agent. The motion ruffled hir short spotted fur as shi stepped out of the shower from cleaning up. Shi still had wounds to bind, mostly hir shoulder and scruff, but the mission was going perfectly.

Shi was working on hir shoulder when the comm system beeped for her attention with a call from the one paying her for this.

Shi didn't bother to dress, just finishing up with the light bandage and walking into hir private room. Shi started the holo-transmission; glancing back to make sure Clawson was still unconscious.

"Young," shi said, toweling off hir white hair and short, damp fur.

"Progress report?" The Dalmatian bitch asked evenly.

"Clawson's unconscious," shi said easily. "And very good in bed, especially for a Jedi. I'll be needing some of your men to come help me transport him; you didn't tell me he was as big as a Puma when you gave me the initial description. Got to be almost a hundred pounds on me, and there's no way I can haul that as dead weight."

"Very well," the bitch nodded and typed something out on a control panel off screen. "Did he provide anything useful before he passed out?"

"Not much," Stacey shrugged, grabbing a shirt and pulling it on, the tight fabric clinging to hir figure. "Don't think he has much; didn't give him much time. He might suspect something, but I doubt he has any proof who's involved."

"Excellent." The Dalmatian nodded sharply. "Help will be there shortly to move him."

"I'll be waiting. With a little something extra," Stacey smirked, holding up a small disk. "He mentioned mates; I don't suppose you happen to know who they might be? You know enough other stuff about him it seems."

That raised an eyebrow, and then a vicious grin. "I will soon." She rumbled. "The Council may find that interesting as well. Anything else?"

"Lightsabers, robes if you happen to be interested in what a Jedi wears when he's trying to dress up," Stacey said. "He had a credstick on him, but it's passcoded. Maybe hand it to one of your techs to try and decode or something."

"All good," her grin widened. "I think I will put together a nice little package for his friends."

"Or I could ransom them back to them," Stacey pointed out with a casual shrug. "Unless, of course, you might care to make it worth my while to make sure you get them instead?"

The Dalmatian rolled her eyes. "As if the Jedi will care about clothes and a lightsaber. I will see it is worth your while to include them when my men pick him up."

"The Jedi, perhaps not, but his mate ... I'll be waiting, with him, and with them. If you don't mind, I'll go get dressed before your men get here."

"Very well." She nodded and clicked the link off.

Stacey grabbed a pair of pants, pulling them on with a self-satisfied rumble. All things considered, it had been an excellent night.

* * *

* * *

* * *

"This is bull," Crado grumbled, leaning back against the wall next to the force field that held their prisoner. "He's got enough tranq's in him to drop a rancor, I didn't sign on to babysit vegetables!" The Cathar grunted, puffing his mane back out of his eyes, his tusks locked in an irritated look.

"It's not like the boss can leave a Jedi unguarded, even a naked, unconscious one." His Wolf companion shook his head. "He's not a bad looking one either."

"For all the good that does us," the tawny-furred leonine snorted. "Maybe if the boss'd let us take advantage of it, this job wouldn't be so friggin' dull. Oughtta be helpin' the strike teams set up."

"Yeah, but the boom will be just as big as long as _he_ stays down." Grenin motioned towards Jay.

"Yeah, yeah," Crado grumbled. "Still ticked the next big bang's gonna hit while we're busy playing babysitter. Maybe if it wasn't just interrupting another of Koron's speeches about 'fixing the Republic' it'd be better."

"Yeah, that is getting kinda old ...." Grenin paused, and then glared at the feline in the cell. "Damn. Go get another shot. He's waking up."

"You'd think the boss'd just spring for a cell we could flood with knockout gas," Crado muttered, moving over to a nearby medical case and pulling out a dart gun, loading it with a sedative dart with about half-again the standard dose.

"It's not like she designed this place." The Wolf rolled his eyes and took the dart gun, dropping the force field. "When you're taking over abandoned facilities, it's not like you get your choice." He added and shot the dart squarely into Jay's rump.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Crado muttered, bringing the force field back up. "At least it's somethin' to do while they set up the next hit."

* * *

* * *

* * *

Shivasta stretched out languidly in bed as she woke up. Fenrik had already gotten up and gone to complete his morning exercises; in all fairness, she should have been up with him, but she'd decided to take the morning off and check to see if Jay had replied to their message when she woke up.

She pulled on her light summer-wraps climbing out of bed and moving over to the message center. She opened up her list of waiting messages, frowning when she saw there weren't any from Jay. He was probably just too busy with his mission. Still, there were a couple waiting for her….

'Something you should know.' Well, that was an ominous subject... and it was from a Stacey Young, somebody she didn't recognize. Frowning, Shivasta opened the recording, sitting to watch as the lean Cheetah who'd sent it appeared in the glowing image.

"Shi?" Fenrik bolted into the room a few moments later, his head still ringing from her silent emotional outburst, and skidded to a stop as he caught sight of the holographic message. "Fuck."

In the life-sized hologram, Jay was in the middle of fucking a Cheetah herm neither of them knew. The artificial roar as he came inside of hir coincided almost perfectly with a barely-stifled rush of anger from Shivasta.

The Ice Walker forced herself to reach out and turn off the recording, despite the fact that Fenrik could tell she was having a hard time doing so. It was almost like a train wreck, in a way. He recognized every one of her responses too; it was little, if any, different from when she'd first caught Jay and Fenrik together almost eleven years ago.

"Shi had to be lying," Shivasta murmured quietly, trembling slightly as she sat back down and Fenrik wrapped his arms around her, nuzzling her.

"What did shi say?" He asked softly.

"That he met hir on Alderaan... that shi invited him to dinner and...." She gestured towards the projector, taking a few deep breaths to try and calm down. "Said he told hir he had mates afterwards and shi thought we should know about what happened. It can't be true," she murmured. "He wouldn't do that to us."

"Remember what we felt from him last night?" He asked her quietly. "There are some legal things that can make a feline loose control like that."

"Ryl, for one," Shi nodded slightly. "Still... he's managed to control himself before...." She swallowed, taking a few more breaths and calming herself. "You're right, it has to be what happened last night... even if it happened like shi said... maybe he didn't want it to, just couldn't stop himself."

"I have to wonder about the motive of recording that, and in sending it to us," Fenrik hugged her tightly. "After all this time, he wouldn't hurt you like this, not if he had a choice. We have no way to know what's off screen. It's not just drugs that could have forced him to perform for hir. He might have been protecting someone ... I'm sure he'll tell us when he gets back."

"I _hope_ he can tell us sooner than that," she murmured, pressing back against Fenrik. "You want to watch it, before I delete the damned thing?"

"It might have important information in it," he sighed and kissed her neck. "If nothing else, if this _wasn't_ willing, I want to have a little talk with this person."

"You're not the only one," she muttered, turning to kiss his cheek lightly. "Hope you don't mind if I pass. I'm already going to have to spend a while down in the Frozen Garden meditating to get that out of my system."

"I don't mind at all." He kissed her softly in return and let her go. "I don't think I'm going to watch unless it's needed. Something's seriously not right with the whole thing."

"Let's check with Master Essani later, see if she knows anything we don't," Shivasta suggested, standing up and going to change into heavier robes for the Frozen Garden. "After I've straightened myself out. Acting like I was a teenager again," she muttered.

"It'll be all right," Fenrik squeezed her hand. "Jay's survived hell in his life already; he'll never let this bring him down."

"Just a little nervous about him being away without either of us there," she admitted, returning the squeeze. "Then that message... I'm just off-balance today. I'll be okay, okay?" She smiled softly, kissing her Panther mate gently.

"All right. Settle yourself. We can't talk to Essani until the Council is over for the day anyway."

"Right," she nodded, kissing him again. "I'll see you later, love."

* * *

"Master Kareth?" Master Shan raised an eyebrow at the Grey Vixen's decidedly pale expression when she entered the Council Chamber after they had broken for a short lunch.

"Where is Master Essani?" The Vixen asked him, a sense of urgency in her tone, a small package beneath her arm. "We just received a package regarding Padawan Clawson."

"* _I am here._ *" She responded from the opening doors. "* _What has happened?_ *"

"The people behind the bombings have captured him," the Vixen said softly, setting the package down and opening the box to reveal the kat's unique lightsabers, Gloveatrix and his robes, neatly folded beneath the crossed weapons.

"* _He is still alive._ *" Master Essani said firmly. "* _Unconscious, but alive._ *"

"How did this happen?" Master Shan asked the Vixen. "Does it say?"

"He was drugged during a meal, then... there are more details in a holo-video they sent along, but I would rather not go into them. He wasn't harmed physically, but I suspect he will have a great deal of trouble when he is released. What they did may well have longer-lasting psychological effects."

"We'll have to arrange a rescue mission," Master Shan said, glancing at a nearby chronometer. The rest of the Council would be back soon. "Master Doruth, perhaps."

"* _No._ *" Master Essani looked at the elder Doberman she was about to take over from. "* _He has been held for less than a day. He is still in a position to free himself._ *"

"Very well," Master Shan said, inclining his head slightly in acceptance that a Solo Trial had rules of its own and interference was to be kept at an absolute minimum. "However, we must still consider the well-being of the Alderaanians. Master Jolani, perhaps? In case Padawan Clawson is unable to escape in time to prevent further tragedy."

"* _She will likely welcome the break from squabbling nobles._ *" Master Essani agreed.

"I will inform her before our next meeting," Master Kareth nodded in agreement, closing the package. "Master Essani, I believe you are best qualified to determine what to do with this."

"* _Thank you. Please have Jolani pick up his things before she leaves._ *" the kushiban agreed. She was confident that he would return; he might be rather unorthodox, but she had no doubts about his abilities, but there was no reason why he should be without his lightsabers if Jolani met him first. She slid the package back by her cushions telekinetically, the three Masters taking their places before the rest of the Council returned.

* * *

"You wanted to see me, Master?" Fenrik asked in real concern as he entered Essani's quarters later that night.

"* _Yes._ *" She didn't bother to control the deep grey color of her fur. "* _Both you and Shivasta need to know this, but I believe you know best how to tell her what has happened. The Council received a package earlier today. It contained Jay's clothing, equipment and lightsabers ... and this vid-disk. It is very personal, but you should know what happened to him before he returns._ *"

The lack of surprise in the Panther's reaction was almost startling to Essani; he was concerned, but he didn't seem to be any more worried than he had been before.

"What happened?" He asked the kushiban.

"* _He was drugged during a meal and ... raped._ *" She had difficulty just saying it. Watching it had been torture. But to call it anything else was to lessen what she had seen in her Padawan's face even as his body was in pleasure. "* _They sent us a vid of the entire event._ *"

"Us too," Fenrik admitted quietly. Essani could feel the tension in him, but he kept it under control well. "Though they made it look much more willing on his part, couched it with a message that made it sound like the Cheetah was letting us know he was cheating. I'm surprised they thought two different messages would work, but not too surprised to find out what really happened."

"* _You saw hir face?_ *" Essani focused on what could be a way to find the one who had hurt Jay in such an intimate way. "* _It was carefully blurred in what they sent us._ *"

"We saw it, but it may have been disguised," Fenrik said, shaking his head slightly. "It was very good if it was. We should still be able to recover the message, if you want to review it. I asked Shi not to delete it until we knew it wasn't needed for evidence. The first part at least; I don't see any reason to keep the 'proof.'"

"* _Until we know if Jay wishes to prosecute hir, they should be kept. It is invaluable evidence in such a case._ *" Essani said quietly, her own distress at it clear. "* _If he does not, then we can destroy them._ *"

"Very well," Fenrik nodded. "I'll make a copy and get it to you; I imagine Shi would rather not know about it. Her gut reaction was bad enough without being told to keep a copy around."

"* _That was why I called you, and not her, to tell this to. She is a Healer, but her issues are such I was not sure it would be wise for her to see what happened. I expect this will be difficult enough for Jay to deal with without her anger to counter as well._ *"

"Once she knows that happened, he'll be her first concern," Fenrik said certainly. "I'll go handle the copy, and fill her in ... Master Essani, do you know if they still have him?"

"* _I expect so. I do not believe he has regained consciousness yet._ *" She admitted.

"If necessary, I request permission for Shivasta and I to be involved in the rescue," Fenrik said softly. "Or retrieval, if it goes that far."

"* _Granted._ *" Master Essani nodded to him. "* _I intend to give him more than a single day to free himself. I expect the situation will change rapidly once he is conscious. Not even the best Jedi can do much while unconscious._ *"

"Understood," Fenrik nodded, taking the recording and getting ready to leave. "I just _almost_ feel sorry for whoever's watching him when he wakes up."

"* _I do not._ *" The Master flashed red for a split second before shifting back to a lighter gray. "* _Thank you for taking care of Shivasta. Master Ursal and I_ are _here to help if you need it. It could be a long, painful time for all of you in healing._ *"

"I understand, Master," Fenrik nodded. "And I'll make sure Jay and Shi do as well. Jay especially."

* * *

* * *

* * *

Jay kept his body as still as it had been unconscious. If his guards realized he was at all conscious, he'd be tranq'ed again and any chance of getting out would be gone for that many more hours. He opened his Force-senses a little more, locking onto the mind of the one right outside the cell.

"* _Sleep._ *" He crooned to it with enough power to easily overcome the unprepared mind.

Then he reached out to his cell and worked on getting the force field to shut down.

It was one of the things he adored about modern security systems in the Republic; they practically begged him to turn them off. The force field fell quickly. He was free, but he was also naked and unarmed with at least one guard who was awake and probably about to return.

He reached out with the Force again, coaxing a map and directions from the central computer system before lifting the tusked feline with the Force. With only one other person around according to the building, it wouldn't be hard to get out. He drew a breath to center himself and took off en route to where Sharufa would be soon.

"Hey Cra - the fuck?" Jay winced as he realized that the other guard was just rounding the corner. The Wolf reached for his blaster. Jay was pretty sure it was set to stun, but he was _not_ going to let himself be put under again. The look of disbelief as the Wolf pulled the trigger uselessly told him they didn't know quite what he was capable of.

"* _Sleep._ *" Jay lashed out with the Force again, this time directed at the Wolf's mind. It put him under quickly, and the kat retrieved the blaster. It wasn't as effective as his lightsabers would be, but he had no clue where they were at the moment.

Jay lifted him to join the Cathar in the air and headed for outside and his ship where clothes, contact with the authorities and a place to secure these two were until he had a chance to interrogate them properly.

He managed to make it out to the ship without further incident, though he had to wonder how long he'd been out. To judge by his stomach, it had been more than a full day, probably longer, but not so long than he was more than very hungry.

At least the Sharufa was glad he was back; he could practically feel the ship's pleasure to have him 'home' again.

"Good to be back, Sharufa." He let out a breath as he stepped inside his ship. "Get Sennif Ortol and Sergeant Gavin on the com." He ordered as he moved back to put his prisoners in an impromptu set of cells.

He was just about to turn on the shower when the message came through.

"Padawan Clawson? Where have you been?" Sennif asked on the other end.

"In a cell at the Kimfu-Sujea supermax prison." Jay managed to keep the irritation from his voice. "The next target is the Count's speech."

"This is Sergeant Gavin," the Doberman said, apparently at the same location as the Fox. "We'll arrange for extra security at the speech; will you need assistance when you get here?"

Jay paused, weighing the relative value of the extra help compared to the risk of more lives. "Hunting live bombs is part of my specialty, but I'm not going to turn down help. Do make sure anyone who does join me understands it is _voluntary_ and risky.

"Also, please have Stacy Young picked up for assault, kidnapping and as part of the bombing conspiracy. Cheetah herm, usually dresses as a woman. Shi lives at Kelarin Towers, apartment 173. I have two other members of the group with me who know who the ringleader is, though I don't yet."

"We'll send somebody over to deal with it," Gavin said. "Where will you be going next?"

"Where do you want the prisoners?" He asked simply. "Then to the Corona Amphitheater to find the bombs and set up for any more trouble."

"Bring the prisoners to headquarters then," the Doberman said easily. "You'll have a visitor when you get here."

"One who'll be able to return a few things you lost the other night," Master Jolani said on the other end. "Though now that you're free, I'll leave the rest of the mission in your hands."

"Yes, Master Jolani." Jay couldn't keep a touch of surprise from his voice even as his mind scrambled for how she'd come by his equipment and came up with little that wouldn't severely stress those closest to him. "I will be there within an hour."

"Looking forward to seeing you; I'll bring you up to date once you're here," she said.

"Thank you, Master." Jay replied simply.

"Should we cancel the speech?" Sennif asked.

"Not yet. I will have more accurate information to go by when I've had a few minutes to talk with the prisoners. Please do stay with the Sergeant until I arrive. What I learn from the prisoners you should both know."

"Will do," the Fox agreed. "Hope to see you soon, Padawan Clawson."

"Soon." Jay agreed and closed the connection. "Open voice recording for transmission." He ordered, delaying his shower for a few more minutes.

"Shi, Fenrik, Master. I'm about five minutes outside a prison cell right now, I'm not sure what happened that put my lightsabers in Master Jolani's hands and her here, but I can't imagine it looks good to you. I'm fine. I lost a couple meals and I'm sore, but it's nothing a little time won't fix. I'll send you a more complete message later, after I've gotten what useful intel I can out of my former guards and brought the locals up to date. Take care." He ended the recording and turned his shower on while Sharufa sent the message on its way, all while trying not to think about why he was sore and needed this shower so badly.

* * *

Jay drew a deep breath to center himself as best he could before the hatch opened after Sharufa landed behind police headquarters. The locals would never know anything had happened from his appearance, but the Master waiting for him would likely be quite disturbed by the way he must look in the Force right now. He just hoped he wouldn't have to convince her he could finish the mission.

He started down to the briefing room, still wondering just how she'd gotten his lightsabers back. He'd been half-convinced he'd have to make new ones after this mission.

"Padawan Clawson," Sergeant Gavin said briskly, the Doberman coming out to meet him. "We heard your ship coming in; this way please."

"The prisoners are still on board." He informed him as they walked. "They can be transferred when you are ready."

"I'll have men take care of them during the briefing," he nodded. "Did you get anything useful from them?"

"Details on their plan, purpose and who their immediate superior is." Jay nodded. "If we move quickly, we should be able to put a solid dent in their activities on Alderaan."

"Excellent," Gavin nodded, stopping at the door to the briefing room. "The Jedi who came from the Temple is here as well; she said she'd want to talk to you after the briefing, in private."

"I understand," Jay nodded easily before they entered and he caught the controlled look Jolani gave him, in the Force and with her eyes. Whatever had happened there, it had been bad, and the way he looked to her did little to change her mind. "Greetings, Master Jolani." He bowed politely to his superior, his manners flawless and exterior showing nothing of the turmoil inside.

"Greetings, Padawan Clawson," the Tigress nodded. He could sense her concern, but nothing else.

"We were worried when we didn't hear back from you last night," Sennif said. "Then Master Jolani arrived and... well, what happened?"

"I was captured by the rebel group." Jay gave them the fewest details he could get away with. "They underestimated what it took to keep me drugged unconscious. It turned out to be to our advantage. My former guards knew a great deal about the current plans and local members. This is by the same group as the Kallarak Amphitheater incident. They have been trying to discredit the Count to keep him from gaining any more power."

"Do you know where they're going to attack during the speech?" Sennif asked, concern in his voice. "If they're going to try attacking then...."

"They're planning on blowing up the Crescent Amphitheater during the speech, with teams around the city to start riots." Jay said simply. "It would be the biggest attack yet and quite a body count."

"We'll have to cancel it," Sennif said, shaking his head. "The potential loss of life there if we don't... it's unreasonable. What could they hope to gain doing this? How is it supposed to discredit Count Koron?"

"I believe the theory is that if he can't keep people safe during his own speech, it will hurt his ability to have the people trust him." Jay explained something he only sort of understood. "We are dealing with terrorists here. Their logic does not always match up with ours."

"Too true," Gavin nodded. "Unfortunately, their tactics work, even if their logic doesn't. We won't have enough men to protect the Crescent _and_ deal with riots throughout Aldera at the same time."

"We know who their leader is, many of their people and locations. Each one we capture will tell us more." Jay was planning even as he spoke, his mind working double-time to correlate manpower and resources with the local database records. "If the speech is delayed for a few days, say a week, instead of canceled, your officers will be able to pick up a significant number of their people and I can keep the Crescent safe from bombs. Perhaps the Count could be ill, or called away, instead of saying it is delayed for lack of security forces."

"They may still attempt to set off the bomb, or start the riots, but the potential for damage will be lower," Gavin assured Sennif. "If you can convince the Count to adjust his schedule, we'll be able to keep this under control before anybody else is hurt."

"I will speak with him, see what we can arrange," the Fox nodded seriously. "That is our top priority, after all."

"I believe I can find the bombs that are already in the Crescent before the original speech time." Jay added.

"That would be ideal," Sennif nodded. "Should we delay any announcements until you are sure?"

"I would not," Jay decided after a moment. "There is not enough time to do a full manual sweep of the building. I can not be sure I have found all the bombs this quickly, just a majority of them. The sooner you make the announcement, the more planned it will seem."

"Then I will go bring the Count up to speed," Sennif nodded, standing up. "Is there anything else I should be aware of?"

"No," Jay shook his head slightly.

"I look forward to your report when this is all over then," Sennif nodded, bowing politely before leaving the room, leaving Jay with Gavin and Master Jolani.

"Is there anything else you want to fill me in on, before I send my men to start rounding them up?" The Doberman asked.

"No," Jay answered simply. "I can get names and faces from anyone who doesn't want to talk. I'll be at the Crescent finding bombs."

The Doberman nodded, standing up along with Master Jolani. He left the room to go handle the interrogation of the two prisoners, while the Tigress moved to talk to Jay.

"How are you doing?" She asked him softly.

"I'll be fine for the mission, Master." He couldn't quite meet her eyes. "After that, I'll need time to deal with what happened."

"If it helps, very few know about it," she offered. "Master Essani knows, as do your mates... they'll all be there for you, when you get back." She pulled out the small case with his lightsabers and the stolen equipment, opening it for him. "The people who captured you wanted to break you, and destroy what you had back home. They've failed at the second part, and I suspect you're up to proving they failed at the first too."

"I am, Master." He smiled slightly and accepted the case, quickly putting on his Glovatrix, lightsabers and other unduplicated equipment in place with an almost visible shift in his body language for the calmer and more certain. These items resonated so strongly of his Force-energy that they actually helped center him well beyond their value as weapons. "I don't break that easily. Now I am wiser for their failure." He kept his voice even with the controlled fire and determination that was his hallmark on a hunt was easy for her to feel, as was that he would need time and a good mind-healer when he got back and finally faced what had been done to him. "Thank you for bringing my things."

"You're welcome, Padawan. I'll return to Coruscant and let your Master and mates know you're free. Force be with you."

"Force be with you, Master." Jay bowed and watched as she left. He closed his eyes for a moment, focusing himself on his mission and pushed everything else out of his mind.

He opened his eyes and walked to the Sharufa. It was time to go to work.

* * *

* * *

* * *

"Jedi Clawson?" One of the local cops, a well-built Alsatian, walked up to the meditating kat quickly. He wasn't particularly crazy about interrupting him, but the news he'd been given was important enough to warrant it.

Besides; other interruptions hadn't really bothered him too much, nobody thought.

"Yes?" Jay opened his eyes slowly as he came out of the restful meditation he used to monitor the area for trouble.

"I've been informed we have another prisoner," the Alsatian explained, his surface thoughts providing that it was much more than just that.

"Their leader." Jay rose to his feet easily. "Excellent."

"Yes, Jedi," the Officer nodded. "Sergeant Gavin said that they've gotten all they can from her already, they would appreciate your assistance."

"Very well," Jay nodded and followed Durak to the speeder he knew would be waiting to take him to headquarters.

The trip gave them both a few moments to think about things. The last week had been eventful, but in all the right ways. They'd been able to catch up with the terrorists and start bringing them in; Jay had found the bombs in a matter of hours once he knew where to look.

All in all, he expected to be going home soon, and reporting a successful mission. Small consolation for what had happened, but it was something. He could barely stand to wait to be back with Shi and Fenrik. It ached to be away from them no matter what. Hurting as much as he did, it was an agony he didn't want to get used to.

It had also given Jay a working education on the difference between information the security forces could use, and what they could use in court. The first was much easier to get.

Unfortunately, at times like this, it was also somewhat less useful.

The speeder stopped at headquarters, and Jay climbed out wordlessly, making his way to the interrogation room where he knew they'd have the Dalmatian behind this. He just hoped Gavin would still be there; he wasn't sure being alone with her right now would be the best idea.

She may not have been the one who had raped him, but she'd _paid_ to have it done. It was just the kind of fuel the Demon could really use against his self-control. He wasn't even sure he wanted to stop it either.

He jammed the thoughts back down, right along with the soothing, pitying voice that was offering to help make the bitch go away - permanently.

He reached the room and took a calming breath before asking the door to open. It slid aside obediently, letting him into the room with the Dalmatian and her frustrated interrogator, Sergeant Gavin.

"I understand you want information she's not willing to provide." Jay glared unemotionally at the person responsible for why he hadn't dared sleep in over a week.

"Mostly about whether or not they have any more plans, and where her superiors are," Gavin confirmed. "She seems to have dropped into a loop, if you know what I mean."

"You do understand that this may not be admissible in court, depending on how much Force I have to put into getting her to talk." Jay wanted to make sure they weren't looking for confession-grade Intel.

"Just like with the last few," Gavin nodded. "We need to get any more of her people we can, and make sure they don't have any more of those devices hidden somewhere."

"All right," Jay turned his attention to the woman that had made a simple mission a living hell and silently double-checked that this was being recorded. "Desa." He caught her attention with both his voice and a hand around her lower jaw. "Tell me the truth." Pure power echoed in his voice and through his body. "Who are your superiors?"

"What superiors?" She shot back. "I'm in charge."

"Not of the entire Dianogas." Jay replied evenly. "Who is above you in the Dianogas?"

"Blackstripe," the Dalmatian said, catching herself and setting her jaw even as her mind provided a face to go with the name. "Not that it'll do you any good, Jedi."

"Who else?" Jay demanded, pushing against her stubbornness with his own power and slipped for a moment.

"* _Let me have her._ *" The Demon crooned loud enough for Desa to hear it. "* _We will avenge the wrongs. Sooth the pain._ *"

"* _I could, you know, give you over to the Dark in me._ *" Jay breathed against her mind with only a taste of what he was capable of in imagery for her to ponder. "* _Who would challenge a Jedi taking a prisoner somewhere?_ *"

"You're Jedi," she pointed out, though the uncertainty she felt about what he might do was almost palpable... as was her fear of it. Palpable, and very appealing to part of him.

Sergeant Gavin's confusion was just as clear about her answer to his verbal question.

"Who else is in the Dianogas?" Jay demanded again. "* _Or you will find out just what you had done to me._ *"

"I don't know anybody outside Alderaan!" The Dalmatian bitch snarled at him. "Blackstripe's all the farther I go, after what you did on Coruscant!"

"She's telling the truth." Jay said evenly to the Sergeant, not giving any clue about what he'd told her silently. "Do you have enough to convict her?"

"For being connected to the bombings, we had that before," Gavin nodded.

"Good," he nodded. "I have a few questions for her then, in private."

"How private?" Gavin asked, glancing up at the camera still recording everything.

"It won't record it." Jay told him simply.

"You're just asking questions, right?" Even just knowing she'd captured him, he was worried. Jay was pretty sure that if he knew the real reason, he wouldn't be having this conversation.

"Just questions." He said easily. "I _am_ a Jedi, Sergeant."

It was such an effective reassurance... he just hoped it would hold true when he left. The Demon was _definitely_ active tonight.

"All right," Gavin nodded, leaving the room. "I'll be waiting outside for when you're done with her." The Dalmatian looked at him, but the Dobie ignored her worried look as he left did so.

"You're going to tell me a who, a how and a why." Jay leaned close and spoke softly, his voice seductively dangerous but without any Force behind it. "How you answer will determine just how bad the nightmares are. Understand?"

"What are you talking about?" She asked him. "I told you everything about the bombings already."

"This isn't about the bombings. This is what you ordered done to me." He told her with an amazing level of control. "I know that Stacey Young is an alias. I know you hired hir to drug and rape me before shi handed me over. I want everything you have on hir, hir other IDs, how to find hir."

"Look, shi's been off planet ever since you got out!" Desa protested. "All I know is shi'll be using Spots as hir contact ID, probably find some cantina to slink in 'til shi can blackmail some rich guy."

"Now why." He demanded without raising his voice.

"That was for Coruscant. Blackstripe's call," the Dalmatian added quickly. "And it was the only way to get you out of ours."

She could tell her answer irritated him. A lot.

The next few breaths were an exercise in controlled fear until he stood and turned to leave without another word.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Shivasta tried to keep her nerves under control as she waited with Fenrik and Essani, but all of them could practically feel the buzz coming from her as Sharufa set down. Fenrik had explained what had happened, and Jay had insisted he was fine in the messages that followed after he was free ... but they all knew he wasn't. Right now, Shivasta just wanted to see him again, make sure he was okay.

And to neuter a certain Cheetah, but that was one desire she kept under control fairly well.

Master Essani flashed grey for a moment when she saw Jay's Force aura as he walked down the ramp to greet them, but she quickly got it under control before he saw it. There was no need to make things more difficult by giving him something else to worry about.

The tension, and now close Jay was to cracking right there on the landing pad as soon as he saw them, was too clear to them all.

"* _I'm taking him somewhere private._ *" Shivasta told Essani silently, but firmly, moving to help her mate back towards their quarters, grateful for the lack of protest from both sides. She was certain he hadn't gotten any sleep since his escape; it was just how he was when dealing with a mission, let alone anything more.

Jay kept his stance straight and face still despite how much he mentally leaned on his mates to make the short walk to their quarters. It may not have fooled anyone in the Temple, but he maintained the _look_ of a Jedi even when he was almost completely crumpled inside.

Both his mates made it clear across their bond that they were there for him, fighting the urge to physically support him as they got him back to their quarters. The Kat had his pride and right now that was all that was holding him together. The fact that Fenrik had to pause to close and lock the door spoke volumes for how upset Jay was; he hadn't thought to lock it automatically.

The almost inaudible click acted like a signal and Jay sank against Fenrik's broad chest as he began to tremble, his nose buried in his fur to close the world to the scent and touch of one of the very few people he trusted with his weakness.

The Panther wrapped his arms around him gently, holding him there as he started to break down. Shivasta moved to hold him from behind, the two of them just letting him feel them close. The tears never came, but they both felt, intimately, what had happened to him that night as he wrapped the events up in their presence and stored them away where they couldn't hurt him anymore.

The two of them worked him into bed, pulling the covers up and snuggling close.

"Go to sleep Jay," Shi murmured softly, kissing his forehead. "It's safe here."

"* _We'll protect you._ *" Fenrik added softly and silently. "* _Sleep._ *" He added with just enough of a suggestion behind it to overcome the lingering resistance that had nothing to do with Jay's need to rest or his trust of the safety he had in his mates arms.

"* _We'll have to keep him like this for a while,_ *" Shi told Fenrik mentally, keeping quiet enough to keep from waking Jay up again. "* _Might be best to take shifts, make sure he stays out until he's doing better._ *"

"* _And to help with the nightmares._ *" He nodded seriously. "* _The Demon is bad enough. This ... this is just evil._ *"

"* _He'll make it through,_ *" Shivasta reassured Fenrik, caressing Jay's cheek lightly. "* _I'll make sure of it. And I'll handle the nightmares, as much as I can. I've got the training for it._ *"

"* _I'll help with what I can._ *" Fenrik murmured and nuzzled Jay softly. "* _Both of you._ *"

"* _Why don't you get some rest first then,_ *" Shi told him softly. "* _I'll keep an eye on how things are going in his head at first._ *"

"* _All right,_ *" he nodded and let his eyes close. Rest would be a rare commodity for a while.

* * *

Shivasta felt Jay's mind start to stir just a few moments before he started to tremble and whimper softly, the nightmares starting late the next morning. Fenrik was making breakfast to bring in for them, and Jay was already late for his debriefing with the Council. Fortunately, they'd taken her at her word when she said he would have to reschedule. She had little doubt that what Master Essani had seen when Jay had stepped down the ramp had helped.

The walk to their quarters had honestly made Shi dread if he was ever seriously injured physically. Even here at the Temple where everyone saw past the physical, he had the pride to walk when he had no need to. It was a valuable skill out where appearances mattered, but here he really should know it didn't matter.

She reached into his mind gently, not entirely sure what she would find there, but knowing that it would be painful for him. She couldn't help the audible gasp when she touched a first hand, vividly true to life replay of her mate trying to push the Cheetah herm away as shi kissed him and he kissed hir back. The terror of not being able to escape, to access his abilities, to even stop himself from pushing hir to the floor and fucking her as actively as if he had wanted to.

Shivasta tried to touch Jay's mind with her own, letting him know that she was there, providing a safe place to retreat to and found the offer taken up almost instantly. The memory-nightmare kept playing, encouraged and supplemented by the Demon, but Jay's conscious mind was curled up like a frightened baby kitten against his mother's belly in the protective bubble Shi made for him.

At the same time, she started working to dim the memory, to push it away from his active memory and into the past where it belonged. There but no longer a torture. The first few moments gave her an understanding just how long a process this would be. Not only was it something that had made a major impact on him, but the Demon was using it to break him, enrage him, turn him to the Dark Side.

She wasn't going to let that happen.

"* _Back off,_ *" she told the Demon through Jay's mind, holding her mate close protectively as she worked harder, the Demon working against her to bolster parts of the memory she had just helped dim. She was tempted to just try re-writing the memory; it wasn't something she'd been trained in very much, but she was capable of making a small enough change it might help.

She forced the thought out of the way before she had even seriously considered it, hoping that Jay wouldn't pick up on it. She kissed his forehead tenderly, both in his mindscape and in reality, trying to sooth his pain as much as she could.

"* _Focus on the healing, I've got this guy._ *" Fenrik's mind slipped into the field and focused his considerable stubbornness and fire on giving the Demon something other than Shi's work to worry about.

Allowed to focus, the young Healer did all she could. She was sure the work wouldn't hold for long; mind-healing wasn't her best field. But she was competent enough to help Jay deal with it for now while he got the rest, TLC and likely meals he desperately needed.

She was more grateful now than ever before than she and Fenrik had special rights even from Jay's unconscious mind. He trusted them to the point he didn't resist whatever they did, even when it was fighting his battles in his own mind.

It was far too long, almost two full viewings of that hours-long event, before Shi felt the Demon retreat fully for the time being, it's energy expended.

"* _How's he doing?_ *" Fenrik asked quietly as he came back, tired from the battle himself.

"* _If I weren't more worried about the memories, I'd be worried that he's letting us in so much,_ *" she said, pulling back from Jay's mind to nuzzle the powerfully built tom in the waking world. "As it is," she said softly, "about as well as can be expected."

"* _Good,_ *" Fenrik murmured and kissed his way down Jay's neck, responding without thinking to the heavy arousal in his nose. "* _Breakfast is ready whenever we are._ *"

"* _Once Jay's awake,_ *" Shi nodded slightly, kissing Jay gently, squeezing Fenrik's hand gratefully. "* _Thank you for the backup._ *"

"* _He's my mate too._ *" He smiled over their semi-conscious bedmate. "* _Anything I can do, I will._ *"

"Mmm, smells good." Jay mumbled, still mostly asleep as he snuggled close to the pair.

"Think you're up for breakfast?" Shivasta asked him with a soft smile. "Or want me to go get it?"

"Yes, I'm up for breakfast." He murmured and nuzzled her. "And a change of clothes."

"We didn't think you really needed to undress last night," Shivasta chuckled, nuzzling him as Fenrik climbed out of bed. "Want some privacy?"

Jay paused, and then nodded a little shyly. "Yeah, I think so." He admitted quietly.

"We'll be getting breakfast around," she said reassuringly, brushing her lips against his. "Don't take too long." She smiled, climbing out of bed and going to follow Fenrik out of the room.

* * *

Essani shook her light grey fur out as she walked into Master Ursal's quarters for the small meeting she was about to have. The Bear had already set out seats for her guests, and Essani took hers silently. Shan and Kareth were already there, waiting for her to finish talking to her Padawan.

"How's the kit doing?" Ursal asked her.

"* _As well as can be expected,_ *" Essani said.

"Should we have him under suicide watch?" Master Shan asked seriously.

"* _No,_ *" the kushiban said, shaking her head. "* _Thankfully not. He is disturbed, upset, and it will be some time before he can find his center outside of a mission, but he is not that far gone._ *" She felt everyone in the room relax significantly at that. It was always the top concern. After all, as long as a Jedi was alive, there was hope for healing.

"Would you advise keeping him busy with missions?" He regarded his successor, still judging her suitability for the position.

"* _I would not,_ *" Essani said, shaking her head. "* _It would keep him centered, but it would be like sedating him. He wouldn't be disturbed at the time, but he would never deal with the underlying issues either. He will heal, given time, but I would not suggest solo-missions for him until then._ *"

"It shouldn't be a problem." Kareth nodded. "He was listed long ago as not to be sent solo unless there is no choice. Master Artisan Shen'ri has indicated interest in taking Jay and Shivasta on as apprentices once he is Knighted. If he agrees, it would keep him around the temple most of the time anyway."

"I imagine he'll welcome the chance, distraction value aside," Master Ursal nodded. "At least if he's still as craft-oriented as he was before.

"* _If not moreso,_ *" Essani chuckled mentally. "* _On a more serious level, he will be quite some time before he is truly recovered, if ever. The Cheetah did quite a bit of damage to his self-confidence, and not in the way some would argue he could do with._ *"

"Which brings up the next serious question." Shan spoke quietly. "From all indications, he has passed his Solo, and done well twice. But with this, is he still ready to be a Knight?"

"* _Normally, I would not recommend it,_ *" Essani admitted. "* _He is not going to be of a condition where I would recommend that he take on missions or a Padawan for some time. However, I believe he has already discussed his reluctance to take on a Padawan at all with you, Master Shan?_ *"

"Yes," the old Doberman nodded. "While that may change in time, he was quite sincere in his desire not to take a Padawan."

"He would not be the first Jedi to be put on limited duty for medical reasons." Ursal pointed out. "He did succeed at his mission, when by all rights he should have failed. Most Knights would have handed the mission over to Master Jolani when she was there and come home. He did not, even though he did not know this was his Solo mission. If this had happened after he was Knighted, there would be no debate. He would be put on restricted duty status until his healer said otherwise. I see no reason to deny him what he has earned, and many reasons for his mental health to give him in title what he has proven he capable of being."

"* _Further, assuming he accepts the offer to begin training to be an Artisan, we will not have to publicize the light duty,_ *" Master Essani pointed out. "* _This will be a crucial factor for him; I don't think anybody who saw him yesterday believed for an instant that there wasn't something wrong, but he carried himself perfectly, as though he was going to see the Chancellor despite being wounded. If we tell him that he isn't going to be given his rank because of this, I imagine he will challenge it. Rightfully, in my mind._ *"

Shan nodded thoughtfully. "I will take both your assessments of his personality and not consider this in delaying his Knighting. The actual determination will be made tomorrow when he reports to the entire Council, however."

"* _Of course, Master Shan,_ *" Essani agreed, inclining her head to the aged Doberman. "* _However, I believe the three of us,_ *" she indicated Masters Shan and Kareth with one of her forepaws, "* _may have to consider arguing this point with the rest of the Council, given they are not privy to his conversation. Master Noloth in particular is one I expect will protest his promotion._ *"

"As he has protested all of them." Shan chuckled softly. "It is his purpose, I believe, to make sure the rest of us have a good reason for our choices."

"* _A valuable skill, at all times,_ *" Essani pointed out, her fur shifting to a lighter color. "* _We need somebody to keep us honest sometimes, even if he doesn't particularly like it when somebody returns the favor._ *"

"Of course not." Ursal chuckled deeply.

"Have you had the opportunity to assess Jay yourself, Master Ursal?" Shan asked the Bear.

"Not yet," she said easily. "Shivasta is technically the healer in charge of Jay's recovery; my involvement is mostly as a secondary opinion and a more advanced mind-healer, if they deem it necessary."

"Very well." Shan nodded. "Is there anything else to discuss?"

"Master Ursal, I would recommend that you speak with Clawson yourself before he reports to the Council." Kareth nodded towards her. "Your assessment will carry more weight with certain Council members than a new Knight who is also his mate."

"I had been planning on speaking with both of them later this afternoon," the Bear nodded. "If for no other reason than to make sure Shivasta's work is holding. From what I understand, this morning was... difficult. Not dangerous, but it taxed her skills."

"* _I am not surprised._ *" Essani admitted. "* _I am sure the Demon is making full use of this event to its advantage. It goes without saying that we'll be monitoring that closely._ *"

"A wise precaution," Master Ursal agreed. "I will probably speak with him once he's been up for a few hours longer."

"Excellent." Shan nodded. "If there is nothing else, we all have duties to see to."

The other Masters nodded, standing and starting out of the Bear's room for the Council chamber.

It was going to be a long day.

* * *

Master Ursal paused outside Jay's workshop a few hours later, keying up the intercom.

"Jay, are you busy?" She asked the tom inside.

"Nothing too important." He called back as the door slid open for her. "Just building a backup lightsaber."

"Always a wise precaution," the Bear agreed, stepping into the workshop and letting the door slide shut behind her. "How are you holding up?"

"It depends on the moment," he admitted quietly as he put his tools down, though he couldn't quite look at her face. "Some I almost feel normal, some ... I'm back there until I remember I'm not. Shi and Fenrik really helped this morning."

"They care for you, greatly," Master Ursal nodded. The Bear shifted to meet his eyes, not a particularly easy thing for her to do with her larger frame and the reflexive resistance he didn't even think to do. When he realized she was trying, he gritted his teeth and looked up, though he couldn't maintain contact for more than a few seconds at a time. "How long has it been since you wouldn't meet a Master's eyes?"

"Since it happened." He said softly in one of the brief moments his eyes met hers.

It was just long enough for Ursal to realize just how unguarded he was inside when you knew how to look. It reminded her too much of an old saying no one remembered the origins of anymore.

'The eyes are the windows to the soul.'

Most people were unaware of how much their eyes showed of themselves.

Jay was keenly aware of how much of himself was visible, how little control he had over it right now, and the weakness on display for anyone who cared to see it. It was reliving the helplessness and violation all over again, every time someone who could see did.

He probably hadn't met _anyone_ in the eyes since then.

"You don't have to be ashamed, Jay," she told him softly, even knowing that he would probably disagree strongly.

"It's ... not really that, Master." He managed to meet her eyes briefly again. "Showing weakness is dangerous. I can't hide it yet."

"What makes you think you were weak?" Master Ursal asked him seriously. "Padawan, if a Master had gone through that we would have expected them to turn the mission over to Master Jolani when she arrived. You not only freed yourself, but went on to complete your mission and saved hundreds, even thousands of lives, despite the very fresh pain."

Jay opened his mouth, then closed it as he tried to come up with words to explain himself.

"It is not what happened that it the weakness, Master." He struggled with it, knowing he wasn't doing a great job of expressing himself and the fine line between when she thought was wrong and what he was trying to hide. "Being defeated isn't a weakness. Showing how badly it's bothering you is. Showing anyone who cares to look how to defeat you is dangerous for a warrior."

"Even here, with people you know you can trust?"

"Here ... it's embarrassing." He sighed softly. "Here _everyone_ knows how to see, and everyone ... everyone can see how far I have to go to not show my feelings the way a Jedi should."

She considered pointing out that anybody here could already tell that something was wrong, but dismissed it. She was fairly sure that doing so would probably be worse for him than just continuing like this. He was no doubt aware of the contradiction, and protecting himself until he had things better under control.

"There is no need to feel shame, Jay," she reassured him. "I know it will take you time, but know that anybody you want to talk to about this will talk without judging you for it."

He could only nod to this. He trusted her on the level of few others in his life, but it was not an easy idea for him to truly accept at the moment, even though he knew, deep down, that it was likely true.

"I'll leave you to your work," the Bear said, standing to leave. "Make sure Shivasta knows that she can ask for help if you or either of your mates need it?"

"I will, Master Ursal." He nodded seriously and watched her leave before turning to his work again.

* * *

Shi paused before she opened the door to her quarters. Jay was inside, alone. He was fairly calm, but keyed up all at the same time. At least it didn't seem to be a bad sort of keyed up. She stepped inside and glanced around, spotting him relaxing on the couch with a datapad in hand.

"Hi, love." He smiled warmly. He still wasn't quite up to meeting her eyes, but he was looking at her face.

"Hi," she smiled back, just as warmly as he easily rolled to his feet and walked over to her with familiar body language; sexual interest. "How're you doing?"

"Better," he murmured and brushed a hand across her cheek gently as he met her eyes briefly. He was scared, not so deep down, but he was also honestly interested in the intimacy they hadn't shared since he'd left on his second Solo mission. Intimacy that had all but defined the last ten years of their lives together.

"Good," she smiled, returning the gentle caress. "* _Only as fast as you want to go,_ *" she promised him softly, mentally. "I've been worried for you."

He nodded slightly and leaned down to kiss her, hesitantly at first, testing his own reactions to the contact, before he brushed her lips with his tongue and ran his hands down her sides.

She parted her lips invitingly, shivering at the contact. She could feel how difficult this was for him and yet, at the same time, how determined he was that it work out and not give them the victory of destroying what he loved so much.

"I love you, Jay," she murmured softly, reassuring him as she started to run her own hands along his well-muscled body. She felt how readily his body responded, the pleasure it gave his mind to realize they hadn't lost that much.

"I love you," he murmured. "* _Trust you._ *" He added with a soft tremble of excitement in memory of ten years of pleasure. He couldn't forget the helplessness of the last time anyone had touched him like this, but his nose, his mind, every touch and breath reinforced that _this_ was the person he trusted even more than himself and had never done him wrong. "I won't let them take this away from us."

"None of us will," she promised him. "You'll beat this... beat them," she reassured him. "And thank you," she added softly, knowing how difficult it was for him to trust even normally. She kissed him tenderly and felt a bit of the arousal's heat that was usually much more forthcoming against her body before he swung her up in his arms and kissed her almost playfully on the short walk to their bedroom.

"Y'know, I _can_ walk," she pointed out with a giggle, glad to see that he was managing to act a bit more like his old self again, even if it was only for brief moments.

"Yes, but that's not nearly as fun." He managed a real smile as he laid her on the large bed and leaned over her for a kiss that worked it's way down her neck as he lightly fondled her breasts threw her robes in a sharp reminder of their first night out on the balcony.

The difference was, this time, she wasn't going to push him away.

She returned the kiss, her hunger and affection for the powerful tom above her obvious. She caressed his sides and back, finding the points along his body he enjoyed her touching the most and felt the rush of arousal it brought even as he slid a hand inside her robes to cup one breast, teasing the nipple with gentle fingers.

It was a strange combination to feel. He knew what he was doing, he knew her body almost as well as she did, but at the same time every touch was as hesitant as when they'd first shared her bed over a decade ago. Even that memory, how high he'd taken her that night in their mutual learning, brought a shiver to her body and deepened the arousal he could smell.

She whimpered softly when he nosed her robes out of the way to lick and suckle at her other breast.

"Oh Jay," she moaned softly, scritching the back of his head with one hand, pressing up into his mouth. She reached out mentally, brushing his mind with images of the two of them, sometimes with Fenrik, sometimes not, sometimes together like this, other times just together, from when they were both younger. All in all, it was a rundown of some of her favorite memories of him, of just how much she cared for him and thought he was _worth_ caring for.

"* _Love you._ *" He shivered and let her feelings wash into his mind and swirl around the pain and fear threatening every moment. It wasn't a permanent fix, but for the moment it freed him to move more easily and gently removed both their robes.

Shi kissed him tenderly, wrapping her arms around him and holding him close once their robes had been removed. His fur was hot against her, his skin even hotter where it touched hers.

"I'm yours," she promised him even as he slowly rubbed his body along hers in a familiar prelude that excited them both. "Always will be. Nobody can do anything to change that."

"Won't let them," he agreed with a breath that ghosted over her chest before he slowly kissed his way down her body. No matter how aroused they were, today would be everything different from when the Cheetah had him. Slow and tender instead of hard and fast. Words of affection and encouragement rather than coercion and denial. Willing and in control instead of drugged.

Shi caressed his ears, moaning softly as he worked down her body. It had been a long time since they'd made love like this, but it was no less enjoyable for the wait. In the very background, she slowly realized that it was something that Jay missed badly and had for some time. No matter how eager he was for the games and fire that their sex life had been for years, he _missed_ this, the tender slowness that had been their early encounters.

Shi made a silent promise to herself not to let it take this long, or such a drastic reason, again. She was finding that she'd missed it too, now that she was living through it again. It was a change of pace that was familiar and different all at once.

She cried out without reservation when his relatively cool nose edged over the neatly trimmed hair above her sex and down into the swollen lips and wet slit there.

Her breath caught as he buried his short muzzle in the thick, musky scent of her arousal. She moaned unashamedly, pressing her sex up into the contact as he licked and ate her out just as eagerly. As much as she thought about suggesting her turn around for a 69, she couldn't miss that this, and just this, was what he wanted right now. Any less control was a little too much to give up yet.

It wasn't something she could exactly complain about either as her body began to twitch and tighten at his attention.

"* _You're in heat, love._ *" Jay's mind shivered in excitement even as he shifted to lay above her again and pressed into her quivering sex in a single smooth motion before he froze, locking in his mind the differences between her body and the one before.

"It's okay," she murmured, focusing through the pleasure of feeling him inside her. "Shi's not here, it's us. We _both_ want this," she reassured him, kissing him gently as he slowly relaxed and began to thrust.

Even now, with the pleasure intense for them both, he kept it slow, gentle, as much for the pleasure as to reassure himself that he could.

Jay's breath still quickened when her body tightened around his, the pleasure of being inside her and her experienced hands on his body and the exquisite familiarity of the taste of her skin as he kissed and licked her neck and shoulder.

She moaned, arching her neck to expose her throat to him. Her body tightened around his instinctively, milking his barbed length as she worked her hands along his back, every once in a while pausing almost on instinct to pay particularly close attention to a tense muscle. She couldn't help but to squeeze in time with his thrusts when she reached his ass. She was so close it was drawing whimpers of pleasure and need with ever motion.

"* _Don't hold back._ *" Jay whispered to her mind with a soft kiss.

It was all the encouragement she needed; Shivasta cried out in pleasure as her body spasmed around Jay's shaft, milking it hungrily. She held him close, practically screaming for her mate to come with her. 

A low whimper of surprise and pleasure escaped his throat before he let go himself and relaxed enough to give his mate what she wanted with a roar of pleasure that held nothing of the pain she'd heard on the vid.

The two of them lay against each other for a few long, pleasant moments before Shi kissed Jay with a languid, happy smile.

"Good?" She asked him.

"Yes," he murmured and snuggled a little closer, his body more than ready for more, though he wasn't so interested in it.

"Good," Shi smiled, cuddling up close and deciding without regret to follow his interest. "Gonna have to do this again some time. And not wait almost ten years for it," she giggled, kissing his nose playfully.

"This may be all I'm really up for for a while." Jay murmured and pulled her close. "Some of the games we play ..." he shuddered. "I don't think I could handle anymore."

"I understand," she nodded. "Fenrik will too. After what happened, this much is surprising."

"I'm stubborn." Jay quirked a grin at her, then turned serious and buried his nose in her hair. "* _I'm not going to loose what we have to some psycho._ *"

"Shh," she murmured, rubbing his back gently. "We won't let that happen. How about a little nap like this?"

"* _I'd like that,_ *" he murmured and pulled a blanket over them with a bit of Force.

* * *

Jay closed his eyes during the short trip on the lift to the council chamber. He wasn't looking forward to this, for all the mission had been a simple one, except for the little bit where he'd been raped and the vid had been sent not only to his mates, but to the Council itself. A vid and package that made it look bad enough for them to send a Master out to finish his mission.

No matter how well the results looked, it was painful to remember what had happened behind the scenes. The parts that the locals didn't know, but these twelve Masters and two Healers did.

Frankly, he would have preferred if nobody knew, and he'd had to finish the mission without any assistance at all. He knew he could have, and that he hadn't had the chance....

Still, they hadn't given him very much help - just returned his lightsabers and Glovatrix. And, at heart, he knew they had to once they knew about it. And he'd already taken his solo without any serious hitches.

He opened his eyes, as centered and in control emotionally as he had been in over a week and as physically in control as he always was before them. Without a sound or hint he was still torn apart inside he walked to the center of the circle and knelt before them, facing Masters Shan and Essani, only peripherally aware that Ursal and Shi were both in the room as well.

He could feel the tremors in the Force caused by the reactions of the Council to something. He tried not to think about the fact that it was probably because of what they saw in him right now; he didn't need to worry about that right now. It did not matter to what he was here to tell them.

"Report, Padawan," Master Shan told him.

"When I arrived on Alderaan I examined the remains of the explosive devices. Despite my Gift, they were unwilling to divulge any information about who put them together. A sensitive with a talent for equipment, much like me, was behind them and instilled enough loyalty that they would not tell me. It was learned after he was captured that his talent was very limited. He was not even aware he was sensitive, and he barely registered as such.

"I then examined the locations that had been hit. While the buildings were quite willing to give information, the area where the bombs were located had been vaporized in the blasts. There was no useful information gained. I realized at that point that my Gift would be of little use in the mission, and turned by attention to more traditional investigative methods.

"I began by downloading all the information to the Sharufa, so I could work with it in the holo environment I think best in for puzzles. The pattern did appear random; two very different sets of bombings occurring at the same time. One targeting government, one targeting people. Other than the timing, they had little else in common. Yet every time I began to work them as two separate cases, I knew that was wrong, no matter what the evidence said.

"So I worked on the angle of what could be the reason behind targeting the two kinds of locations. There were few that presented themselves, and all revolved around disrupting the government and social stability.

"When I broke for dinner, I was drugged and captured. This is when the package you received was put together. They kept me sedated until I fooled my guards into not giving me another dose in time. Once I could think, I use a suggestion to put them to sleep and called Sharufa to pick me up.

"In interrogating them, I learned the names and faces of several others in the organization. I passed this information on to the local authorizes. I also learned what the next target was from them and disarmed the bombs there while the authorities picked up the conspirators. I interrogated those too stubborn to speak otherwise. Within a week we had captured most of those involved and their leader, Desa.

"I also confirmed that this is part was of the Dianogas. The leader above Desa is Blackstripe." He finished with a holo-image of what he'd taken from Desa's mind.

"Were you able to determine why they wanted to destabilize the government of Alderaan?" Master Shan asked him.

"The same reason as the attack here, Master. They wish to destroy the Republic to rebuild it in their own image."

"What package are you referring to?" Master Noloth asked him, not so much pointedly as distinctly unsure what he was referring to, a sentiment he felt most of the Council reflected after a moment to check.

"The one containing my clothes, lightsabers and a vid of my capture." Jay glanced around those in front of him, a bit confused by what he was picking up from most of them. "The reason Master Jolani was sent to complete my mission before I escaped."

"We were unaware of this," the Lizard said simply, glancing at Essani.

"* _Not all of us,_ *" the kushiban told him privately. "* _The decision was made by Masters Shan and Kareth as well. We had our reasons._ *"

"* _Having something to do with why his mate and her old Master are here, I presume?_ *"

"* _You can already see the results, Master Noloth. I'm sure we can all fill in the relevant blanks without making him tell us what happened in detail._ *"

"The decision to send Master Jolani was made without some members of the Council present, Padawan," Master Shan explained simply. "They were filled in on events afterwards. Were you able to find any information on where to find this Blackstripe?"

"Very little, Master Shan. What she did know was clearly quite dated. Her last known location was Coruscant, before the Kallarak Amphitheater bombing."

"Definitely dated," Master Surool agreed. "Were you able to put any thought into the question we had for you before this mission?"

"Yes, Master Surool." Jay nodded slightly. "I believe it was an instinctive, unconscious level reaction to falling unconscious in a dangerous situation, while my body was capable of moving. I remember _very_ little of that time, but what I do remember is very base, animal-level thought. Defend myself, defend what is mine."

"Do you believe this is likely to happen again?" The pink-skinned twi'lek asked.

"If the conditions are met again, I would expect so, Master Surool." He nodded slightly.

"How are you feeling, Padawan?" Master Dyba asked, turning her head slightly, the sudden movement unnerving on an instinctive level and had a noticeable effect on Jay for everyone present, though he didn't so much as twitch.

"Badly off center, Master." He admitted quietly. He really didn't know a better way to put it. He could function, but he'd be damned if he could _settle_ himself. Even in here the Temple he was on edge, expecting another assault, for the weakness he felt to be taken advantage of, even though he knew it wasn't going to happen.

"This began after your capture, or after your mission?" The Togruta asked him, despite a mental warning not to push too hard from Essani.

"After my capture, Master Dyba." He answered honestly.

"Why? You may answer generally," she clarified.

It took him a while to figure out how to answer. It wasn't something he'd really spent much time on. He'd been raped. He couldn't stop himself from participating in it. That was what disturbed him. He wasn't sure, though, if that was what she wanted to know, or if he could generalize it much more and still get the point across.

Eventually, he settled on the blunt, painful truth. It was the truth.

"Because of how I was captured," he spoke softly, his body showing no signs of the turmoil that everyone present could see easily in the Force. "I was not simply drugged unconscious, Master. They used a form of processed Ryl, shi wore me out, then drugged me unconscious."

Master Dyba and a couple others glanced towards the graying Panther when Master Charn drew an almost inaudible breath in shock and comprehension of just what the young feline was saying.

"* _Ryl is a potent aphrodisiac for felines._ *" He explained quietly to those that did not quite follow. "* _Properly refined, it can not be detected when mixed into food or drink until it has had effect. It leaves one fully conscious, and unable to resist participating in a sexual advance. Even when all are willing, it can be a very distressing experience._ *"

"Padawan Clawson, why did you refuse the assistance of Master Jolani when she arrived?" Master Jamni asked evenly.

He looked over at the Wolf, one of the new members of the Council along with her Togruta mate that had taken the elder Wolf pair's place.

"I did not, Master Jamni. Sergeant Gavin asked if I needed assistance until the Count's speech. I did not know there was another Jedi involved yet. I told him that anyone who helps me hunt the bombs should understand that it was voluntary and dangerous. When Master Jolani spoke later, she said she would leave the rest of the mission to me now that I was free."

"Is there anything else you have to report?" Master Surool asked Jay, not betraying his internal reaction to having his suspicions confirmed.

"No, Master." He answered without resisting the effect of being before the Council.

"I do have one more question," Master Noloth said evenly. "According to the report from the Alderaanian officials, you spoke with the leader of the Dianoga cell privately, and the security camera 'malfunctioned' while you were doing so."

"I wanted what information she had on Stacey Young, the one who captured me for them. She knew nothing more than that shi had already fled the planet and had gone by the codename Spots."

"And all you did was talk? Think carefully; did you use the Force while you were interrogating her?"

Jay paused, going back over those moments carefully.

"I stayed inside her mind enough to know if she was telling me the truth." He answered simply and honestly. "The truth suggestions I had used earlier in the interrogation may have still been affecting her. I did nothing more."

"Did you threaten her?" The Lizard asked him pointedly.

"Yes," he didn't hesitate, though there was surprisingly little emotion to it. "I threatened to give her my memories of what she had ordered done to me and the nightmares it created."

"And did you?" Master Shan asked him.

"No, Master." Jay answered softly. No one could doubt how badly he'd wanted too, or that he had walked away with nothing more than words exchanged. "She did not order it, Blackstripe did."

"Would you do this to Blackstripe, if you had the opportunity?" Master Bas'rath asked evenly.

"I expect I would, Master." He glanced up at the Lioness, the fire of a warrior who was wounded but not broken in his eyes for a brief moment. A desire for vengeance tempered by a belief in justice that ran even deeper than his Jedi training.

"And what do you intend to do with this information?" Master Kareth asked.

The question clearly caught him off guard with something he hadn't thought about much.

"Nothing, Master Kareth. All I know is in my written report. What to do is now the province of the Council and who they chose to assign the hunt to, if anyone."

"Very well," Master Shan nodded. "Padawan Clawson, if you will wait outside the Council chamber until we call for you? We wish to discuss what we have learned."

"Yes, Master Shan." Jay nodded slightly and stood in one smooth motion, leaving them to discuss his behavior without him.

"He does remarkably well under duress." Master Bas'rath said quietly after the lift had begun to descend with Jay inside. "I do not know of many Masters who would have performed so well under the same conditions."

"Thankfully, we do not often have cause to find out," Master Noloth agreed, looking over at Shivasta and Master Ursal, both of whom had been silent throughout the debriefing. "I assume you two are here to enlighten us as to how he is doing?"

"We are, Master Noloth," Shivasta nodded.

"Please do so," Master Dyba said, leaning back to watch the blue-skinned Knight as she stood and approached the middle of the room.

"As we all could see, Padawan Clawson," Shivasta reminded herself not to call him 'Jay' here, "is in a great deal of emotional pain. He is handling it well, but it will be a great deal of time before he is truly centered again. The worst damage, the memories, is also the hardest to deal with. The Demon works to reinforce them as quickly as I can work to dim them. This will simply have to heal over time."

"What duties would you consider him still capable of?" Master Charn asked with a look that was only half with the present.

"For the time being, many of the same duties he has been involved with up until now," Shivasta said. "Teaching technical and combat skills, developing new technologies for the Order, the occasional accompanied mission. I would not recommend solo missions, but his focus and center while engaged in a task is as clear as it ever was. That's part of the problem, in a way."

"Explain," Master Surool told her.

"He could be occupied with accompanied missions for the rest of his life, and he would likely not display the pain and turmoil externally," Shivasta explained. "He would likely perform admirably. However, he would not heal."

"How much danger is there of this Demon turning him with this event?" Master T'qu'l looked at her, his bead-like black eyes in sharp contrast to the flowing silver of his feathers.

"If he were left alone, I would say higher than normal," Shivasta admitted. "However, he held up for a week without any support, while the pain was still very fresh. Given that he is not alone right now, and is under the care of healers, I would say it is unlikely."

"Should not a more experienced Healer be assigned to him, given how serious this is?" Master Krry'nnu regarded both Healers with sharp eyes, silently curious why the Knight and not the Master was speaking.

There was a brief moment of silence, when Shivasta fell back to her old habit of waiting to see if her Master would reply, but when such a reply wasn't forthcoming, she replied herself.

"Even without what has happened, Padawan Clawson has a great deal of difficulty trusting people," she explained. "Given this, the decision was made that I should be the Knight in charge of his case; as his mate, he trusts me, and is more likely to open up and accept assistance with me than with a healer he feels the need to be strong in front of. Master Ursal is monitoring the situation, and has offered her assistance if we decide that a more skilled mind-healer is needed."

"Mates often operate under special rules among social races like Padawan Clawson's." Master Jamni interrupted a half-thought out question from the Eagle. "As his mate, Knight Shivasta has access to his mind that would bypass most of his trained and instinctive defensives. She would also already be present in the evening and morning when troubles with nightmares are most likely. It is a wise choice."

"Thank you, Master Jamni," Shivasta said, inclining her head slightly.

"What is your impression of the situation, Master Ursal?" Master Noloth asked.

"He is badly shaken and his ability to trust has been seriously damaged by how completely he was taken by surprise by this attack." She began, carefully avoiding most details she knew. "He is, however, willing to speak the truth to me and Shivasta has had some success with healing the damage already. It bodes very well for his recovery. It will not be a short healing period, but I expect he has not suffered any irreparable damage. 

"I would add that he would do best being treated as little as if he is on light duty as possible. His behavior since the attack has made it clear to me that he takes a great deal from doing the best he can. While he should not be sent on missions of any length, giving him duties befitting his rank here at the Temple would be of assistance to his healing."

"Is there anything else the Council should be aware of, prior to making our conclusion on his performance?" Master Shan asked the two healers.

"No, Master." Shivasta shook her head fractionally even as Master Ursal agreed silently.

"Thank you, Healers," the Doberman nodded. "You may wait, if you wish."

The two Healers did just that, Shivasta moving to take her seat again as the Council settled in to debate what to do about this.

"Is there anybody here who feels that this development, and Padawan Clawson's performance on his latest mission, shows that he should not be promoted to the rank of Jedi Knight?" Master Shan asked, getting straight to the point.

It was a point that the majority of the Council did not seem to feel needed to be addressed, as the assorted nods from the twelve Masters indicated.

"I do feel that he should be put on light duty officially," Master Noloth pointed out. "However, I agree that he conducted himself well. And showed a remarkable level of restraint," the Lizard admitted.

"* _I will call him up then,_ *" Master Essani nodded, sending the mental signal to her soon-to-be-former Padawan. She wasn't sure what to make of the surprise she felt from him at being called back so soon, but he acknowledged the summons even as he walked to the lift.

When he stepped up to kneel before them, he showed no sign of what he might be thinking.

Master Shan paused for a moment before speaking. "Padawan Clawson, it is the opinion of this Council that you conducted yourself admirably on your prior two missions. In particular, on your latest mission you demonstrated the ability to respond to changing situations and succeed in your mission despite significant setbacks and injury.

"Considering this, the Council has decided to grant you the rank of Jedi Knight."

Jay felt a sharp spike of pride deep down where even the Council could have missed it if they hadn't been watching for how he reacted. His mate, standing only a few feet away, got a much clearer look at it. Not just pride at being acknowledged, but a calmness too, as a very real set of fears died for good. He was home, he was doing what he was meant to, and he would not face his great-grandfather's path of struggling with only a partner to lean on.

He flicked his gaze up, almost as if checking that Master Shan was serious, though all knew he did not question the statement.

"Thank you, Masters." He lowered his gaze again in respect for the rank they still had over him, regardless of the promotion.

"* _Hold your braid at length, Jay,_ *" Essani told him mentally, her fur a light golden color. "* _I suspect we'd both prefer my full attention was on not cutting too close._ *"

"Yes, Master." He couldn't help but smile slightly as he wrapped the long braid twice around his hand and held it out for her.

He heard the hum of her lightsaber, the bright yellow blade igniting for one of only a handful of times he'd seen it in the twelve years he'd been her Padawan. The blade and hilt moved towards him, moving around behind him and lining up so the blade would pass between his head and hand cleanly. A moment later, and the long, thin braid hung limply from his hand, Essani's lightsaber extinguished and back at her side.

"Rise, Knight Clawson," Master Shan said with a smile on his grizzled muzzle as the feline stood with as much grace and poise as he had as a senior Padawan. He rather liked the idea of his last act as head of the Council being a Knighting, particularly of somebody who'd had as unusual a career as a Padawan as Jay's. "We will call you when we have a mission." He dismissed the new Knight with the traditional words, though all knew it would be years before he saw missions like his male mate had seen in his first few months.

Jay nodded to him and bowed to the Council before turning to enter the lift, his Padawan braid still wrapped around his hand. Shi and Ursal joined him in the lift before the doors closed, leaving the Council to its business.

"I hope he recovers quickly," Master Shan said, straightening up in his seat. "I believe there are just two more orders of business left for the day?"

"* _Yes, ones you have delayed some years now on my account._ *" Master Essani chuckled softly.

"Hardly unwarranted delays," the Doberman smiled. "I've been on the Council for some time, but I'm hardly incapable of meeting the rigors of the office."

"* _Of course not,_ *" Essani agreed with a nod.

"I feel that forty years on the Council fulfills any reasonable expectations for a member of my species," he continued, standing up. "I nominate Master Essani as my replacement for head of the Council; I believe Master Ty'thri'ku'mo has already been selected to fulfill the vacancy. Are there any objections?" He asked, knowing it was mostly a formality. It would be the first time in several centuries that a Councilor's choice for replacement had met any serious opposition at this stage. It had been discussed unofficially for years now, before even Dyba and Jamni had joined the Council.

He looked around at the eleven others and received subtle shakes of heads and indications that all was acceptable.

"In which case, if Master Essani will take her seat, we'll try and figure out how to fit a hundred-foot dragon onto her old one," the Doberman chuckled, walking towards the center of the room as the kushiban's seat moved to the center and Ty'thri'ku'mo's great frame landed outside and one of the floor-to-ceiling windows opened for him to step inside. Without a word, the various Councilors shifted their chairs slightly closer together around the circle so he could settle along it with them.

"You will excuse me for not taking in a chair." Master Ty'thri'ku'mo deep voice rumbled with a touch of amusement, his black scales shimmering in the evening light with his flowing red mane that cascaded down his slender, serpentine neck and across his broad shoulders.

"Of course, honored Master," Shan said, inclining his head towards with a smile and all the respect deserved by the first Drakon Jedi in the Order.

"* _Then I believe we are done for the day._ *" Master Essani spoke in her first act as head of the Council.

Master Shan bowed to the Council, pausing a moment as the other Councilors rose, starting down from the Spire along with his mate.

* * *

* * *

* * *

"Do you have any idea what he's up to?" Fenrik asked as he fell into step with Shi on the way to their quarters, a place they had both been banished from by Jay until dinner.

"Just that whatever it is, he's nervous as hell about it," Shi said, shaking her head. "Doesn't seem to be anything bad though."

"As if you'd let him shut the door if you did," he smiled a bit teasingly at her. "I'm definitely looking forward to dinner though."

"Of course I wouldn't," Shi agreed with a chuckle. "And yeah, so am I. Fortunately, it's just about time, and the door _should_ be unlocking for us pretty soon."

"Speaking of unlocked." Fenrik smirked as the door slid open for them, letting the rich smells of a home-cooked dinner waft out.

"Mmm ... not sure what I'm going to be happier to see; Jay, or the meal he made," Shi grinned. "After you?"

"Definitely Jay, but it's close." The Panther winked at her and stepped inside to catch sight of an impressive layout on the table, and a hand carved wooden box as the centerpiece. "* _Maybe we'll finally find out what's inside that thing._ *"

"* _With everything that happened, it just didn't feel right to ask him,_ *" Shivasta pointed out, pulling out a seat at the table for Fenrik. "Have a seat until he's out of the kitchen?" She suggested.

"* _I know,_ *" he brushed her mind softly and sat down as Jay came out of the kitchen with a bottle of dark wine to round out the meat-heavy and stewed sweet fruits.

"I see you have found your places." He smiled warmly, the nervous edge they both felt in his mind actually visible and directed mostly at the box at the center of the table.

"Well, there aren't all _that_ many place to sit down," Shivasta pointed out with a smile for him. "Jay? You don't have to be nervous like this."

"I can't help it." He licked his whiskers nervously and poured their wine, then a half-glass for himself. "It's a big deal, for my family."

"What is?" Fenrik asked him, taking his glass. "Sounds like you need to get it off your chest before we have to sedate you."

Jay bit his lip, torn between having dinner first and having dinner when he'd actually taste the meal he'd spend a lot of effort to create.

Slowly he picked up the rectangular box and stepped around the table to stand between his mates. He could only just keep his hands from shaking as he opened it to reveal three smaller square ones, each the width of his spread hand, nestled inside. The one on his right had a storm carved on it, the one in the middle had a stylized cat's head, and a new moon was on the third.

"Jay?" Shi asked softly, looking at the boxes that had clearly had days, if not weeks, of effort put into them.

"Most pairings do this long before now, but I couldn't until we'd all been Knighted." He set the box down so the storm-designed one was in front of Shi and the new moon in front of Fenrik and unlocked all three, opening the boxes in unison to reveal a simple black collar of exquisite quality with a tri-colored yin-yang design in ice blue, blood red and ebony black made of precious stones.

"The formalities of my family." He began softly and knelt to take one of their hands in his. "I don't remember much, but I do remember this. The symbol of mated partners in the giving of matching collars.

"I would have you both be not just my lovers and family here, but my mates and my _partners_ in the eyes of my family and Bastet." He managed to finish without his voice cracking, but he was trembling.

They both knew, or at least had an idea, of just how much what Jay was asking meant to him.

"Of course we accept, Jay," the two of them said, almost in unison, each squeezing one of his hands gently after a moment of silence.

The relief came out in a breath, along with so much tension he nearly collapsed as he squeezed their hands back.

Panther and Ice Walker alike shifted to help support him, turning to kiss opposite cheeks affectionately as he leaned into the contact with a deep purr.

"Come on," Shi smiled. "Let's eat before the food gets cold. It wouldn't be fair to any of us to let that happen," she winked.

"Fenrik's the one who wanted to see the box first." Jay managed a weak tease as he sat down and took a sip of wine to give himself something to do while he settled as much as he could.

"And you're the one who was so nervous eating wouldn't have helped," the Panther teased back, taking his seat. "Thank you, Jay."

"To us, to memories of good timed, and strength for the bad." Jay lifted his glass in a toast to them. "Partners are forever."

"Forever," Fenrik and Shivasta both echoed, raising their glasses to his.


	9. Healing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Interlude. Six months of Knighthood have done wonders for Jay's self-esteem and stability, enough so that Master Artisan Shen'ri is ready to offer him special training. As for Doruth and Tes ... they are introduced to why the Kaminoans said what they did about half-breed young.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written with Karl Wolfemann

Fenrik growled in pleasure. It had been _months_ since Jay had been under him and his mate was enjoying it as much as he was.

That Jay had asked for it was even better; as Fenrik started to thrust a bit faster, nuzzling his mate's neck, he couldn't help but think about what it meant about Jay's recovery in the past six months. Shi said that his recovery with them was going much faster than his general recovery, but it was still a step forward every time they pleasured each other, and this was a big one.

He lifted one hand from supporting himself to rub Jay's chest and tease his hard cock, relishing the rumbling purr as much as how Jay tightened his body around his cock.

Force, it was good.

Fenrik teased Jay's barbs, rubbing his prostate with his shaft as they both shuddered and moaned in building pleasure that was more than just physical. He kissed Jay's neck, then instinctively took the smaller tom's scruff between his teeth and instantly regretted it. Jay tensed, memories overriding knowledge of who was above him, inside him.

Fenrik released the loose fur and skin immediately, holding still and holding Jay close to him.

"Sorry," he murmured, reaching out to reinforce who was holding him in Jay's mind as the tom settled, his breath still quick.

"* _I ... I'm sorry, love._ *" Jay reached back, his mind still trembling with memories he couldn't rid himself of so easily. "* _It's not your fault._ *"

"It's not yours either," Fenrik reassured him, rubbing his chest lightly. "We're both okay, it was just a little too fast."

"Yeah," he sighed, more frustrated by how long he was haunted by events than either of his mates. He lifted his head and rubbed his cheek against Fenrik's.

The Panther returned the affectionate nuzzle, then pulled out of his mate with a low groan.

"You're doing a _lot_ better than you were a few months ago, Jay," Fenrik pointed out, kissing his cheek and returned the soft one to the mouth when Jay rolled his head to kiss him back.

"I don't think ever got that 'patience' lesson very well." Jay tried to chuckle that ended with him pressed against his mate's body with his face buried against Fenrik's chest, the Panther holding him quietly as they both tried to settle from the unpleasant disruption.

* * *

* * *

* * *

"Mmm ... so, how's it going today?" Shivasta asked Jay, a few minutes after she'd laid down next to him in the gardens, watching the brightly colored fish in the ponds that had been a centerpiece of their relaxation together since they had first met, long before the thought of sex had come into their lives. It was just a few days after he and Fenrik had reached the limits of his comfort zone, but he'd been handling it well since then, including a fairly active threesome with Shi in the middle that morning.

"Pretty well," he smiled softly at her. "I'm trying to take healing as the lesson in patience that Master Essani never managed."

"Good," she smiled back, cocking her head slightly. "Think we've got company coming," she warned him, sitting up and looking around.

"Yap," Jay rolled to his feet to greet an Ithorian Master he didn't recognize. The hammer-headed humanoid stepped around a row of hedges, leaning slightly on his slim wooden cane.

"Knight Clawson, Shivasta," he said, nodding his grey-green head towards them, his two voices blending into clear Basic as Shivasta stood to offer a welcoming bow to the aged Master. "I hope I'm not intruding?"

"No, Master." Jay inclined his head politely. "We were merely watching the fish swim."

"A surprisingly worthwhile diversion," the Ithorian chuckled lowly. "I am Master Shen'ri," he explained. "I understand you two are the ones who developed those unusual robes last year?"

"Yes," Jay smiled slightly as he placed the name as the one who was going to study their creation further. "Did you have questions about them?"

"More about their creators," the Ithorian said easily. "Though I must admit, the work you two did was... intriguing. I haven't seen such techniques applied to robes before."

"Thank you, Master Shen'ri," Shivasta smiled. "You have seen them applied to other things?"

"I have," he agreed. "Would the two of you care to follow me?" He asked them.

"Yes, Master." Jay nodded, his curiosity piqued by the exchange so far.

The Ithorian turned, walking out of the gardens at a leisurely pace. He didn't seem to need the cane, despite his seemingly off-balance, hunched body. Jay and Shivasta followed him, both wondering where he was going.

"Have the two of you ever considered applying those techniques to your lightsabers?" He asked them conversationally as they walked along.

"The healing effects?" Jay frowned, trying to wrap his brain around the idea. He'd done a lot of things to his personal equipment, but a weapon that healed was too weird to him.

"No," the Ithorian chuckled. "Not merely attuning the crystals to yourself, but working the Force into all aspects of the design. Tuning it in such a way that any wielder can use it as effectively, even more effectively, than one of their own design."

"I hadn't thought of it as a positive thing to do." Jay admitted. "Most of my design work has been either for personal usefulness, or to keep someone else from using them easily if they are stolen." He managed to cut off the word 'again' from the sentence, but not his thoughts.

"An understandable precaution," Shen'ri agreed. "Though unless the wielder knows how to _use_ a lightsaber, I have found that the benefit from crafting a truly exceptional one is minor compared to the tendency to remove one's own limbs. There are other benefits as well, primarily in increasing the range of materials one can use to build a lightsaber."

"Like what my people can do with ice?" Shivasta asked.

"Yes," the Ithorian nodded. "I suspect that, at some point, an ancient artisan from the Order accompanied them to Garosh."

"It wouldn't surprise me," Shivasta agreed as Jay looked between them with a decidedly curious expression. "Though I am surprised you know about the Migration."

"After I heard about your lightsaber, I did a little study of your people's history and legends," the Ithorian explained.

"According to some of our old legends," Shivasta explained to Jay as they walked along, "the Ice Walkers came to Garosh thousands of years ago. It's not an official interpretation, but among the Stormwardens, there are some who believe that we were a group of miners and Jedi who were stranded on Garosh during one of the ice ages."

He opened his mouth to say something about not having anything left of those lightsabers or knowledge, then closed his mouth hard enough it jarred his teeth. "They changed a lot since, if it's true."

"The need to survive on a world without metal or the material to make power cells will do that," Shivasta pointed out. "Especially if the rest of the galaxy thinks you disappeared."

"Which, if that is what really happened, is likely the way things developed," Master Shen'ri agreed. "There was a time when many exploration vessels left; most of them never contacted the Republic again. It was assumed they were lost, or didn't want anything to do with the Republic. Either way, they were largely written off."

Jay closed his eyes for a brief moment and sternly reminded himself that this was just the way things were here. Morals and value on life and kin just didn't match up to what he still valued from his kittenhood.

"One day, I might actually get used to that." He sighed with a shake of his head.

Shi reached over and squeezed his hand lightly as they stepped into one of the main buildings of the Temple, making their way into a part of the complex near Jay's own lab space.

"I'm actually a little surprised we haven't run into each other before, Knight Clawson," the Ithorian said. "We tend to work in the same area much of the time."

"Oh?" He really took to the new subject. "I've meet a couple around here, Knight Zraii in particular likes my workshop. I can't say I've really looked at it as a social group."

"We often aren't," Shen'ri agreed with a chuckle. "Of course, people who tend to work on a project for days without realizing they should stop and eat tend not to meet very many others. Knight Zraii's very skilled at what he does; I've worked with him before, but he never really took to the artisan training."

"What is an artisan?" Jay cocked his head slightly, guessing this may well be headed towards an offer of it.

"In many ways, it's similar to what you do," Master Shen'ri explained as they reached his lab. "However, we tend to focus on crafting lightsabers and other more traditional items. It's a mix of artistic craft, Force use, and technology, and not an easy art to learn. I think it's worth it, though."

Jay nodded as they stepped into a space that bore many similarities to his own, though it had less technology and more things that Jay identified as transitional arts and crafts. It was definitely designed to suit its user; assorted plants decorated the room from place to place, and the heat and humidity were a bit closer to what Jay preferred.

"You're not entirely sure what a practical use of the skills I've described so far would be, are you?" Shen'ri asked Jay as the door closed behind the three of them.

"I can see too many uses to name, Master." He chuckled weakly and scratched the back of his neck. "I guess what I really don't get is what's so hard about it. Making a neutral attunement ... what you were talking about ... would be simpler than what I do to them to make it difficult for others to use. Most things prefer that state."

"It's not _quite_ as simple as a neutral attunement," Shen'ri chuckled. "An artisan's lightsaber still works better for the crafter than for another. Knight Shivasta, what is the difference between a lightsaber another crafted for you, and one you made yourself?"

"I know that, for me at least, my own lightsaber just ... it's hard to describe," she admitted. "It's like the Force flows through it, and through me, more easily."

"The lightsaber becomes a sort of conduit between its creator and the living Force," Shen'ri nodded. "Knight Clawson, I believe you have a gift for sensing certain details about crafted objects; would that include the connection between an object, and the Force?"

"That is part of everything," he nodded. "It's usually the first thing that comes in, unless there is an incredibly strong imprint of a person, like with a Jedi's lightsaber. Those I'll see the person first, then other things."

"Take a look at my cane then," Shen'ri said, tossing it up into a grip about half-way along the slender wooden length, then over to Jay. "You should be able to feel it once you've got your hands on it."

The Kat gave it a curious look and reached out to close his hand around it.

He gave a sharp gasp as a lightning rod of Force hit him almost as hard as the impression of Shen'ri. Next came the massive tropical jungles of Ithor.

Jay closed his eyes briefly as the unusual sensation of light meditation without a workout flowed into him, leaving him physically a touch off balance by the rush of potent imagery and energy he hadn't felt since the first time he'd picked up his father's Glovatrix.

"You see the difference?" The Ithorian asked him, letting go of the wooden rod and letting Jay get a feeling for what was probably the most unusual part of it; the subtle heft and swing of the baffor wood caused by the crystals mounted inside it. The 'cane' was really a double-hilted lightsaber, if he didn't miss his guess, which would make it radically different from any other he'd encountered.

"Yes," Jay nodded slowly, more than a little in awe of what he was holding, even as the rest of him was scrambling to translate it to his own use.

"* _What's wrong?_ *" Shivasta asked him mentally, sensing his powerful reaction.

"* _I just haven't touched anything this ... unique ... in a long time._ *" He tried to explain, half-memories of when he was three and the object was his father's primary weapon. "* _It's ... so far beyond my work ..._ *" He trailed off, at a loss to explain any more and simply offered the object to her. She wouldn't feel it quite like he did, but she would catch the basics.

"Unfortunately, there have only ever been a handful of master artisans," Shen'ri explained as Shivasta looked at the cane, almost as impressed as Jay was. "And actually crafting a lightsaber like that is... very draining. I wouldn't be exaggerating if I said it took a little bit of the maker to complete one. Most lightsabers of that level are destroyed along with their maker, but the Great Library has a few dozen examples from over the centuries that have survived, kept stored away in case we should ever need them."

"I have a long way to go, and I thought I'd done good work on mine." Jay shook his head slightly, his respect for Master Shen'ri on the level that his great-grandfather had.

"Your work is admirable, Knight Clawson, don't make that mistake," the Ithorian chuckled. "But at this point, you are working mostly with the technology. If the two of you are willing to put in another two decades or so of study and training, I would like to take you on as apprentice Artisans. It would, of course, be around your existing duties," he added, nodding towards Shivasta.

"By the time you were done," he explained, "you would be able to develop similar lightsabers, of virtually any material you chose. I use baffor wood; my mentor was an Otter who used coral for his. But consider the investment of time; by the time most Jedi complete the artisan training, the Council is nearly ready to consider promoting them to Master based solely on experience, regardless of whether or not they have trained a Padawan."

Jay blinked, half surprised to find out that training a Padawan wasn't the only way to make Master. It wasn't that big a deal, he'd accepted being a Knight for life long ago, but it had appeal just to realize it was there.

What really caught him though were the skills on offer for only another twenty years of study. Skills he had already begun to develop on his own and expected to take a lifetime without getting anywhere close to the item he's just handled.

"I would be honored to learn to be an Artisan," Jay bowed deeply to Master Shen'ri, no doubt in his mind that it would be worth every minute and every frustration.

"As long as we can work around my duties as a healer, I would be equally honored," Shivasta agreed, bowing and offering Shen'ri's 'cane' back to him.

"I will only need to know your schedule," he smiled, taking the baffor-wood lightsaber back. "I will have to ask that the two of you only teach these techniques to somebody you intend to train completely in the art. It is not something that dabblers take to well."

"I understand, Master." Jay inclined his head in acceptance of the restriction.

"As do I," Shivasta nodded. There were similar restrictions on some healer skills... and more stringent ones on some of them.

"If the two of you can meet me back here tomorrow, then we can begin," Master Shen'ri said, his voice suggesting the smile his alien face couldn't make. "It is an honor to have new students, particularly ones who might be able to teach me something," he said, nodding slightly towards the robes that were still on one of his lab tables.

"We will be here." Jay inclined his head, rather eager for it. "We've made a couple improvements in the set we made for Knight Aren." He smiled a bit sheepishly, though he was proud of the accomplishment and what it offered his mate when he couldn't be there. "I can never leave things alone when I can see how to make an improvement."

"A good sign," Shen'ri chuckled. "Bring in your notes, if you can, though I imagine your mate would rather prefer you not bring his robes in without him in them."

"You should hear the discussions they have when Jay has an idea while Fen's teaching a class," Shivasta chuckled. "We'll see you tomorrow, Master Shen'ri," she smiled, bowing again, the Ithorian returning the gesture more shallowly.

"Thank you for the offer." Jay bowed as well before they turned to leave, each excited in their own ways for what was to come.

Master Shen'ri watched them leave, turning back to his work and setting his lightsaber on a nearby bench. A few moments later, the intercom beeped.

"Come in," the Ithorian said, already knowing who was there. The door slid open, and Master Noloth stepped in, his brightly-colored frill of scales flattened along his body.

"You have gone through with the offer then?" He asked his old friend.

"You already knew I was going to," Shen'ri chuckled. "Though I did consider your concerns; I would have asked six months ago, if not for them."

"Knight Clawson's issues with the Dark Side are still unsettling," Master Noloth pointed out. "If he should turn in the future...."

"If he should turn in the future, I would rather already know what he is capable of than find out the hard way," the Ithorian pointed out. "Besides, I doubt that he will. Particularly not if he can be occupied with something constructive for the next few decades, hmm? Weren't you the one who pointed out that the greatest threat was that he would be sent on a mission alone?"

"You have a point," the Lizard conceded, moving towards the desk and running his claws along the robes. "The two of them do some fascinating work," he admitted, almost grudgingly.

"It would be a shame to deny them opportunities to do so," Shen'ri agreed. "I suspect you would have been quite amused by Knight Clawson's reaction to my lightsaber, from what I've heard of you talking to him," he chuckled.

"Probably quite like mine when you made it," Noloth chuckled. "So, are you going to be busy for the rest of the day?"

"Only for a few more hours. I'll meet you in the main sparring chamber for practice once I'm free."

"I'll see you then," Master Noloth nodded, inclining his head politely and turning to leave.

"Oh, Noloth!" Shen'ri called after him.

"Yes?"

"H3 to G2, checkmate," he said, his voice carrying a trace of amusement. Noloth frowned for a moment, then laughed and shook his head.

"We'll start a new game during our practice," he chuckled. "I'll be sure to have the baffor fruit ready for when we're done." With that, the Lizard turned and left to arrange for the evening's diversion, already planning his strategy for the next round of mental dejaarik with his old friend.

* * *

"Game for a little work on putting notes together for tomorrow?" Jay glanced over at his mate as they walked past his workshop.

"Works for me," she nodded easily, stopping by the door to the lab. "Going to have to collect 'em sooner or later, might as well get it done now."

"And better now," he glanced around the semi-organized chaos that was his workspace and began to gather datapads and crystals, "than when we're due somewhere in half an hour."

"Especially here," Shi giggled, starting to help him out. "As much a gift as you've got for working with these things, you'd think you'd have learned how to use a filing cabinet by now."

"Inbred paranoia." He smirked back at her. "Anyone else would be lost."

"That includes your mates, you know," she teased, turning towards a pile of sketches and notes and starting to straighten them out. "Think I've found 'em ... we really should've put these on datapads from the start...."

"You seem to do fine," he stepped up behind her and slid his arms around her waist. "Sometimes it's easier to think on paper." He murmured with a nuzzle to her neck.

"I got lucky," she chuckled, pressing back against him lightly.

"We both did," he kissed the side of her neck, his hands slowly slipping further down when she didn't object.

"Mmm ... I think you're thinking a different sort of lucky," she murmured, reaching back with one hand to rub his hip lightly.

"Maybe," Jay chuckled lightly and rubbed his hardening cock against her ass through their robes. "Will I be?" He breathed hotly against her soft blue skin.

"Mmm ... right here?" She asked him, licking her lips as an invisible pair of hands slid inside her robes to cub her breasts.

"It's as private as anywhere ...."

"Mmm ... which isn't what really appeals to you right now, is it?" She asked knowingly, rubbing back against his crotch.

"N-no," he admitted with a hitch in his voice. As much as he knew she'd probably catch the mental imagery that was really turning him on, he'd never expected her to _suggest_ it.

"Mmm ... think you'd settle for one of our hidden places in the garden, instead of the pond?" She asked him, leaning back to nuzzle his cheek.

"Yes," he shivered in excitement and hugged her close, his nose buried in her long, thick hair before his hands slid away sensually so they could walk to the garden without garnering _too_ much attention.

"Hold on," she grinned over her shoulder. "Who says you're going to get away with teasing me like that without following through in here?"

"So just what kind of appetizer do you have in mind?" He grinned and pressed close again, his hands sliding up her sides to tease her breasts again.

"Mmm ... anything you're up for," she rumbled, pressing back and wrapping her arms around his.

"* _What about in the ass?_ *" He caught her interest and pushed her back to lie on a half cleared table.

"Mmm ... sounds good today," she grinned, pulling her trousers down, her eyes staying on her mate's well-muscled and aroused body as he did the same.

"Lube, or your own juices?" Jay leaned over her for a fierce kiss.

"Lube, if you've got it," she asked once their lips parted. "Right here, while we're still mostly dressed," she added with a grin.

"I have it," he reached out with a hand as a small container pushed its way out from under a pile of things to come to him. "But you look so luscious there, all spread out." He murmured and knelt to nuzzle her sex while he lubed himself slick and smooth for her.

"Oooh ... spread out I can do," she groaned, reaching down to rub his ears lightly. "You and Fenrik play here often?" She asked.

"I kept it here for you too." He chuckled and sank his tongue deep into her slick body. "* _I wasn't always so relaxed about things, you know._ *"

"Mmm... glad that's not an issue anymore," she rumbled lowly, laying back on the workbench as he worked the sensitive flesh between her legs until her entire body was quivering. "Gods, the things you do to me, kat...."

"* _It's just the beginning._ *" He promised and stood, pressing his hard cock deep into her ass even as a Force-dildo began to work inside her sex.

Shivasta whimpered, wrapping her arms around his back needily and squeezing down around his length. "Oh Jay," she moaned.

"* _Love you,_ *" Jay shuddered as he drove into her body, not at all concerned with holding back the pleasure he felt or gave.

"Love you too," she replied breathlessly, reaching out to touch his mind and let him share in her own pleasure and affection for him, milking his shaft with her ass as he breathed hotly against the exposed skin of her shoulder.

She panted and moaned softly, raking his back with her fingertips. She couldn't help the healer's part of her mind that was keeping close track of his reactions, of whether or not they were pushing his limits. He was skirting the edge, she could feel it, but she could feel the pride and self-respect that came from it too, from the pleasure given and taken in willingness.

"* _Close,_ *" Jay whispered silently, his teeth bared against her bare shoulder as his body tightened in the swirling pleasure that came from his cock buried so deep his in lover and spiraled out to his balls and up his spine.

"Please Jay," she whimpered, her own body right on the edge between his body's attentions and the telekinetic fingers probing her sex deeply. "Fill me!" Shi cried out even as he lost the little control he'd been maintaining and shot hot ribbon after ribbon of come into her ass.

That was all it took; she cried out lustily, her body spasming around his, her fluids flowing out of her sex and down around his cock, dribbling down his balls.

"* _Missed this._ *" He murmured softly even as his body was still quivering from the pleasure.

"So good," she murmured, drawing him close for a deep, heated kiss. "* _Good?_ *"

"Very," he smiled and nuzzled her before slowly pulling out with a shudder to dress. "Still up for a slow lovemaking in the garden?"

"Mmm... definitely," she rumbled, kissing him again before pulling up her pants. "Assuming nobody stops us and sends us to the showers instead," she winked.

"We'll just have to make sure no one catches the scent that would care," Jay smiled and leaned against her with one arm around her for a nuzzle. "It feels good not to freak out."

"Almost as good as to not have you freak out," she agreed with a kiss and warm nuzzle. "Love you, Jay."

* * *

* * *

* * *

Doruth twitched his ear as a finger teased it. He was _trying_ to meditate while both cubs were mercifully sound asleep, but the adult playing with his ear was going to have none of it.

On the other hand, when he opened his eyes and caught a glimpse of the rich blue harem-silks his mate was wearing, he decided that he could meditate another night.

"Been a while since you've brought that out," he purred.

"Far too long," Tes grinned at him and gracefully danced away, towards their bedroom. "Care to play, my master?"

"Mmm ... we'll have to try and keep the volume down, but you already know the answer to that," Doruth grinned, rolling to his feet and followed her swishing tail and playfully enticing movements that still affected him the way they did twelve years and two litters ago.

"Ooo, is that a challenge?" She turned to look at him and licked her muzzle hungrily. "I do so love a challenge."

"That's why I keep making them," he grinned, pouncing on her and knocking the two of them back to the bed, claiming a hungry kiss that was returned with equal fire despite the submissive role she'd claimed.

"No dance first, master?" She rumbled, her legs spread as she rubbed her bare sex against him.

"Later," he rumbled deeply at her shiver of excitement. "After you have my seed dripping down your thighs. Mmm ... just me, or prep first?" 

"Just you," Tes breathed hotly, her hands on his ass, pulling him against her. "Please, just you." She whimpered in anticipation.

"You beg so nicely," he rumbled, kissing her hungrily as he shifted to shed his robes, his eyes never leaving the show his mate put on stretching her arms over her head and teased herself into whimpering with her own tail. "And you are _so_ easy to get wound up," he added, kissing his way down her barely clothed body slowly. He inhaled her scent, licking and suckling her nipples to hardness as he started to pick up the subtle shifts of her early heat.

"Ohhh, you are so good at it." Tes whimpered, her hips lifting to rub her swollen sex against his short fur. "Fuck me, please."

He considered teasing her for a bit longer; her scent was incredible like this, and he could think of very little he'd like to do more than go directly to the source.

Fortunately for Tes' patience, fucking her hard and fast was on the short list. He moved up to kiss her again, plundering her mouth with his rough tongue as he sank his thick, barbed length into her body, catching her scream of pleasure in his mouth even as he rumbled. Her body was tight and slick around his cock, her body and mind radiating the intensity of pleasure that nearly drowned him.

He started thrusting into her, purring deep in his chest as he searched for the parts of her hot, slick sex that he knew would pleasure her the most.

"Mine," he rumbled deeply.

"Always," Tes cried out as she lost control of her body with the first ripple of an orgasm.

Doruth muffled a roar with her mouth as he came with her, pumping his seed deep into her body, wonderfully familiar after a decade and a half as mates. From the first touch to the lax pleasure as they calmed down, they knew each other so well no words or hints were needed anymore.

He kissed her deeply as he started to come back down, nuzzling and nibbling at her neck.

"Care to give me that dance now, or want to stick to this?" He asked her with a rumble.

"Keep fucking me, handsome." Tes shuddered in anticipation of the utter and total use of her body the first time she'd worn this outfit.

Doruth pulled out of her with a groan, rolling off her body slightly.

"Up on your hands and knees, tail high," he rumbled menacingly. "Gonna make you howl."

"And scream," she shivered and quickly obeyed, her legs spread wide for him and tail high, offering anything he wanted.

"Among other things," he grinned, mounting her from behind and sinking into her dripping sex again, starting to thrust hard and fast, their mixed juices leaking out around his cock as he forgot about quiet in the familiar pleasure and intoxication of their favorite game.

Her howls in his ears and pleasure in his mind, he grabbed her ruff in his jaws and her hips in his hands and put every ounce of his strength and knowledge into taking her pleasure as high as it could go.

He felt Tes' scream, her body tightening around his as she came, as much as he heard the piercing shriek of pleasure.

Then, rather than the more expected pleasure of his own release, he felt small, yet still _incredibly_ sharp, teeth and claws sink into his back and shoulders. With a cry of pain, he reached back, trying to get a grip on Nasim, and get the cub off his back, before he thought to use the Force to pull him off and hold him where he couldn't do any more damage.

"Cub!" Tes snarled as much in fear for them both as in reprimand to the half-breed youngster.

"* _No hurt mom!_ *" The defiant cub snarled back at both of them, his thought half feelings, half actual words. He did an excellent job of looking fierce for being held in the air by an invisible hand. 

If it weren't for the pain, Doruth would have been tempted to laugh as he realized what had happened.

"I wasn't hurting her," he said, wincing as he tried to keep his voice level. As much as he wanted to yell, he had to admit that his response to hearing Tes scream out of nowhere would have been similar, but more painful.

"* _I_ hope _you can find a way to prove it,_ *" he told Tes mentally.

"* _He wasn't hurting me, Nasim._ *" She reached up to take the cub in her arms and cuddled him. "* _We were practicing making more babies._ *"

"* _You screamed._ *" He stared at her and wrinkled his nose at the smells.

"* _We do that when it feels good sometimes._ *" She tried to explain as she stood and walked out of the bedroom to put him back to bed. "* _You are a great protector, but mommy doesn't need protecting from daddy._ *"

Doruth reached around, touching one of the bite-wounds and wincing, focusing a bit to try and close the seeping cuts. He was definitely beginning to develop a fondness for the idea of welding the bedroom door shut some nights. At least Abayomi hadn't been with him.

"* _Dor!_ *" Tes's mind was half-panicked from the other room. "* _She's gone._ *"

"What?!?" Doruth ran over to the bedroom, seeing Abayomi's bed empty. "Does Nasim know anything?" He asked Tes, turning to grab his robes. She'd probably gotten out; it didn't look like somebody's taken her, and he was sure he would have heard, even being in bed, if there'd been a struggle. But he was sure as _hell_ not going to leave her to her own devices, no matter what had happened.

"* _Bored, wandering._ *" Their male cub answered as Tes settled him with much crooning and assurances.

"I'll go get her," Doruth told his mate reassuringly, pulling his robes on just as the intercom chirped. "Oh now what can that be," he muttered in irritation as he went to open the door, tying his robes.

Greeting him at eye level was his youngest daughter, held up by the scruff in a Force-hold and looking very sheepish.

He blinked, wondering what the heck was going on just before Abayomi floated into his arms and he looked down, realizing that Master Essani was there too, her fur a pale pink.

"Sorry," he said sheepishly. "Seems somebody managed to sneak out after bedtime," he said, trying to be stern despite the urge to hug his daughter and just be grateful she was back and hadn't gotten into too much trouble. "I hope she didn't do any damage to whatever she was after?"

"* _I'm used to it, Master Doruth,_ *" Essani chuckled mentally.

"I think we need to invest in Force-proof locks for the doors." Tes observed dryly even as she hugged her daughter tightly, grateful she was back. "I hope she wasn't too much trouble, Master Essani."

"* _Not as much for me as it seems she was for you... ah... Master Doruth?_ *" Essani said, looking up at the Panther. "* _Is something..._ *"

The Panther quickly moved to step in front of Tes, only just then remembering that she was still in her costume and dripping his seed, the entire apartment smelling strongly of a mix of blood, sex, arousal, and panic.

"Abayomi wasn't the only cub to get out at an inopportune time," he explained sheepishly. "We'll make sure she understands not to hunt kushiban in the future, Master Essani."

"* _Very well, Doruth,_ *" Essani said. "* _I'll let you two get back to your evening,_ *" she added, stepping back from the door and starting down the hall.

"* _Would it be wrong to add a bit of Suggestion to keep them asleep tonight?_ *" Tes asked her mate silently as she walked to the cub's room to put Abayomi to bed.

"* _Not at all,_ *" Doruth agreed, doing so as Tes set the Panther-Wolf into her bed, then moved to lock the door, leaning back against it with a groan.

"I formally apologize to the Kaminoans for not believing them when they warned us hybrids could be a handful," he muttered, shaking his head.

"Come on, let's wear that unexpected rush off now that we _know_ they'll stay in place." Tes put her hand on his arm. "I'll ask Jay to fix the doors in the morning."

"Mmm ... think you're up for the dancing this time?" Doruth asked her with a chuckle, kissing her and moving back towards the bed.

"Anytime, for you my brave warrior." Tes chuckled softly and twisted into a playfully sensual dance for her mate.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Fenrik stretched out languidly, muscle shifting beneath the dark fur of his powerfully built body as he sensed Jay and Shivasta coming home much later that night. He ducked into the bathroom, starting the shower up towards the right heat for Shi, and then hurried back out to take his seat and grab a book, making it look like he'd been reading when they got home.

The pair opened the door, not quite arm in arm, but as close as Jay ever got to such a blatant display while wearing his robes in public.

"Sorry we're so late." Jay called to Fenrik even as he realized the shower was already running. "Are we _that_ predictable?" He glanced at the Panther smirking behind his book on the couch.

"Oh, I'll admit, it wasn't _entirely_ a lucky guess," Fenrik grinned. "Y'know, I thought I was the one who was supposed to be teaching the Initiates."

"Huh?" Shivasta asked, cocking her head, then starting to blush a deep purple as she caught on.

"No ceilings in the gardens, loves," Fenrik chuckled. "Fortunately, the student by the window was old enough that he's probably already getting curious on his own," he winked as Jay's cheeks started to burn.

"How'd you find out?" Jay swallowed, then shook his head and began to laugh.

"He was looking out the window during class," Fenrik chuckled, standing up and setting his book off to the side. "We were just low enough for me to make out what was going on. You two put on one hell of a show when you want to, not that I needed to tell you that," he grinned, moving to take them both in his arms and kiss their burning cheeks.

"And here I thought we'd found a private spot," Shi chuckled weakly.

"At least it wasn't a Master." Jay shook his head and kissed the Panther back. "Now is that shower for three?"

"Mmm ... only if two get a bit of a chill," Fenrik admitted. "I set it for Shi, figured you'd want to clean up first," he said, nuzzling the Ice Walker.

"And it lets the two of you get nice and dirty before you clean up for dinner," she smirked back, still blushing. "Don't think for a second I don't see straight through you."

"I'm not complaining," Jay kissed her and gave her a playful shove towards the bathroom.

"Hmph!" Shi sniffed, pouting playfully. "I know when I'm not wanted!"

"Hey, if you want to be wanted, I'm sure we can come up with a way to work in a third," Fenrik grinned. "Besides, I've been teaching all day while you two cavorted in the gardens!"

"Mmm ... true," Shi giggled, moving back to kiss them both playfully, and then head into the shower.

"So, where were we?" Fenrik asked, kissing Jay tenderly.

"I think we were naked to start with." He rumbled, recalling when it had gone badly. "And you were feeling very good inside me."

"Want to try that again, or something a bit farther back?" The Panther asked him, nuzzling his neck and working his hands under Jay's robes even as telekinesis and hands work his own off.

"Just don't grab my ruff, okay?" Jay smiled and kissed him soundly. "The rest was really good."

"Works for me," Fenrik purred. "Bed, or want me to take you right here, upholstery be damned?"

"Bed," Jay laughed easily and pulled him towards the bedroom. "I've had enough of strange surfaces for one day."

"Mmm ... and here I thought I could take you into being taken on the balcony across from the Council Spire," Fenrik smirked, following him into the bedroom eagerly, taking him in his arms and pulling him down into bed.


	10. Investing in the Future

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Interlude. New Padawans, maternal drive, a new Form acknowledged and settling the past all hit with the triad's eighteenth anniversary.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written with Karl Wolfemann

"Class dismissed." Fenrik holstered his lightsaber as his advanced combat students started to file out of the large sparring chamber. He watched one of them in particular as she chatted with one of her friends. Jenna had been one of his star students for over seven years now, almost since he'd started teaching. Combat, philosophy... somehow, she always managed to find her way into at least one of his classes.

Now that she was about twelve, and old enough to advance to the next stage of her training, he felt it was about time to take the hint the Force had been giving him, before somebody decided to break out the two-by-four.

"Jenna, would you stay here for a few more minutes?" He asked her.

"Uh-oh, what did you do now?" Her friend asked her with a chuckle. The young Rodian was living proof that not all his species were like Navik, mercifully. He was also usually one of Jenna's partners in crime when she _was_ in trouble for something.

"You could stay here with her if you'd like, Gren," Fenrik smirked. "I'm sure one of you would answer that question for me soon enough."

"No need, Knight Aren." Gren said hurriedly and got out of the room while the getting was still good.

"What is it, sir?" Jenna faced him, sure she wasn't actually in trouble.

"How did things go with Knight Zraii the other day?" Fenrik asked her, starting to straighten up the room as he talked.

"Rather well," she couldn't think of why he was asking. "I wouldn't mind him as my Master."

"But he is not who you feel was meant to be your Master," Fenrik nodded slightly, picking up the unspoken qualifier from her. "You've been doing quite well in your classes, though you're starting to reach the limits of what is available to most Initiates. Have you ever considered the possibility of becoming my Padawan?" He asked her.

"I've been waiting for you to ask, sir." She smiled slightly at him; the emotional pleasure that washed over him in a wave impossible to miss.

"Then consider yourself asked," he smiled back. "Sorry it took me so long, but I wasn't sure if you'd prefer one of the others who've asked."

"I would be honored to be your Padawan, Knight Aren." Jenna smiled brightly and bowed deeply to him. Her expression went uncertain after a moment. "Umm, where will I sleep?"

"We have extra rooms for our Padawans," Fenrik explained, returning the bow. "We'll just have to confirm it with the Council and you can move in to one of them. Have you met Kanna yet?"

"The Ice Walker?" She asked to make sure. "A little. We don't have many common interests. She's always hanging out with the Healers and her aunt."

"And she's a bit younger," Fenrik nodded understandingly. "Unless she chooses a different Master, she'll probably be Shivasta's Padawan before too much longer. Are there going to be any problems having the two of you living next to each other?"

"I don't expect so, Master." Jenna shook her head. "She doesn't seem to be a jerk."

"I never thought she was," he chuckled. "Come on; let's go make sure there aren't any objections from the Council."

"Yes, Master." She grinned again before putting on her best Jedi face and followed him out.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Jay purred deep in his chest, content and relaxed between his mates and happy on a level he hadn't really felt in years. It was good not to have jitters anymore, though he wasn't about to suggest they stop the long, tender lovemaking that they'd all gotten used to over the years where he couldn't handle much else.

"Shi, Fen," he murmured, snuggling in between them with a contented sound. "Would it be okay with you if I spent a night with Doruth?"

"Huh?" He felt both of them shift to look at him with slightly perplexed looks.

"With Doruth?" Shi asked him, despite being pretty sure that she'd heard right the first time.

"Yes," Jay nuzzled her.

"Mmm... what brought this on?" Fenrik asked, nuzzling Jay's neck from behind.

"I'm not skittish anymore," he reached back to squeeze his mate's side. "He said I had to wait until I was a Knight, by then ... I couldn't take what he said he was like."

"Had a crush on him when you were younger?" Shi asked, nuzzling Jay's neck lightly, trying to figure out why he'd be interested in a tom twenty years older than he was just now.

"No," he shook his head and kissed her gently. "It's a cultural thing. My father should have been the one to introduce me to sex, Doruth's as close to a father as I have here. I don't think I explained very well then, but he said I'd have to be a Knight first. I don't need the instruction anymore, but it ... a rite of passage, I guess. One of the things that happens on your way to being an adult."

"He might not be too comfortable with it yet," Fenrik cautioned, hugging Jay close to him. It sounded like a very unusual cultural thing, but Jay wasn't exactly from a culture that would be considered normal by anybody's standards. "It might not have just been rank for him."

"It wasn't," Jay chuckled weakly. "That I was thirteen really didn't help. I expect the timing of when I asked him and when I was with you first was why he grilled you about it."

"And the fact that he _is_ the closest thing you have to a father here," Fenrik pointed out with a chuckle.

"That might be something else, Jay," Shi pointed out. "I don't mind if you're with him one night, but he might not be comfortable with being with somebody he thinks of kinda like a son. It's normal for you, but for most of the cultures around here that'd be... abnormal, at least."

"He _can_ still refuse." He sighed, hoping it wouldn't be the case, but knowing it was likely. "It's not like he promised or anything."

"Just didn't want you to be surprised if he did," Shi murmured, kissing him softly. "It's normal for your people... not too strange for mine...."

"But very unusual for mine," Fenrik finished. "And Doruth's, by extension. He might be okay with it though. I know he sleeps with guys, in general. Not so much now, but before I was his Padawan."

"And I'm hardly a thirteen year old virgin anymore." Jay chuckled and nuzzled Fenrik over his shoulder. "Thanks for letting me try."

"You're welcome," Fenrik smiled, kissing Jay lightly. "Stay here for tonight though yet, okay? Tomorrow we can let you try to play with the Panther while Jenna gets settled in."

"I wasn't planning on going anywhere tonight," Jay smiled lazily. "I'm very comfortable where I am, and besides, I need to get Tes to okay it too, before I even get to asking Doruth."

"Yeah, I would _not_ want to be caught with Doruth if she wasn't fully aware of what was happening," Shi giggled. "And you guys thought _I_ was bad."

"You don't come with natural weapons." Jay snickered and kissed her. "Or a vicious temper."

"Or four Padawans for kids," Shi agreed, snuggling in. "Mmm ... maybe one, eventually," she murmured. "Sleep well, loves."

"With five more who will be soon." Jay chuckled and relaxed. "Sleep is good."

"That it is," Fenrik agreed, snuggling up with his mates as Jay turned out the lights. "Sleep well, loves."

* * *

* * *

* * *

Jay was peripherally aware that Shivasta was working on her first Artisan lightsaber, likely intended for her niece, nearby. Master Shen'ri was keeping a discreet eye on both their work without hovering. Even after seven years, it was still weird to be able to do these kinds of serious manipulations to a lightsaber with other people around.

When he'd built his own set, it had taken six months undisturbed on an almost deserted world to get the pair to turn out well enough to be worth keeping. Granted, since then he'd learned a great deal about Force manipulation as a Padawan, and then as an Apprentice Artisan, but it was still a little amazing that this version of his design had taken two months and that was with other duties and staying at the Temple.

If he accomplished what he was trying for Jenna would be able to use it as easily as one she'd tuned to herself. It was going to be important if she continued her training in the SWAT Form with him. The double-saber she was using would do for the basics and his unlit hilt was good for some katas, but she'd need one of her own, a real SWAT lightsaber, to get much further. 

He knew it would be the emerald green to match her eyes, the color she wanted in her own lightsaber. That part, at least, was easy. Understanding everything Master Shen'ri was trying to teach him, that wasn't nearly as easy. Some he had to take on faith in his teacher until he had experience to understand it with.

"Don't think about what you're doing, Jay," the Ithorian cautioned him as he worked. "Let the Force guide you; open yourself up and put a little bit of yourself into your work."

He'd thought the last part was figurative up until recently; it was exhausting work, building a lightsaber like this one. It wasn't just the admittedly complex work to balance everything perfectly or tune the crystals just right either; it was channeling the Force through himself and the blade alike. 

This was a part of the design that Shivasta had taken to much more easily than he had; as a healer, she had a talent for manipulating the flow of the energies around them. He was far more used to telling the Force what to do, or simply observing without interfering. The skills that truly required letting it flow and going with the flow while still manipulating it; healing, seeing the future and such were things he had difficulty with at best.

Still, the idea of leaving part of himself with his creations wasn't new to him. Occasionally scary to think about, but nothing new. It was just the how of it that was so much more difficult. He could manipulate technology, like he did with his own set. He could take an object and force it into what he needed, effectively converting it to energy and back into the matter and form he wanted.

This ... this was something in between and it was hard for him. There was no brute force involved. No forcing his will upon the world. It was getting what he wanted in a way that was completely alien to him.

He'd even had to call it a day early, or simply walk away, more than once when the literalness of his mind proved too inflexible to deal with the Artisan path for a time.

Usually by the time Shi came and found him for dinner the calmness and random energy patterns of the koi pond had soothed him and he was ready to go back the next morning. He refused to give up. He knew he could master this, with time and effort. It was worth the effort too. Every time he managed to make it _work_ , whether with a crystal, the housing, a lens, any component... any time he managed to make it work, there was a feeling of peace that was almost alien to him. In that moment, he managed to not only ignore the Demon, but to make it stop completely.

He almost didn't hear the click of the two halve of the hilt locking together, but he felt that single perfect moment as everything fell into place and he completed the 'saber.

"Very good, both of you," Shen'ri said approvingly as Shivasta's blazed to life, the blade a pale blue-violet, something she'd said she saw in a dream and Shen'ri had encouraged her to make. It had taken some work, changing the crystals themselves with the Force, but that was just one of the skills the Ithorian had helped them both refine from the very basic lessons in it they'd received years before.

The praise drew a smile from Jay, but the rich emerald green double blade of his own creation got more of one as he spun it in to create a glowing shield of energy with a practiced hand.

"This will work nicely for her." He murmured to himself, pleased with the work.

"I understand that both of you are planning on giving your blades to your Padawans?" Master Shen'ri asked them. "Or your mate's Padawan," he added with a nod towards Jay.

"Yes, Master." He nodded and stopped the twirl, extinguishing the blades. "She wants to learn the SWAT Form. The double-blade she has works, but it was designed for the shorter weapon this is."

"Yes, Master Shen'ri," Shivasta confirmed, extinguishing the blade she'd just made. "At least once I have one," she added with a chuckle. "I haven't yet approached the Initiate I'm hoping to take on; I'm not sure what the rules are for taking a Padawan while going through the Artisan training."

"Just don't let your training interfere with theirs," the Ithorian chuckled. "It might slow you down a bit in here, but training your Padawan takes precedence."

"With three Jedi and only two Padawans in the house, I think we can manage making sure everyone actually sleeps." Jay smirked at Shi. "At least one of us has their common sense intact at any given time.

"Understood, Master," Shivasta nodded. "I will probably approach her tomorrow."

"Very good. Since the two of you plan on giving your new blades to others, there will be a slight delay on the next phase of your training. I want the two of you to upgrade your own lightsabers to the full potential you can currently manage. If you need any help, feel free to come to me, but I imagine it will be easier than what you have just done, since you both already have the basics down."

"Understood, Master." Jay nodded easily. "I would rather do that work in my own workshop. Two double-blades will take some time to upgrade. Likely longer than Shi's."

"I expected as much," Shen'ri chuckled. "If nothing else, a certain Ice Walker is going to have to upgrade her lightsaber in the Frozen Gardens," he said, glancing at Shi as she blushed slightly.

"I didn't exactly plan on having to shut down the regulator inside it," she admitted with a chuckle. 

"Or you can work in the CE chamber in my workshop." Jay offered. "It can be set to those temperatures."

"Thank you, Master. Do you want us to return here before we have finished?"

"Only if you have questions," the Ithorian answered easily. "Or need assistance. For the most part, I expect you will both work where you are comfortable until you have completed the upgrades."

"Thank you, Master." Jay bowed to him. "We will see you when we are ready for our next lesson."

"Good day then, Knights," the Ithorian said, his voice suggesting a smile as the two of them left.

"That was something else," Shi murmured as they left the laboratory. "And what's the CE room?"

"Controlled Environment. It's not a room so much as a back corner of the workshop I set up to store and work on environmentally sensitive things. It's basically a small room sized regulator."

"Ah," she nodded. "No offense, but I think I'll at least try working in the Garden. It's a bit more peaceful there, for me, and not too many people use it anyways."

"If that's what makes you comfortable, I'm not going to object." He smiled at her, brushing his fingers along her bare arm in an unusually public display of affection.

"You're in a good mood," she smiled, holstering the second 'saber and leaning over to kiss his cheek lightly.

"I think ... I'm finally getting used to the idea that it's okay to show I care for you in public." He said softly. "That, and well ... there have been a few moments that the Demon ceased to exist. Not for real, but for me. I don't even know how to describe what that feels like, not to have that presence in my mind. Peace seems too shallow a word."

"It is okay," she smiled, reaching up to touch her collar. "I know I don't bother hiding it when somebody asks what this is for. And I'm glad you've been able to get away from it a bit. The past few years, that thing's been more trouble than usual."

"It's had something to work with," Jay smiled softly and allowed his fingers to linger on the fine black leather around her neck. "You've had the most to do with taking that away from it. You and Fenrik."

"It's the big reason they haven't completely banned Jedi taking mates," she chuckled. "We can be strong for each other," she smiled. "Come on; let's get back to our quarters before Fenrik thinks he has to go hunting for us."

"And finally give Jenna what she's been waiting impatiently for." Jay chuckled with a slight smirk. "She's only been looking forward to it for a year."

"I told Fenrik having you help him with that demonstration match was a bad idea," Shi smirked. "At least she's the only one who was really fixed on it."

"The only one who couldn't build a suitable lightsaber on their own at least." He chuckled. "Master Sarapas sure was fascinated. I have _never_ felt so weird in my life, a new Knight teaching the next Dueling Master of the Order how to fight."

"He also picked the techniques up in a couple months," Shi pointed out with a chuckle. "And it's not guaranteed yet. Doruth could end up taking it instead, depending on how things work out."

"Oh, he could have the title if he wanted it, he just doesn't want anything to do with the Council." 

"True," Shivasta agreed. "Almost a pity; I think he could do a fair amount of good there. Of course," she chuckled, "he and Master Noloth would probably be growling at each other most of the day. At least Master Sarapas gets along with him fairly well. Maybe it's a reptile thing," she mused. The snake-like Thississpian got along with Master Noloth best out of just about anybody they knew of.

"Most likely." Jay snickered at the mental image of Doruth glaring down Noloth. "Only Essani to keep the peace. It could be fun."

"And very frustrating for both of them," Shi chuckled as they got close to their quarters. "At least Doruth seems to catch on pretty well that that wouldn't be the best idea."

"Not to mention his patience level with politics." Jay smirked and opened the door.

"After my solo I can't blame him," Shivasta chuckled, shaking her head. "And to think, the Odona family is among the more ethical bunch. Looks like Jenna's getting moved in nicely," she observed, looking at the Panther moving around her new room on the far side of the large living/dinning/kitchen space from the triad's bedroom.

"Initiates rarely have much beyond their robes," Jay nodded with a smile. "Jenna! When you have a moment."

"Yes, Knight Clawson," she called back, setting down whatever she was working on and hurrying out to meet him.

"Normally your Master would make you this, but with your interest in the SWAT style, you really should have a lightsaber to match." He smiled and unclipped the weapon he had just finished to offer to the young Panther.

It was impossible to miss her reaction, though she did _try_ to keep her face from lighting up too much as she accepted it and nearly hugged Jay.

"Thank you," she said eagerly, unable to keep the pleasantly surprised tone out of her voice. "It feels... different," she admitted after a moment, the hilt in her hand.

"It is my first Artisan 'saber." He explained with a pleased smile on his face. "It will work for you as well as a lightsaber you built and tuned to yourself, though don't expect to get out of building one for yourself to show you can."

"That's a few years down the line yet," Fenrik chuckled as he stepped into the room. "At least that long."

"Yes, Master," Jenna nodded, holstering the hilt the was longer than a normal one but shorter than the double that she'd been using up till then, still trying to keep her excitement toned down with mixed results. She'd been waiting for well over a year for this.

"You've got a self-controlled one here, Fen," Jay teased his mate. "I don't recall any of us being so contained."

"You didn't know either of us when we got our first 'sabers," Fenrik teased right back, kissing Jay's cheek lightly. "You have everything you need, Jenna?"

"Yes, Master." She nodded and bowed politely before going back to her room and shut the door for them to have some privacy.

"Mmm... so, good day in the lab?" Fenrik asked his mates as he was greeted with nuzzles and kisses that were more normal for a greeting than the polite smiles they'd shared so far.

"Very good," Shivasta agreed. "We both managed to finish our first new 'sabers. Shen'ri wants us to work on upgrading our old ones before we head in next. I'll have to speak with Kanna before I get too deep into that project though."

"Yeah, we'll have two teenagers running around here shortly," Jay snickered.

"You say that like we don't _already_ have two teenagers running around here," Shi teased playfully.

"Excuse me? Only two?" Fenrik smirked.

"Okay, three, but only some days," the ice Walker giggled.

Jay grinned conspiratorially at Fenrik. "I think we need to remind her, before she goes and takes on a Padawan."

"Depends on how you plan on reminding her," the Panther winked.

"Well, there is always holding her down until she begs for mercy." He rumbled in anticipation.

"I rest my case," Shi smirked, starting off towards the bedroom. "Here we have a young, innocent, impressionable Panther in the other room, and listen to you two."

"She's the one who closed the door, love," Fenrik chuckled. "She's not _that_ innocent. And I noticed you're not complaining," he added with a grin.

"Of course not," Shi grinned back. "I'm not stupid after all."

"No, and neither is she." Jay smirked and elbowed Fenrik. "She knows a good quality male when she sees one, after all."

"Jay, Jenna's not even a teenager yet," the Panther pointed out. "She's probably just been flirting with some of the guys."

"Just daydreaming," he snickered as they followed Shi into their bedroom. "But I have to agree with her favorite. He's very handsome, and quite a skilled lover."

"Now I _know_ you're just teasing," Fenrik said, rolling his eyes as Shi climbed onto the bed.

"You'll see." Jay smirked and jumped him, rolling them both into the bed with Shi.

* * *

* * *

* * *

"The kids are in bed, we're all dressed up, I have the tickets ... anything else before we go?" Jay asked as mates with a glance at each, more than slightly appreciative of the fine show they made in the elegant civilian clothes he'd arranged just for this night.

"Mmm ... you, ready to relax?" Shi asked him with a smile, kissing his cheek lightly. "Everything's going to be fine, love."

"Yeah," Fenrik chuckled. "Nobody's going to try and blow the place up this time."

"Gods, they had _better_ not." Jay rolled his eyes as they headed out. "Though I can't think of why anyone would want to hit this place. It's hardly high profile after all. Just with an excellent dinner show."

"Disgruntled drama critics?" Shi suggested with a giggle.

"Nah, they blow up in the review columns." Jay smirked, much more relaxed than he ever was in robes.

"Around you, I wouldn't want to have money riding on that," Fenrik smirked back. "Seems everything's a little more explosive when you're around."

"Nonsense," Jay shot back, though he was in a decidedly good mood. "I just get sent to trouble, whether or not it's happened yet. Jedi _do_ that, you know."

"Mmm... if we make it through tonight without anything going boom that isn't supposed to, we'll consider that that might be the reason," Shi giggled as the aircar taxi pulled up in front of the Temple for them.

"We will." Jay set his jaw with a look that all but dared the universe to screw up another event.

"We're just joking, Jay," Fenrik chuckled, climbing into the back seat and waiting for his mates to follow.

"I know, I know," he smirked and slid in so he had a mate on each side. "You'd be disappointed if I didn't react and you know it."

"True," Fenrik chuckled, nuzzling Jay lightly as Shi climbed in last. They didn't look like anything more than a trio of people who'd been visiting the Temple right now, and they were taking advantage of the anonymity and Jay's willingness to relax about physical contact with it.

"Serinton Theater." Jay told their driver.

"Sure thing," the Otter in the front nodded, pulling off as the trio snuggled in back.

* * *

"Wow," Fenrik couldn't help but murmur when an attendant at the Serinton showed them to their private box seats for the show that would start in half an hour.

"Thank you," Jay nodded to her and guided both his mates to sit down and enjoy the mixed drinks already waiting for them.

Shivasta picked up the dark brown drink she preferred, sipping it as she looked down at the stage.

"Do I even want to know how much?" She asked, glancing over at Jay.

"Less than my birthday," he smiled and kissed her cheek. "Small theater, even top notch small theater, doesn't charge nearly what Kallarak does."

"And we're actually going to get to watch the show on the right day this time," she smiled back, returning the kiss as Fenrik tasted his own drink.

"And I'm not on a mission during it," the Panther chuckled.

"Both are good things," Jay smiled and relaxed back. "Dinner will come shortly before the show starts." He explained as he sipped his rainbow drink with different layers of alcohol and flavors separated by density.

"What's the show again?" Fenrik asked, settling back to enjoy his low-alcohol cocktail.

"Tambrin's 28th Symphony to light and water." Jay purred, looking forward to it immensely. "It's incredible as a holo, live is unbelievable."

"You and water," Shi giggled. "Though I remember the holo, you're right."

"And we have the best seats in the house," he smiled at her and slid a hand along her leg. "Privacy is something you don't get at Kallarak."

"Mmm ... we don't have _that_ much privacy here either," she smiled back, kissing him lightly and found her mouth captured for a moment in a passion that had nothing to do with desire.

"Maybe not, but it's more than usual." He smiled and leaned against her lightly. "Besides, the show is too good to miss."

"Which you just might do if you're not too careful with those fingers if yours," she chuckled, leaning back as Fenrik moved to press against Jay's other side and Jay happily settled between them with a contented and utterly relaxed sound.

"* _I love you two._ *" Jay murmured silently, his mind settled and happy in a way he rarely managed.

* * *

"Jenna?" The Panther glanced over at Kanna, waiting by the door of the kitchenette, as she looked for a snack. "Think you can answer a question for me?"

"I'll try." She nodded and found a bag of spiced dried meat as the hot water boiled for tea.

"You have any idea why so many people around here think that what our Masters and Jay have is so unusual?" The younger woman asked, moving over towards the fridge to snag an apple. "I know most Jedi don't take mates, but it's not like it's actually against the rules."

"Well, part of it is that a triad, all three being mates with both others, hasn't happened in a _long_ time." Jenna poured the water over the tea leaves and let them steep. "I think part of it's also Knight Clawson. Anything that he's involved in seems to be considered unusual."

"Probably because he is," Kanna chuckled. "Guess the thing that's weirdest is, if it's so unusual now, then why did they _let_ them get together as long ago as they did. I mean... Jay wasn't much older than _we_ are."

"Between Knight Clawson and Master Aren, I don't think they had a choice." Jenna snickered and sat down at the table to wait for her tea. "Not if they wanted to keep three Jedi in the Order."

"That sounds about right," she mused, taking a seat opposite the Panther. "I'm sure Jay would have left; he doesn't seem to like the idea of letting somebody tell him not to do something without a _real_ good reason for it."

"And his mates are any different?" Jenna snickered and munched on the jerky. "They're all willful and stubborn."

"Master Shivasta _might_ have put up with it," Kanna chuckled. "She's a Healer, they put up with people giving 'em news like that better."

"Yeah, but would she have stayed when they left?" She asked thoughtfully as she poured her tea and offered Kanna a cup.

"Thank you," the Ice Walker said with a polite nod, letting the steaming drink cool before she tried to drink it. "And I don't know... she might have. I don't know her _that_ well," she admitted. "I think she'd kind of adopted the Jedi as her 'clan' at that point."

"Not something Panthers have much of," she considered over her steaming cup, letting the fragrant herbs and heat seep into her body and senses. "Clawson does though, but there's something else going on there. He's as much a Jedi as anyone I know, but I can't shake the feeling that he's got other things going on that are even more important to him."

"I don't get all of them either," Kanna agreed. "He's... complicated. Like it's not just him all the time."

"It's possible." Jenna mused. "He's not a local race. Anything could be going on. It wouldn't be the first time a race or family had a group bond or something."

"And that would explain some of the things I've seen," Kanna agreed. "It's like there's something else there sometimes, but it's really far away."

"You've got a Seer gift?" Jenna perked her ears up.

"Kind of," Kanna said, shrugging slightly. "Only sometimes. It's not too strong yet. Mostly I just see things a little bit before they happen, or notice things like connections between people. It helped out during tests sometimes," she admitted with a giggle.

"I bet," she snickered. "It'll probably be useful figuring out our Masters and their mates. Talk about a set of tangled connections there. I'm not sure I even want to know how Shivasta got Jay as a mate two, maybe three years before he should have been ready for females."

"There's a difference for felines?" Kanna asked curiously. This was one of the several subjects she hadn't been able to find much on; sex ed wasn't exactly a prime topic around the Temple.

"Yeah," she nodded. "I've already gotten the lecture, 'cause Knight Toquin caught me looking a little too much. Around twelve or thirteen boys start getting interested in boys, but it's not till fifteen or sixteen that they're physically mature enough to be interested in females. Double-stage puberty to keep more of them alive long enough to actually breed."

"Weird," she mused. "It's more all-at-once with Walkers, I think. Anything like that with girls, like you?"

"Nah," she shook her head. "It's only the boys that get violent about it."

"Well the boys around here don't seem to get too nasty about things," Kanna giggled. "Though from what I've heard, I can see where that'd get dangerous if they got going too early. Nasty enough when Jay visited home."

"Around here, they've got a _Master_ on them by the time they're even interested in other boys." Jenna pointed out with a snicker of her own. "But what happened on Garosh?"

"One of Master Shivasta's cousins challenged Jay's right to be mate to a member of the clan," she explained easily. "Jay accepted; didn't hurt him for the long-term, but mostly because he was good about controlling himself."

"I wouldn't have wanted to that guy before the Healers got to him." Jenna shook her head. "Even seven-eight years ago he would have been a good fighter." She cast a glance at the shared bedroom. "'Bout the only thing more dangerous between getting between loyal mates, is between a mother and her cub."

"Well, they _weren't_ mates yet, as far as the clan was concerned," Kanna pointed out. "It's a little complicated. But yeah, from what Master Shivasta told me, a few inches different and her cousin wouldn't have made it to the celebration a few nights later."

"At least it all worked out in the end," she nodded thoughtfully and sipped her tea. "I sure wouldn't have wanted to be the one trying to tell him he wasn't good enough for his mate. Any of them."

"I wouldn't want to be the one trying to tell either of _them_ he wasn't good enough," Kanna chuckled. "To judge by the past couple nights, they _really_ wouldn't agree."

"Oh, yeah, they must be the _noisiest_ Masters in the Temple." She couldn't help but grin. "It's fun to listen to though."

"Master Shi's already banned me from meditating while they're playing," Kanna giggled. "I didn't actually _see_ anything, but... well, they're not just noisy physically."

"No kidding," Jenna licked her whiskers back. "Only reason I haven't gotten that yet is 'cause I heard them talking to you and kept my mouth shut. They're _way_ too fun to listen too."

"So you hear, instead of see?" Kanna asked her curiously.

"Most of the time," she nodded. "It takes a lot of effort to send any of my senses elsewhere, but when I'm meditating, I can usually hear them physically, and catch the feelings in the Force. It can get pretty intense sometimes. It feels really good though."

"Think you're hitting the 'you'll get it when you're older' age Master Shi told me about," Kanna giggled, sipping her tea now that it had cooled down. "Few years off for me yet. But yeah, they're _definitely_ noisy. Just hope they don't ever catch you listening in," she winked.

"At least not until I'm old enough that Master Aren won't freak out when I play with a boy of my own." Jenna grinned. "Knight Clawson's already informed me that won't be for a while yet. And to stop looking at _his_ mate that way." She tried to fake an innocent look. 

"I have a feeling you and Master Aren are _so_ not going to have a normal Master/Padawan dynamic," Kanna giggled. "You just aren't the sort to think of him as a parent."

"Not if I can help it. I know _way_ too much about him already." She winked knowingly. "Especially how good a mate he is. Clawson's cute, but, well, he's handsome and a lot more."

"He's also about twenty years older than you," Kanna pointed out, shaking her head. "I'll take your word for it; just not interested yet myself."

"You're also not a Panther." She nodded. "There _is_ something to seeing one of your own kind naked like that that isn't there with others."

"Whoa, when did that happen?" Kanna asked, raising an eyebrow. She had a feeling somebody would have heard something about that.

"Oh, he wasn't erect or anything, but I got a good look in the workout room showers a few months ago." Jenna grinned dreamily. "He's _very_ well endowed and looks great without his robes."

"Just be careful if you ever try making a move," the Ice Walker pointed out, shaking her head. "There's Jay, and Master Shi, and then there's what could happen if you _did_ hook up with him...."

"I won't, at least not until Clawson stops glaring at me about it." She shook her head. "But it makes for very nice daydreaming. I could do a _lot_ worse for a sire too, when I'm older. He's got good genes."

"True," Kanna nodded. "Wonder if he and Master Shi will ever have kids."

"If they have young, it'll probably be by all three of them, or only one." Jenna pointed out. "Master Aren and Clawson _might_ be genetically compatible, if they weren't both males, but neither of them is even close to compatible with an Ice Walker."

"I know," Kanna nodded. "But you must've met Abayomi and Nasim? Or seen them at least? Panthers and Wolves shouldn't be able to mate either."

"They were genetic creations. They have to be. Science, not biology, made that happen. I don't know who, but I kinda understand the how. Once you get to that, three parents are pretty much as easy as two."

"Probably," Kanna conceded. "Don't know how they'd do it. In which case, all three of them could... that'd be one strange looking kid though," she mused.

"Not much stranger than if it was just Masters Aren and Shivasta." Jenna pointed out. "But, yeah, a feline/furless mix would look a little odd."

"Probably either be somebody who'd actually be _built_ for Garosh or a furless Cat," Kanna mused, then shuddered at the last thought.

"Neither one sounds all that attractive to me," Jenna admitted. "But a furless Cat is just ... a sad idea."

"You don't come from a world where the summers average near-freezing at the equator," Kanna pointed out. "I don't care if it's the ugliest thing the gods ever made, if it lives there and has fur, it's at an advantage. Don't know why Master Shi ever decided to go _back_ to that place, even briefly."

"Eww," Jenna made a face and shuddered. "That is just _nasty_. Why would anyone want to live there?"

"Depends on who you listen to," she shrugged. "But the closest they come to agreeing is we got stranded after the glaciers hit, and no more starships arrived until _long_ after we'd dropped back to a culture that could survive there. Beyond that... I dunno, guess some folks are crazy enough they've gotten to like it."

The young Panther nodded. "Being territorial is hardly a rare trait. When a group has been in a place long enough, it's _home_ and many aren't willing to leave. I'm just glad I don't have to go to ice worlds much."

"Don't blame you," she chuckled. "Coruscant gets real hot sometimes, but it _never_ gets down as cold as Garosh was. Even being born after the Republic was giving us heat and modern supplies, I remember how miserable it could be. Don't know how they made it for a couple thousand years before that."

"Maybe by not knowing anything else?" Jenna suggested. "Garosh wasn't found until real recently, I think. My mom liked to say that thinking about things you can't change just makes it worse. Focus on the positive and all that."

"I mean just the surviving, not the being miserable part," Kanna pointed out. "Weird thing is there's a bunch of the clans who still want things that way." She shrugged. "I'll be honest, I might miss my family a little, but most of what I remember from that place says I'm glad I'm here instead."

"Knight Shivasta could probably answer that why a lot better than I can." She admitted. "I'm kinda hoping to never see Garosh _or_ Hoth."

"I can sympathize with that," Kanna grinned, finishing off her tea. "Thanks for this, by the way."

"No problem," she nodded easily with a slight smile. "Want to try to actually get to sleep before they get back?"

"Probably a good idea," Kanna chuckled. "Wouldn't do to get in trouble _this_ soon after moving in," she grinned.

"At least not any more than we've already managed." Jenna nodded with a snicker of her own and stood to put the snack away before heading to her room to dream of grown up Panthers and what they could do.

* * *

A few hours later, the triad was snuggled up together in bed, well fed, entertained, and sated.

"Mmm ... you were right about the show," Shi murmured, kissing Jay's cheek lightly.

"Good," he murmured and snuggled between his mates with a contentment they were all getting more and more used to.

"You ever think of having kits with me, Jay?" She asked him softly. "And Fenrik?"

"Yes," he sighed softly, his good mood dulled by regret. "I can't."

"Why not?" She asked, kissing him softly. She knew he knew about the technology involved; all three of them did, and how to get access to it. Just then, the biggest reason occurred to her.

The Demon.

Jay simply nodded. "Jessie was a genetic creation, Jake and his father were used to create her without their knowledge. It's not enough to break the link, and I won't do that to a kit, without family to send them home with. We don't belong here."

"I'm sorry," she murmured softly, hugging him along with Fenrik. "I didn't think of that... it's not entirely genetic though, is it?"

"No," he admitted. "Children conceived after the Clawson dies aren't affected. They're bright and loyal, but have neither Gift nor Demon."

"So it's not something that could be worked out," she murmured with a slight nod. "What about children you raise?"

"I'd welcome any child you have," Jay lifted her chin to kiss her lightly. "Whether with Fenrik or an Ice Walker. My genetics just can't be involved while I'm still breathing."

"And after, with any luck, we'll all be too old to bring up kids," she murmured. "Do you _want_ to raise kids, with Fenrik and I?" She asked him, silently gauging his reactions as he worked out how to answer that in a way that he could stick with for a while.

"Sometimes," he finally sighed and rested his head against her shoulder. "Sometimes it just riles me that they'll be gone in two years."

"You too, hmm?" She sighed and kissed his neck gently. "I'll be honest... I'm not sure I'd want to do that either. Not sure how Tes did it."

"But you know they'll be Force-strong, especially if you have them with Fenrik." Jay reached back to the Panther and squeezed his hand. "I don't know if I could raise them, here at the Temple, knowing they are strong enough, and make the choice to deny them the opportunity to be Jedi. I know I'd be teaching them, intentionally or not. It'd get messy."

"We know, Jay," Fenrik agreed, kissing Jay's neck. "It's why we're asking you before it's a moot point."

"Afraid I'm not much help in deciding," he sighed and closed his eyes slightly. "I really don't know."

"Think you helped more than you know," Shi murmured, nuzzling him gently. "None of us are really sure... and that's the best sign we shouldn't go that way that I can think of."

"Maybe in a few more years," Jay murmured. "When the girls are older. They may be all the kids we want to deal with. It's not like we have to choose while you're still fertile." He nuzzled Shi gently.

"No," she agreed, cuddling up close. "Though before we have to head out on missions again some time might be good, generally. Mmm ... sleep well, okay Jay?"

"Shi, you don't _go_ on missions." Jay chuckled softly and settled in for the night.

"Mmm ... point taken," she chuckled, settling in and rubbing Fenrik's side as the trio snuggled close.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Doruth settled into the distinctly unfamiliar seat of one of the Order's acknowledged lightsaber masters as Tes settled in further back in the crowd that was gathering. Today was the day for Jay; he was being tested against his best "student" in the SWAT Form, Master Dal Sarapas. The Thississpian looked almost like he was asleep where he stood in the demonstration chamber, opposite Jay with his serpentine tail coiled beneath his humanoid body and long, flowing white hair, but Doruth knew very well that he could move from that position in the blink of an eye.

It felt very strange, being here to judge the combat between a Knight who was developing a new Lightsaber Form and the only Master who could seriously challenge Doruth in a duel. Very, very strange.

He had to wonder a little why they were paired against each other. Jay was damn good at what he did, but he was no real match for Sarapas, not even in his own Form.

"* _Testing him, love._ *" Tes smiled gently at him from the bleachers. "* _Several Masters still doubt him._ *"

"* _I would have figured it out,_ *" Doruth replied silently, chuckling mentally. He focused on the scene. It _was_ traditional for the best student of a Form to be the one tested at this stage, so that alone would keep Jay from realizing the true test that was going to happen.

Doruth only hoped he passed it, though if there was anybody who could handle Jay if he snapped, it would be Master Sarapas.

The last few stragglers gathered, taking their seats. It was mostly warriors watching right now, Jedi who wanted to see the new Form and judge whether or not it would be worth joining the three others who had learned it from Jay or Master Yamari in the past eight years.

The signal was invisible, Doruth nearly missed it himself until the action started.

Jay opened on the offensive, controlled and precise, four glowing blades on each side crackling and snapping as the pair began with the easy formalized moves most duels began with.

Master Sarapas moved with serpentine grace, his tail moving swiftly along the floor of the arena as he defended against Jay's attacks, predicting and matching him, blow for blow, with ease that would make one almost think _he_ had developed the Form.

It wasn't long before they'd run through the basics, proving that Sarapas did have a grasp of them.

Then it moved on to the advanced maneuvers and a true duel.

Sarapas was the better warrior, no one doubted that, but anyone who'd watched Jay fight knew just as well that the tom could be dangerously unpredictable in what he tried and how he fought.

It was an interesting mix to say the least.

Master Sarapas had worked with Jay and Master Yamari alike for months; he knew how the younger tom fought intimately. As he made his way around him, circling and staying in constant motion, he was careful to watch the secondary blades as they blinked on and off.

Jay's gift let him work faster than any of his other students could; the lightsabers simply wouldn't hurt their owner, requiring much less focus on his part than on that of the students who had to work the internal switches telekinetically.

As effective as the SWAT form was, the master duelist simply didn't expect it to ever achieve a great deal of popularity.

It was a sentiment that its founder agreed with. Jay had never intended it to be common.

He started to go on the offensive, using his flexible lower body to his best advantage to dart from one side of Jay's body to the other, focusing his attack and keeping Jay from focusing his defenses to match them.

The greatest threat among the tactics used regularly was his block. As unsettling as it was to most Jedi to block a lightsaber with their hand, it was something Jay did regularly. The small arch of energy that protected his hand and the hilt was effective, and it allowed him to rotate either side of his 'saber into a body hit.

Even when it was expected, it could be difficult to counter.

The Thississpian had found one tactic that usually worked well, and that was to counter with a similarly unexpected attack. When Jay pivoted his 'saber, Sarapas countered by spinning his tail around to try and grab Jay's leg. The younger Knight leaped up above the muscular length, slashing at it with his 'saber, but Sarapas pulled back before he even had to deactivate the blade.

As Jay landed, he pressed the attack, punching at him with the hilts, prepared to meet Jay's defense with a similar offence.

He could already read in Jay's body language and the Force itself that the fight was over. He had won. Now it was a matter of how long it would take the Knight to realize the same.

Sarapas darted back, ready to hasten that decision. He coiled his tail beneath himself, then shot upwards, Force and powerful muscle propelling him over Jay's head and behind him. He twisted in mid-air, knocking Jay's extended blades out of his way and slashing with the hand-guard protecting his grips. Jay's robes were scorched by the hair-deep cut, the older Master being careful not to do more than char the surface of the cloth.

Surprise radiated from the feline for a moment, then he stepped backwards to the edge of the ring and angled his 'sabers in surrender.

Master Sarapas returned the gesture, bowing his shaggy head as the two of them extinguished their lightsabers and turned towards the judging Masters.

Master Ryagurl rose with the others sitting in judgment.

"Thank you Knight Clawson, Master Sarapas," the powerful Tiger rumbled. "You are dismissed. We will send word when we have made a decision."

"Thank you, Master Ryagurl." Jay bowed deeply to him and walked off the mat to join his mates near the door.

Doruth stood along with the Masters who would make the decision, following them out of the demonstration room and to a side chamber where they could discuss things in private.

"An impressive display," he opened up as the door slid shut behind him. He recognized a few of the moves Sarapas had used against him recently too; the Thississpian had been incorporating the new Form into his techniques for months.

"Yes," Master Ryagurl nodded in agreement. "Not as impressive as his first, but he has made a fine teacher."

"It will never be a common style." Master Seimon commented. "It does, however, meet all the requirements to be accepted as the seventh lightsaber Form."

"I do question its utility to a Jedi who isn't wielding his... rather unique form of lightsaber," Master Bas'rath said. "However, it does meet the requirements. I see no reason not to recognize it as a Form for... what _does_ he call that style of lightsaber again?" The Lioness asked.

"I do not believe he has named it, though I would call it the same as the Form they go with. The Form can't be used without it, and it's not well used without the Form." Master Seimon offered, his spined feline tail twitching slightly in amusement.

"A SWAT lightsaber?" Master Ryagurl considered it for a moment and nodded. "Unless he says otherwise, it works."

"I'll ask." Doruth said and reached out to catch Jay's mind before the Knight got to his workshop. "* _What is that lightsaber of yours called?_ *"

A pause confirmed that Jay hadn't really thought about it much. "* _SWAT. Same as the Form._ *" He finally decided.

"* _Thank you._ *" Doruth sent and closed the connection. "A SWAT lightsaber. And I can tell you from experience that the form is not entirely useless without the attendant 'saber. Master Sarapas has adapted some of the techniques to paired single-blade techniques."

"I do wish that Knight Clawson had chosen a somewhat more... traditional title," Master Bas'rath observed. "But barring objection, I believe we should enter the SWAT Form as the seventh."

"No objection, though the title is appropriate," Doruth cracked a small grin. "It's an acronym from his homeworld, for Special Weapons And Tactics. I asked when he first chose the name."

"It certainly fits then," the Lioness agreed. "Master Doruth, if you will see that he is informed?"

"Of course, Master Bas'rath." He bowed to her politely and left to talk to Jay, the other Masters filtering out behind him.

* * *

* * *

* * *

"I'll be taking the cubs and staying with the pack tonight," Tes informed her mate simply as she cleaned up after dinner. "You have company."

"Uhm... okay," he said, cocking his head as he stood to help with the dishes. "News to me. Your mother coming over?"

"No, Jay is." She smiled slightly. "It seems you have unfinished business with him from before we were married."

"Huh?" Doruth asked, thinking back. "Now what...." He trailed off as it occurred to him. "Uhm, Tes? The business he might have in mind is a little...."

"Personal? I know. He asked me if it was okay to ask you again." She smiled warmly at her mate and put a hand on his arm. "This is important to him. I can't say I get it, but it was hard to miss when he talked to me."

"What _did_ he give you?" Doruth asked, rubbing the bridge of his muzzle lightly. "He seemed to want to learn about sex but... hell, twenty years later, most of that with a pair of mates, I _think_ we can safely say he doesn't need any advice I could give him."

"It's a rite of passage, I think." Tes leaned back against the counter. "Part of their coming of age rites. Since you're as close as he has to kin here, he chose you for it. Why he waited _this_ long after Knighting, or chose now, I didn't ask."

"I can probably guess, but I won't for now," Doruth murmured, thinking for a moment. "About how long before he comes up here?"

"You've got an hour." She regarded him curiously.

"We still have those millaflower tabs from that mission to Kuat?" He asked her.

"Yeah," Tes cocked her head slightly at him. "In the med-kit. Why?"

"It's not that Jay's not attractive," Doruth explained, "but I'm still not really all that sure of whether or not... y'know. Like you said, I'm about the closest he has to family. It's... well, it kinda feels like I'd be sleeping with my son. Figure if I take a couple of those, it might help me loosen up enough that doesn't bother me."

"You _can_ tell him no, you know." She reminded him gently even as she walked to the medkit they kept convenient, tucked behind the couch.

"You don't think I should though, do you?" He pointed out, as much as asked.

Still his mate paused before she stood with two pills in her hand. "No." Tes admitted quietly, understanding more than she cared to admit. "He is not your daughter, that inbred young could come of this. He is not a child any more, but your age when we met." She offered him the pills. "He is hurt inside, love; still that thirteen year old boy that did his best be do was he was taught and was turned away by the person he saw as his father. That part of him will never stop hurting, wondering what is wrong with him, until this is done. Turn him away this time, and he won't ask a third time."

"And there's nothing wrong with him," Doruth sighed, taking the pills. "Just that with my people, what he's asking for is so far from normal it's not funny." He swallowed the pills, knowing it'd be about an hour before they really started to work. "So really, I can't say no, and we both know it."

"It's only one night." She kissed him gently, proud of her mate. "Who would have thought it would have turned into all this when you rescued us that day."

"Mmm ... I know I didn't," Doruth admitted, returning the kiss. "Love you, Tes."

"I am proud of you, Doruth." Tes smiled and hugged him. "Not just for tonight, but for everything you've done in the last twenty years."

"And you're probably the only one here who thinks I'm anything more than a borderline maverick," he smirked, kissing her back. "Mmm ... too bad you've got to get going soon," he murmured, nuzzling her lightly.

"Don't sell yourself short," she smiled fondly and kissed the bridge of his muzzle. "You could have that seat on the Council that Sarapas' is expecting to take, you know. Never mind all the young Jedi you've given the Order."

"Mmm ... don't worry, I won't," he chuckled. "I was referring more to the fact that most Jedi don't think it's necessarily a good thing that I've been able to handle more than one mission by stacking a pazaak deck at the right time," he winked, making her giggle.

"True enough, but most haven't lived through what you have either." She nuzzled him affectionately. "Last I checked, most of the best field agents are just such mavericks. It's why they're the best."

"You _do_ realize that I'm teasing just as much as you are?" He asked her with a chuckle. "Hope the kids aren't too much trouble for you and the Pack tonight. At least Abayomi and Nasim cooled down after they got into the crèche," he chuckled.

"They'll make spectacular Knights in a few years." Tes smiled in motherly pride. "I'd better get going, love."

"See you tomorrow," he smiled, kissing her again. "Here's hoping everything goes well."

"It will," she assured him with a smile and went to gather their most recent litter of Panther-Wolf cubs to be out of the way for the night.

* * *

Jay let none of the nervousness he felt show to those around him as he walked to Doruth's quarters. After twenty-one years at the Temple, he was _good_ at this particular form of concealment. He wasn't perfect at it, but it had been useful as a Padawan, and all but a sanity saver in the seven years since.

It was kind of strange, in its own way, the timing of life in this place. Many had taken a life in combat by fifteen, were not really adults until their mid-twenties, he'd be in his late forties before he got out of training, and sex ... it barely seemed to exist to most.

He'd had two mates by fourteen, and no children, while Doruth and Tes hadn't met until their thirties and had already given thirteen kids to the crèche and more to come. 

He'd had two mates by fourteen, and no children, while Doruth and Tes hadn't met until their thirties and had already given thirteen kids to the crèche and more to come. It grated on him at times, that he couldn't have children here. And they were all oddities; most Jedi never took a mate, let alone had children. They recruited most new 'followers' from outside Force users.

He was never going to be the head of the family, his oldest sister, an adult when he'd been born, held that position after their father, but he was strong in the family Gift. His children would have been a great boon to the family. There were days, more frequently now that he was old enough to be preparing for his first kit's adolescence, that he resented being stuck where he was.

He pushed it all out of his mind as he rang the chime.

The door opened, and he walked in to see Doruth seemingly meditating, though it was clear to his other senses that the Panther wasn't. Not really, at least. There was something a little unusual about him, besides the fact that he was sitting still, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"Doruth?"

"Hey, Jay," Doruth said, snapping out of his meditation with a bit of a smile. "I hear we have a little unfinished business?"

"Yes," he murmured and settled next to the older tom who'd brought him off the street and showed him a life he could respect living. As much as he didn't want to be, Jay couldn't help but be as nervous as he'd been almost nineteen years before. "I doubt I explained myself well when I approached you to be my first lover."

"You were also just thirteen," Doruth reminded him. "And I still think of you like a son. What you were asking me then... Jay, there was no way I was going to be able to provide it, even if it was a part of your culture. That young, it would've been as out of line for me as it would've been right for you."

"And now?" He looked up at the Panther, his soul laid bare in his amber eyes. Those eyes... they never could conceal the truth very well.

Every word Tes had said was true, and Doruth couldn't deny it. Not seeing it for himself.

He saw too, that Jay was willing to walk away a second time and never bring it up again, if he was asked to. Jay was here in an act of selfish need and wouldn't force another just to satisfy that now any more than he would nineteen years before.

"One night," Doruth said softly. "And no expecting me to keep up with a tom 20 years my junior," he added with a slight quirk to his lips.

"I won't." Jay promised with relieved smile and a quirk of his own mouth. It was also where his certainty about what was going to happen ended. It wasn't a night he was meant to lead.

"Anything I'm supposed to do in particular?" Doruth asked him, not sure if there would be or not.

"I'm not so sure." He admitted awkwardly. "The idea is so you don't get hurt, or hurt your partner, when you find a playmate your own age. A few simple lessons to make it go smother." He dropped his eyes briefly, then looked up again. "I don't need those lessons anymore, but there is still a hole inside where the affection and care that night should have been." He leaned forward and slid his hand along the Panther's jaw to draw him into a gentle, lingering kiss. "* _Just love me tonight, Doruth._ *"

"* _I already do, Jay,_ *" Doruth reassured him, returning the kiss. "* _Just a different sort of love, usually._ *" He ran his tongue around the much younger tom's lips, remembering the last time he'd been with another guy. He couldn't help but be a little grateful that it had probably been this morning for Jay.

Doruth felt the reply, wordless and understanding, as Jay opened his mouth in invitation. He felt the pain, both nineteen years old and seven years old, fade and surge at random moments as Jay opened himself up in a way he rarely did even with his mates.

Doruth started working Jay's robes off, standing along with the younger tom and starting to move them towards the room he usually shared with Tes. If she hadn't come to him about this first, this wouldn't be anywhere _near_ happening. As it stood, he had enough millaflower in his system and understanding of why in his head to be going along without much difficulty.

He definitely wasn't getting any complaints from Jay as their robes slid to the floor and hands explored powerful, trained to perfection bodies.

Doruth pressed Jay back against a nearby wall, kissing the side of his muzzle, then down his neck to his chest to moans of pleasure and desire that echoed across the Force.

"Switching okay?" He asked, working Jay's trousers down and fondled his balls lightly.

"Yes," he groaned and spread his legs for the older tom, more than willing for anything Doruth had in mind.

"Good," the older Panther rumbled, licking Jay's nipples and fondling his sheath. It was an effort that was quickly rewarded by the hard, rough shaft of a full adult emerging to be stroked. Despite the submissive body language Jay gave and the light touch of his hands, there was no missing how much he _wanted_ this.

"Lube?" Doruth asked him, nuzzling his hard, firm abs, approaching his rigid cock.

"No need." Jay gasped sharply in pleasure as the tip of Doruth's tongue slid across the head of his cock. "Oohhh."

"Will for me, but that'll wait," Doruth purred, continuing the sound as he took Jay's cock into his mouth. He played his tongue along Jay's barbs, suckling him as his throat sent vibrations down his thick length.

He had to admit, it had an intoxicating effect to be with another Jedi. The way another with the training could control their body and share pleasure and desire without words. Tes has learned the trick, and clearly so had Jay. Every movement, every pleasure was echoed lightly across the Force, reinforcing what they were doing.

"Oh, _yes_." Jay growled hotly, his hand fondling Doruth's velvety ears.

Doruth rumbled deeply, pulling off Jay's shaft for a moment to wet a finger with his spit before taking him into his mouth again, pressing that finger up against the tight ring of Jay's ass. It slid in easily, Jay's body long accustomed to being penetrated and just as accustomed to associating it with pleasure and caring.

He probed Jay's ass, quickly adding a second finger and searching for his prostate as he sucked him off, fondling his balls with the other hand, his own cock hard as a rock beneath the trousers he was still wearing. He could feel Jay tremble under the attentions, close to an orgasm.

"* _C-close._ *" Jay whimpered, his hips already bucking slightly.

"* _Don't hold back,_ *" Doruth told him. "* _Want to taste you._ *" It had been years since he'd done this; just once or twice with one of the males in the Pack when they'd accept that he could take a vaguely submissive role without giving up his 'rank.'

Jay had no such hang-ups. His hands closed around Doruth's head and he threw his head back with a roar as his balls tightened to pump their contents into Doruth's waiting mouth.

The older Panther drank down the thick, bittersweet ropes of seed being pumped into his throat. Once Jay was done, he licked his cock clean, rumbling and nuzzling his sheath.

"Ready for more?" Doruth asked him.

"Yes," he murmured breathlessly, stroking Doruth's ears.

"Face to face, or want me against your back?" The older Panther asked, not knowing Jay's tastes. He felt the hesitation, the definite appeal of both choices.

"* _Against my back._ *" Jay finally breathed across their minds even as he turned around and lifted his tail invitingly.

"How do you like it?" Doruth asked him, standing and pressing against his back, taking his cock and pressing it against the tight ring of muscle.

"Hard and fast." Jay groaned in anticipation.

"I can do that," Doruth rumbled, then thrust up into Jay's stretched ass, groaning as his hot, tight body squeezed down around his barbed length. He bit down lightly on Jay's shoulder, reminding himself forcefully that this was _definitely_ not Tes, and that the same rules didn't apply.

He fucked the smaller tom hard, enjoying every moment and how much Jay was enjoying it, the sounds and motion of sex that was going well, but it was a long way between 'hard and fast' and leaving his bedmate a bloody mess.

Even if Jay had wanted it, and from the low echo from Jay's mind he probably did enjoy it, Doruth was sure Shi would kill him if her mate returned in need of her help.

Still, with Jay's mental encouragement, the older Panther let himself speed up, slamming his cock against Jay's prostate and gripping his cock tightly, stroking it hard and fast. It didn't take long before Jay began to whimper and tremble as the pleasure built up and his body tightened, milking the thick length inside him even before he roared with his release against the wall and all over Doruth's hand.

Doruth let out a roar of his own, pumping his seed deep into Jay's ass, his dark, furry balls pulling up tight against his body as the intensity of the moment swept them both away.

He moaned softly as he came down, his cock twitching in Jay's ass and the younger tom panting after coming twice so quickly.

"Need a bit of a break?" Doruth asked him, purring deeply.

"No," Jay purred and turned his head to nuzzle his lover. "You feel very good."

"Thanks," Doruth rumbled. "It's been a while. Want to try and make it to the bed?"

"Sure," he chuckled softly and licked Doruth's muzzle affectingly. "Maybe I can show you a little tongue work?"

"Mmm ... want me to go clean up, or want to do the honors yourself?" Doruth asked, returning the affectionate lick even as he felt the sharp spike of arousal that marked a serious kink in his bedmate.

"I think I'll do it," Jay grinned up. "In the shower."

"Like water, huh?" Doruth chuckled, pulling out of Jay with a groan, reaching down to finger the younger tom's dripping ass lightly.

"Very much," he groaned and pressed back into that touch, excited by the very though of getting wet.

"Then let's get into the shower," Doruth purred, bringing his sticky fingers up and dabbing a bit of his seed onto Jay's nose, kissing him lightly. A part of him wondered how much of his relaxation with this was the millaflower... and he hoped it was more than it felt like, just now.

It didn't matter, really. Jay wouldn't be back like this. One night, and one night only. They both had mates that were inclined to keep it that way.

"Mmm, yes." Jay rumbled in appreciation of the view he got from following Doruth to the bathroom and being reasonably self-controlled while the water heated.

"After you," Doruth rumbled once the water was steaming up the showers. He quickly realized that Jay had a taste for putting on a sensual show and under the rain of hot water was his element.

Every move, every strand of fur that was wetted, was an erotic act to the exotically marked cinnamon tom. His long hair, seven years worth of growth now, streamed down his back as he moaned in pleasure and offered up his body to the experience that the hot rain was for him.

"Pretty kitty," Doruth rumbled, climbing in after him and pressing Jay's back against the tiles of the shower as he kissed him hungrily.

"Mmmm," Jay kissed back just as eagerly. "* _More before we clean up?_ *"

"Want to see your face when you cum this time," Doruth told him, lifting one of Jay's legs and half-wrapping it around his waist as he pressed his cock up against his well-stretched ass. It was a maneuver that his lover helped as much as he could with.

They both groaned, cut off by a kiss as Doruth began to fuck him, taking in every pleasured expression Jay offered up in the steam.

The Panther took his time this time, the water and heat soaking into their muscles as he slid in and out of the younger tom's bowels. He grazed Jay's neck with his teeth, licking at his neck tenderly. Every move, from hard to tender, was welcomed and encouraged.

"Ohh, yesss." Jay groaned as his cock filled out again between them, hardening in response to the pleasure building inside his body again.

"Like this, huh?" Doruth rumbled, groaning a bit as his hard abs rubbed against Jay's barbed shaft, teasing him with his fur as his own cock throbbed in Jay's ass.

"Yes," Jay shuddered and tightened his body around Doruth, eager for every bit of contact he could get.

Doruth sealed his mouth against Jay's, thrusting into him, lifting him off the tile of the shower slightly with each forceful push. He groaned into Jay's mouth, his balls already twitching and eager for release. He felt Jay began to whimper into his mouth, the smaller tom's body twitching with each thrust as it was pushed closer and closer to the edge.

With one more deep, lusty groan, Doruth squeezed his eyes shut, pumping another load of his seed under Jay's tail, his barbs raking the kat's prostate. It was enough, along with the raw pleasure he was radiating, to bring a third growling orgasm from Jay.

"Mmmm, maybe a little break now." Jay mumbled with a loopy grin on his face.

"I think so," Doruth panted, nuzzling his neck as they slowly slid apart and Jay got his feet under him. "After we get cleaned off."

"Mmm, that can be as fun as the sex." He chuckled and reached for the shampoo to start working on Doruth's chest.

"Yeah," the Panther chuckled, taking the bottle and starting to work on Jay's fur too. "Though I think both of us could use a little time doing something that isn't pelvic."

The playful glitter in Jay's eyes made him wonder just what he'd said to put whatever idea was in Jay's head in there, and what he was in for.

"You won't get a complaint from me." Jay smiled at him as he worked his way down Doruth's chest and purred at the attention to his own.

"Okay, what did I just get myself into?" Doruth asked with a chuckle, working the shampoo into Jay's fur and down his body, the light scent of the shampoo blending with their musky scent in the steam.

"Nothing you'll object too, promise." He smiled with a throatily purr, his hands massaging the Panther's abs.

"That doesn't exactly narrow things down just now," Doruth chuckled, kissing him lightly before Jay knelt and slid his tongue along Doruth's sheath while his hands worked on the Panther's thighs.

Doruth rumbled deeply, rubbing Jay's soft ears and the back of his head. Though the contact was only intended to clean, he'd be lying if he said that was the only effect it was having on him. He moaned and let his head fall back as Jay moved down to take one of his balls into his mouth, lavishing it with attention as the fur was cleaned.

"Mmm ... planning on returning the favor?" He asked as his cock started to swell again. It was nights like this he was grateful for feline endurance.

"* _Eventually,_ *" he chuckled softly as he turned his attention to the other black orb in front of his nose. "* _There is cleaning left to do._ *"

"Just making sure you weren't going to leave me hanging," the Panther purred, scratching Jay's head lightly as he was pleasured with the slow affection that could be simple cleaning, or the beginning of a long round of foreplay. "Mmm ... damn you're good at that."

"* _I wouldn't_ *" Jay purred at the praise as he let Doruth slid from his mouth and ever so slowly licked and nosed his way back to the furless pucker under his tail.

"Oh fuck," Doruth groaned, turning in the shower and raising his tail to give Jay better access.

"* _Not for a while yet._ *" Jay murmured between their minds even as his tongue made a slow circle around Doruth's entrance. "* _Prep first._ *"

"* _You know what I meant,_ *" Doruth chuckled back mentally, bapping the back of Jay's head with his tail and making the younger tom snicker.

Jay promptly got even by folding his tongue in half, rough side in, and pressed it into the Panther's body.

He just replied with a deep, pleasured groan, pressing his forehead to the wall as the sound echoed in the shower and his ass was tongue-fucked. He almost whimpered when Jay spared a hand to reach forward and began to roll and fondle his balls, occasionally sending a finger trailing up his half-full sheath.

"Thought I was supposed to be teaching you," he managed to get out with a chuckle, his cock hardening the rest of the way quickly.

"You want me to stop?" Jay asked with an _almost_ innocent tone as he lifted his face away from Doruth's ass.

"You know the answer to that," the Panther rumbled. He wasn't sure what to make of the snicker, but it was soon the last thing on his mind when that tongue was back at his body, licking the outside between ventures inside.

"Mmm ... think I'm just about clean enough," Doruth rumbled deeply, his cock rock hard and leaking pre-cum. He shuddered lightly as Jay kissed his way up his spine, a finger teasing his ass gently while a tendril of Force brought the lube to them. Not a normal use of Force, but definitely an appreciated on right now.

Then Jay's fingers were slick with the thick goo and one pressed inside Doruth's body easily, stretching and probing with an steady confidence in his skill.

"Mmm ... thanks for remembering," Doruth groaned, spreading his legs and bracing himself for what was going to come. He had little doubt that despite the careful prep and patience displayed in foreplay, when it finally got down to it, Jay wasn't going to be going for slow and gentle. It wasn't how he'd reacted so far as the bottom, and the teasing nips he gave while his fingers worked only reinforced the idea.

"* _Ready?_ *" Jay asked softly, hungry to be inside but unwilling to push to fast.

"Ready," Doruth nodded and felt the emptiness as Jay's fingers left his body. "Go ahead."

He groaned deeply as his scruff was taken in by a pair of strong jaws and his ass was opened up by a single smooth thrust of a well-lubed cock. 

Jay held still as his lover adjusted to the invasion, then began to thrust smoothly, his hands on Doruth's hips to hold them still as the Panther was taken.

Doruth couldn't help a whimper of pleasure as he felt Jay fill his ass, his barbs raking him slightly through the thick gel on his cock.

"Oh _yes_!" He moaned, squeezing down around Jay's length, milking it with his body and was rewarded by and increased energy in the thrusting that made his cock quiver. He threw his head back with a groaning roar when Jay upped the intensity as he reached around and began to lightly stroke his thick, black cock.

Doruth tried to hold off as long as he could, milking Jay's shaft as his own throbbed in the younger tom's fingers. In the end, it didn't last long. His roar echoed around the shower, his seed spraying against the wall as he came hard. He gasped, cries dragged out of him with each thrust Jay made into his spasming body. A skilled hand kept him hard and twitching, strong jaws held tight on his scruff as Jay continued to fuck him.

He reached back with one hand, grabbing Jay's hips on instinct and pressing back into his thrusts, savoring the feel of being taken by another tom for the first time in ages.

* * *

Doruth groaned deeply as he felt his balls pull up close to his body, seed rushing out of his shaft early the next morning as he woke up to the end of a blowjob from his unusual bed partner.

"* _Morning._ *" Jay greeted him as he swallowed and lapped up the thick come.

"Morning," Doruth murmured, reaching down to rub Jay's ears lightly. "Get what you needed last night?" He asked him.

"Yes," he smiled and rubbed into the hand, a soft rumbling purr in his chest. "* _Thank you._ *"

"You're welcome," Doruth smiled, pulling him up for a gentle kiss, though not nearly as heated as those they'd shared the night before. "Sorry I couldn't give it to you before."

"It's all right," Jay nuzzled him. "I understand it wasn't because you didn't care about me."

"Good," Doruth murmured, returning the nuzzle. "You should probably get back to your place, so we both have time to clean up before meeting our mates."

"Which would be decidedly rude smelling of another tom so much." He chuckled and kissed Doruth softly before sliding from bed, his body clearly turned on, and just as clearly it wasn't something Jay cared about.

"To say nothing of Tes and the cubs coming back to the room smelling of the two of us so much," Doruth chuckled, climbing out of bed himself. "It was a good night, Jay," he smiled, giving him an affectionate scritch between the ears and felt the tom lean into the touch with a soft purr as they dressed.

"Yes, it was." He smiled up at Doruth and rolled his head to kiss the Panther's fingers before they parted and Jay put on his Jedi face for the walk back to his quarters.

Doruth watched him leave, then headed into the shower to clean up before cleaning the smell of sex out of his quarters.

* * *

"Mmm, Jay's coming back, and he's feeling better." Shi smiled as she sprawled on top of her own exhausted Panther.

"Good," Fenrik murmured. "Hope he's not too wound up; don't know that I could handle the both of you too much right now," he chuckled, kissing Shi lightly. "If this morning's any indication, maybe we should try and find him another boyfriend," he winked.

"I don't think so." She pouted, pretending to be insulted. "He's mine."

"Mmm ... not _just_ yours," Fenrik grinned up at her, licking her nose playfully. "Though really, you were in one _hell_ of a good mood this morning."

"Part of it's his condition," she smiled softly and relaxed on his chest. "Ever since ... well, I've been keeping a bit more of an eye on him than usual. Whatever happened last night, it's really helped him."

"Good to know," Fenrik murmured, scratching her back lightly. "Let him get his shower before we pull him in to spend a little time with us?"

"Well, if you're too worn out to play, we'd better." Shi snickered. "You know what water does to him."

"That's for sure," Fenrik chuckled, snuggling up with his mate. "Mmm ... hope everything went well on Doruth's end too."

"Me too," she murmured and closed her eyes, content to wait for Jay to clean up and come in of his own accord.


	11. Scores to Settle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Interlude. When a simple mission turns into anything but when Jay spots someone he knows, his mates go face-to-face with his stance on law, justice and the Jedi way when it's very personal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written with Karl Wolfemann

"Don't look now," Fenrik chuckled, shaking his head as he pulled a slip of paper out of the pocket of his civilian clothes. "But I think we just lost my Padawan to the locals again."

He, Jay, and the newly absent Jenna were on Trianii, the capital world of a cluster of systems controlled by one of several of the Galaxy's races of Panthers. Their mission had gone well, and they were taking a little downtime before going back to Coruscant, enjoying the novelty of being on a feline-dominated world for the first time in some years.

And, for Jenna, of being on a world where the boys weren't just interested in a newcomer, but also weren't restricted by Jedi reluctance to play around.

"I dare you to tell me you're surprise." He chuckled softly and dressed in the flowing shirt and form-fitting pants he favored. He wasn't about to say it, but having the kids truly absent for the first time in over four years was something he was relishing every moment of.

"Only by the fact that she waited until _after_ the Trade Federation representatives agreed to the terms that the yu'nar set, rather than heading out as soon as we'd transmitted them," Fenrik chuckled, shaking his head and pulled his shirt on and they double-checked their appearance. "Sometimes I worry that that girl's going to get herself into trouble like this."

"At least she's learned how to control her fertility." Jay pointed out quietly as they headed out into the busy streets filled with Panthers and a smattering of other felines. "She'll probably grow out of it, or find a mate who can keep up."

"I know," Fenrik nodded with a smile. "It just worries me once in a while. So, we've got a night or two before we head back home; anything in particular you want to do?"

"Check out what an all-feline world has to offer a couple old mates," he chuckled and leaned on Fenrik's arm. "It's been ages since we've been on one."

"Very true," Fenrik purred. "Pity Shi wasn't able to come along."

"Well, yes, but I'm enjoying having you to myself for a while." Jay smiled softly. He loved their mate dearly, but sometimes his natural predilection for males made it difficult to be interested in her.

"I'm not going to complain," Fenrik grinned, pulling on a jacket distinctly reminiscent of the ones his old Master had worn when he was posing as a gambler. "Besides, she's not _that_ crazy about the sort of music they're usually playing at the clubs we hit."

"Murr, have I reminded you recently how _hot_ you look in that outfit?" Jay licked his whiskers back and nuzzled his mate.

"Mmm ... down boy," Fenrik chuckled. "At least wait until we hit a club where that sort of thing fits in."

"Spoilsport." He snickered and toned it down a notch. "I'm not the only one who thinks you look good, though."

"Mmm... probably fortunately, Jenna's already found herself a boyfriend for tonight, if that's what you mean," Fenrik smirked, kissing him lightly.

"A couple of them, knowing her." Jay chuckled. "The locals are checking you out too."

"Like you're not getting your share of attention?" Fenrik pointed out, wrapping an arm around Jay's waist and pulling him close, his hand ghosting along Jay's thigh slightly. He grinned internally at the spike of arousal he felt from his lover.

It was going to be a _fun_ night.

"Wait till we get to a dance club and they find out our endurance." Jay winked.

"And that's just endurance with the vertical type of dancing," Fenrik winked back. "So, have any given club in mind?"

"Thunderbolt sounds like a good one. Master Essani would probably kill us both if we went to Warlords." He snickered. "Though after that place, we might not care."

"After that place, we might not be able to walk," Fenrik chuckled. "Let's hit the Thunderbolt, at least at first? I've heard rumors about the Warlord that you want to be sure you keep a hand on _top_ of your drink most of the time, if you know what I mean."

"Between the two of us, I think it's safe enough." Jay rumbled softly, one of his very few moments of getting off on public display simmering. "But Thunderbolt first. Actually get some vertical dancing in before things get interesting."

"If you'll let us," the Panther smirked. "At this rate, I half-expect to be pulled into an alley."

"If I thought I could get away with it, I would have by now." Jay grinned at him, his eyes glittering with mischief. 

"Not on this planet, love," Fenrik laughed, shaking his head. "You push the line enough playing in the gardens."

"We forget who can see _one_ time twenty-two years and you act like we're always fooling around in public." Jay rolled his eyes, though there was nothing but good humor behind it.

"I try," the Panther smirked, kissing him lightly. "Besides, around the Temple, that's about enough to qualify."

"True," Jay made a face. "A bunch of prudes sometimes."

"Sometimes," Fenrik agreed. "Though now that I'm _not_ a teenager anymore, I can kinda understand why. It's something that's still changing. With any luck it'll go back the other way before Jenna's expected to get respectable."

"Or she'll find a male to settle down with about it and be more discrete." He nodded. "Face it, if the three of us hadn't been together, we'd have been much more visible that way."

"I already was," Fenrik chuckled. "Master Kiris had just finished giving me a serious talking to about it before his last mission," he added, the sadness he still felt about his first Master's death obvious to his mate, though well hidden from everybody else.

Jay gave him a mental hug, but kept his outside unchanged. "I would have been much worse that you. You and Jenna like sex. I'm driven to have a mate. It wouldn't have slowed down until I found someone I could trust like that."

"Man, that could've been messy," Fenrik chuckled. "You're just lucky you managed to find mates who aren't Kel Dor or something."

"I'm surprised I found one who wasn't _feline_." Jay observed dryly. "But yeah, a Kel Dor would have been so ugly. A helium-based atmosphere is a hell of an obstacle."

"Just imagine being one of them, and having to live out here with the rest of us?" Fenrik pointed out with a bit of a shudder. "No wonder they've gotten so good at making breathmasks."

"It still amazes me that they'd ever want to." He shook his head slightly. "It's ...." Jay's voice trailed off as he spotted a familiar face that had never quite left his mind. A face that the entire Republic had been hunting for thirteen years.

And that Jay had been hunting harder than the Republic ever had, for a much more personal reason.

Fenrik took Jay's hand just in time to keep him from bolting after the Tigress he'd spotted.

"Careful," he warned his mate gently.

"She is _not_ getting away this time." He rumbled and pulled out of his mate's grip. His hatred and rage tightly constrained but definitely there as he darted after Blackstripe.

Fenrik swore under his breath and followed.

"* _At least make sure it's the right person!_ *" Fenrik warned him mentally.

Jay's reply wasn't words, but the mental snarl he gave to the idea that he _wouldn't_ be dead sure was a bit of a relief, even if the way he chased the Tigress now doing her best to lose them wasn't.

Fenrik quietly prayed that he'd be the one to catch up with her first. He honestly didn't want to know what might happen if Jay was.

Without a way to get between them, it was something he was likely to find out as the locals got out of the way in a hurry. On a world of mostly warriors, everyone recognized a hunt when they saw one and weren't about to get in the way of it. Especially not when it was one outsider after another.

A burst of speed and Jay tackled her, sending them both rolling and ending with him pinning her larger form.

The Force wrapped around them and the Tigress froze in response to Jay's silent command.

"* _Don't harm her, Jay!_ *" Fenrik warned him, pouring on the speed to catch up with the smaller tom and put a restraining hand on his shoulder as Jay growled at the woman under him, the war between his training, his internal sense of justice and the Demon demanding revenge all but visible on his face and very clear to the terrified Tigress frozen in place under him.

"We have her, Jay, it's only our place to catch," Fenrik warned his mate quietly. "* _Please,_ *" he added mentally. "* _Don't give in to it now._ *"

It was enough. At least it was enough to silence the Demon.

Jay's own morals were another issue.

Even as he stood Fenrik felt Jay call on the Force again. This time it was a bundle of Darkness, pain and violation inside the white energy that sunk into Blackstripe's body and mind.

"Follow us." Jay ordered her with gritted teeth and turned towards the spaceport and Sharufa.

Fenrik followed behind the shell-shocked Tigress and his mate, wondering just how the _hell_ he was going to explain all of this when they got back.

It wasn't that he didn't feel Jay had been justified, even if he'd done much worse ... he just wasn't entirely sure if the Council would agree.

* * *

Jenna flicked an ear as she neared Sharufa. It was quiet; she expected the toms to either still be out or asleep by now. It didn't feel right though.

Something was seriously off inside.

There was a female on board too.

Definitely not right.

She slipped her hand down to her lightsaber and reached out to her Master, only to find him very worried about something.

"* _Master?_ *" She asked quietly.

"* _It's safe, Jenna,_ *" Fenrik told her. "* _We just had a run-in with somebody ... important. It'll be fine,_ *" he told her, though she could tell he wasn't quite as confident as he tried to sound.

"* _All right Master._ *" She unlocked the hatch and boarded, following the disturbance in the Force to home in on her Master and Knight Clawson.

Jay was sitting there, an empty teacup encircled by his hands as he stared numbly at the wall, his mind completely elsewhere as he tried to work through whatever had happened. Fenrik was there with him, but seemed mostly to be watching him.

Jenna could tell it was less for lack of trying to help, than for lack of ability to do so. It was terrifying in its own way, to see her Master so helpless to help the person who mattered to him the most.

"* _Jay?_ *" Fenrik asked mentally, trying to reach his mate.

"Yes?" Jay almost glanced up, the motion aborted before it began.

"Want some more tea?" Fenrik asked him. "Or maybe head to bed? It's tomorrow already."

"* _And what can I tell Jenna?_ *" He asked silently.

Jay rubbed the bridge of his nose and sighed. "I should try to sleep." He stood and caught Fenrik's hand, squeezing it as he leaned against his mate. "Meditate if I can't."

"* _Tell her whatever you need to. She shouldn't be scared by my problem._ *"

"* _Not scared, Jay,_ *" Fenrik reassured him, starting to lead him to bed. "* _Just worried for you. You going to be okay?_ *"

"I recovered from far worse." He leaned against the Panther. "I just haven't thought about it in ... years, really. I know I told the Council I'd do that ... just never thought it would happen."

"All right," Fenrik nodded, supporting his weight and realizing that telepathy wasn't very comfortable for his mate just now. "Jenna, I'll be with you in a few minutes."

"Yes, Master." She politely waited for the galley door to close, then turned to fix a pot of soothing tea for them both while Fenrik got Jay settled in bed.

She couldn't help but wonder just what had happened. She had no idea what sort of person they could have met here who'd have an effect like that on Jay. No doubt it was the female in the holding cell that she could sense, but she didn't feel all that Dark. Badly messed up, probably in need of a mind-healer, but the prisoner did not feel like the kind that would mess up a Jedi that badly.

A few moments later, Fenrik was back, looking distinctly tired to his Padawan's familiar eyes.

"Sorry you had to see that," he said softly. "It's some baggage from Jay's solo mission."

"That long ago?" She stared at him in surprise closer to shock. "What did that woman _do_ to him?"

"She's a high-ranking member of the Southern Dianogas," Fenrik explained. "Jay interfered with their operations on Coruscant when I was on a mission, then was assigned to deal with an operation of theirs on Alderaan on his Solo. She ordered that he be dealt with and broken as badly as possible. They came very close to being successful. She's dealing with his memories of the events right now; I imagine that by the time we get back to Coruscant she'll be more stable."

"He never acted like he'd been hurt that bad." Jenna murmured quietly as she thought back to when she'd first seen him after he'd been knighted. Her empathy may not have been great, but he seemed so self-assured and controlled. It couldn't have been more than a few months after it happened. "I just saw what he was like behind closed doors, when no one else was watching."

"He did a very good job of keeping anybody else from seeing it, Jenna," Fenrik explained. "When he wants to, he's excellent at keeping his emotions hidden. When you managed to see his eyes, you could tell. It was a rough time for all of us, and this might well be a nasty setback for him."

"It might help too, when he's recovered from the initial shock." She added softly, hoping her Master would understand she meant well. "It's not the Jedi way, but revenge has its place in the healing process. If he's held on to the pain and need to hurt her this long, doing just that may be the only thing to cleanse him of it."

"I doubt the Council will agree," Fenrik pointed out with a bit of a sigh. "Especially not with what I felt when it happened. He came very close to crossing the line today, possibly even stepped across it."

Jenna glanced down and offered him a cup of tea from the steaming pot.

"What will happen to him?" She barely whispered.

"I don't know," Fenrik admitted, taking the glass and sipping it quietly. "They won't eject him from the Order, I'm sure of that. The Jedi have forgiven far, far worse acts of revenge than this, to say nothing of mass murder and treason. But I'm sure they'll find something."

"Trust the Council to do what is best in the long run." She said as much from rote as actually believing it, but it was soothing nonetheless. "They know better than we do."

"Usually," Fenrik admitted with a slight chuckle. "And I do trust them, Padawan. It's more Jay I'm worried about than them."

"He survived worse," she tried to say reassuringly. "He'll recover. Especially once Knight Shivasta gets her hands on him."

"I thought I was the one who was supposed to be reassuring you?" Fenrik asked with a chuckle, leaning over to kiss Jenna's cheek lightly. "With any luck, he'll be doing better as soon as he's come to grips with what happened. I just didn't expect him to shut down like he did."

"Maybe that's a good sign." She looked up at him. "If he's in shock at what he did, maybe he understands what went wrong. Why he shouldn't have done that."

"Assuming that's the root cause," Fenrik nodded. "If it is, then I think we're okay. If not ... it could be ugly, if he's stuck inside something from back then."

"Yeah," she sighed and sipped her tea. "At least we're not _that_ far away from home and Healers. Maybe he'll be better in the morning. He's always been strong."

"I hope you're right, Jenna," Fenrik nodded, finishing his tea with a sigh. He also hoped it wouldn't be another seven years before Jay was all right again.

"If you do not mind, Master, I would head to bed now." Jenna said as she stood to clean up the few dishes.

"Go ahead, Jenna," Fenrik smiled, standing to help her. "Try not to let this bother you too much."

"I will try," she nodded slightly. "Rest well, Master." She added as she headed towards her quarters on the small fighter-transport.

"You too, Padawan," Fenrik smiled, cleaning the dishes quickly and starting back to his room.

He only hoped that Jay was sleeping peacefully. He knew better, he could feel it across the bond they shared, but he could hope.

Golden eyes opened to greet him when he walked in. Eyes full of fear and shame that where nothing like the way he was after his Solo.

"She'll be all right, Jay," Fenrik told him softly, climbing into bed to find himself with an armful of disturbed mate. "I can tell that much."

"I'm not sure to be relieved or more disturbed by that." Jay murmured as he pressed close. "I shouldn't have done that. She deserved it, but I shouldn't have."

"No, you shouldn't have," Fenrik admitted, nuzzling Jay lightly and rubbing his back as the tom slowly relaxed. "At least you realize it. We'll have Shi take a look at her when we get back."

"So much for a nice easy mission." He mumbled. "They're never going to let me out of the Temple again, at this rate."

"They'll let you out, just not unsupervised," Fenrik tried to joke, one that made his mate wince.

"Already true." He mumbled.

"Sorry," the Panther murmured, kissing him gently. "You didn't do any permanent damage... you stopped before you got that far."

"Part of me regrets that," he sighed. "She's caused so much pain. The legal system can't even begin to do justice."

"Jay, her crimes are against the Republic," Fenrik pointed out. "It's their job to decide what her punishment should be, not ours."

"It doesn't change that justice will never be done." He sighed, his eyes closing briefly. "I know it shouldn't matter to me, it's not my job ... it still does." Jay buried his face against his mate's broad chest. "* _Justice can't be done here. Not for her, and not for the people she's hurt._ *"

"What would justice be?" Fenrik asked him softly.

"I don't know," he murmured. "She turned against the Republic because those who hurt her were never punished, because she saw it all around her and no one cared. She cared enough to try to change things. Then she hurt more people." He sighed dejectedly. "The real cause, the one who set this chain of events into motion, will never pay for any of their crimes, and her story is not alone."

"You can't fix everything, Jay," Fenrik said softly, nuzzling Jay's forehead. "What happened to her?"

"Too much," he shuddered. "She'll be fine because what I did to her is nothing compared to what she's been through herself. She knows how to break people because she's been there. People ... I'll never understand how people can do that to each other."

"Some people just don't care about others," Fenrik said softly, holding Jay close. "She still won't be able to hurt anybody else after this... and you never know what people might find out. The Force has a way of seeing that justice happens, even if it takes a while."

He nodded and tried to believe. Sometimes it was easy; this close to the pain of others, it wasn't nearly so simple. 

"Have faith, Clawson." He whispered to himself, pressing close to the warm, powerful body in bed with him. "Just have faith for once."

* * *

* * *

* * *

Long ago most of the Council had made a point to being here when Clawson made a report of any kind. He rarely had a dull mission or report, even when they _were_ dull, and few of them were dull.

Master Kareth groaned internally when she saw the pair of Knights and one Padawan enter the Council Chamber. The mission may have been a success, but obviously the unexpected capture of Blackstripe had done much more than any of them had let on. He wasn't as bad as when he'd returned from his Solo, but he was something of a mess when you looked past the perfectly controlled exterior.

She had to give him credit for maintaining appearances when he had no right to be able to. Pride may be something the Jedi discouraged, but in this case he put it to a very proper use. He made the Order look good, even when he was ready to crack inside.

It sent a ripple of concern and displeasure through the gathered Masters, the familiarity of the state drawing confusion and curiosity from those who had not known him so long. It was a curiosity that was quickly dispelled by those that already knew.

"* _Report, Knight Aren._ *" Master Essani began the formal part of this meeting. Finding out what was wrong with her former Padawan would come later.

"Our primary mission was successful, Masters," Fenrik started easily. "We went to the Trianii cluster as requested by the Trade Federation's representative, and found the people there eager to reach a settlement with the Federation. They had already effectively defeated them in battle, and they had religious strictures about meeting under the conditions the Federation was insisting on.

"Negotiations, to be frank, would be a polite term for it; they simply wanted the Federation to repair the damage that had been done in the brief war between their people, to leave their space, and not to come back any time soon. The Federation was only too happy to agree; they'd been expecting rather firmer censure for their aggression towards the Trianii Panthers."

"* _And Blackstripe?_ *" Master Essani got to the subject that had no doubt caused the distress they were sensing for the three.

"We encountered the Tigress after negotiations were complete, Master Essani," Fenrik explained. "We were in the spaceport and Knight Clawson saw her. We chased her and apprehended her before she could escape again." It was painfully obvious that he wasn't giving all the details about what had happened, and just as obvious why.

"* _Knight Clawson?_ *" She focused on her former Padawan.

"I hurt her more than was needed to stop her." He said softly, not even trying to fight the effect of the Council. "I tore into her mind before Knight Aren stopped me."

"How much damage was done before he did?" Master Kareth asked softly.

"Nothing permanent," Fenrik said. "Once -"

"Master Kareth asked Knight Clawson, Knight Aren," Master Noloth warned the Panther.

"My apologies, Masters," the Panther said, inclining his head.

"Nothing permanent, because of her own past." Jay answered quietly. "I gave her my memories of what she ordered done during my Solo mission. I was not gentle when I got information from her. It left her shaken and bruised, but not very injured."

"Contrary to your intentions to do more damage," Master Noloth said, knowing it was true. While even he couldn't really blame Jay in the long run, it was clear that something like this had been a possibility they'd all seen for years, and ignored too long.

"Correct, Master Noloth." Jay inclined his head.

Master Ty'thri'ku'mo Mython lifted his triangular head on his long neck to regard the Knight evenly.

"You neither regret your actions nor believe they were right." He began, his voice a low rumble that filled the large chamber. "Yet you have not let go of your anger in this."

"I know, Master Ty'thri'ku'mo. Sometimes I cannot accept it is not my place to care about justice and the welfare of the people, _all_ people. It hurts too much to know and not be allowed to act."

"* _You have faced injustice before without reacting like this,_ *" Master Essani pointed out. "* _Was justice your motive, or revenge?_ *"

"Revenge, Master." He answered simply. It was justice to him, but justice was not what drove him in those moments. "The anger still in me is from the reason this all happened. She is not insane. She is not Dark. She did not act in a moment of emotion or need. She tried everything she could before turning to violence to change a system that does not work. What she did was wrong, but it was less wrong than what was done to drive her to it, and I added to her reasons to continue."

"And what do you feel should be done about this?" Master Noloth asked him.

Jay was silent a moment, his gaze steady against the Frilled Lizard's, before he answered.

"The legal system, and the society that created it, needs to change to protect all the people, not just those with money and the luck to be born in the right place."

"You do not expect this, however." Master Ty'thri'ku'mo commented.

"I have enough understanding of the sheer size and complexity of such a task to realize it will take centuries of concerted effort by those in control to make a dent in the problem."

"Do you feel she is able to say who victimized her before she joined the Dianogas?" Master Kareth asked him.

"Yes," he nodded. "I found most of them. Most are also already dead."

"We will want descriptions of those who remain," the tri-colored Vixen said easily. "What do you feel should be done about your conduct?"

"They are in my report." He nodded, then paused to think about her question. It wasn't an answer he really had a solid idea about. Home didn't even have laws regarding telepathy. The Republic laws didn't apply to Jedi, and even those that might apply to this were few and far between.

Jedi punishments ... he honestly hadn't ever thought about. He had always just accepted the Council's or his Master's choices when he did something wrong. It was usually meditation. Sometimes a _lot_ of it. That seemed ... inappropriately mild given he'd just mind-raped someone, even if it wouldn't affect her for long and was done in a moment of pure rage.

"I do not know, Master." He eventually admitted.

"* _Please wait outside, Knight Clawson,_ *" Essani told him. "* _We would like to speak with Knight Aren._ *"

"Yes, Master." Jay inclined his head and stood, leaving without an outward indication that anything was going on.

Inside, they all knew he was in turmoil on several levels.

"Do you believe he would have caused permanent damage if you hadn't stopped him in time?" Master Kareth asked the Panther once Jay was gone.

"He would have by the time I did stop him, if her mind wasn't already used to it," Fenrik admitted quietly. "And it would have been intentional. I do not believe it was only his desire, however."

"You believe the Demon was influencing him?" Master Charn looked directly at the younger Panther.

"In part," Fenrik nodded. "Knight Clawson's temper is short, I'll be honest. However, his telepathic skills aren't typically up to what he did without more focus, something he didn't have time to take advantage of. Given what I saw in the Force, I believe the Demon was assisting him, at the very least."

"What was his condition up to the point he saw Blackstripe?" Master Ty'thri'ku'mo asked.

"He was in a good mood, affectionate, cheerful. We had just completed our mission, and intended to spend the night on-planet before returning to Coruscant. He was looking forward to a little time on a world with more felines on it. When he saw her, she became his total focus in an instant. I barely had time to notice her myself before he took off."

"And after you had her in the holding cell?" Master Sarapas asked calmly.

"Once he realized what he'd done, he practically went into shock," Fenrik explained. "He spent the rest of the return trip trying to come to grips with it, while I worked to make sure that my assessment of the damage done was accurate."

"* _Do you believe he would have attempted to do this to Blackstripe without the influence of the Demon?_ Master Essani asked quietly.

"Yes," Fenrik admitted just as quietly. "I do not believe he would have been successful, and I believe he would have stopped himself before getting even far enough to know that for sure, but I believe he would. To him, it was revenge, but it was a just one."

"Revenge is not the Jedi way, no matter how it might be justified." Master Noloth pointed out.

"I understand, Master Noloth," Fenrik nodded. "As does Jay, to judge by his reaction to what he did."

"Padawan Dyreth, do you have anything to add to this?" Master Jamni lifted her slender muzzle to join the conversation.

The teenage Panther started, clearly not having expected to be addressed.

"Nothing that hasn't already been said, Master Jamni," she told the Wolf quietly. "I wasn't present when she was captured, and from what I saw, Master Aren's assessment is accurate. Knight Clawson was very disturbed when I saw him afterwards."

"* _Very well._ *" Master Essani nodded slightly. "* _You may leave. We will summon Knight Clawson when we have decided what to do about his actions._ *" She narrowed the focus so only Fenrik heard her. "* _Take care, Fenrik. This will not be pleasant for him._ *"

"* _I know, Master,_ *" Fenrik agreed just as privately, bowing with Jenna and turning to leave.

"Well," Master Noloth started once the Council was alone. "What are we going to do about this now?"

No one, despite his efforts, missed the distinctly 'I told you so' flavor to his mind.

"What we do with any Jedi who looses control and makes a mistake." Master Zraii stated. Despite being the newest member of the Council, the insectoid Verpine had no problem staring the Frilled Lizard down. "Despite his actions, it is clear that Clawson has not gone Dark."

"Do you believe meditation will truly help him though, Master Zraii?" Master Kareth pointed out. "He has a way of not always learning the lessons he is meant to."

"He will not." Master Charn said simply. "Meditation only succeeds with him when he is already on the path you wish."

"He is also too ... submissive ... to authority." Master Jamni added, looking up to the other Masters. "He is a Beta, a follower. A strong, skilled, and self-assured one, but he is a follower by his very nature. He may be feline in form, but his mind is canine. To truly _learn_ requires a teacher, a challenger, of his own rank and status within the Order. Anyone else is accepted without thought."

"That does explain why Fenrik could teach him some things quickly when no Master could." Master Yamari nodded thoughtfully. "It also makes this situation difficult."

"* _Particularly since I'm not entirely sure anybody of that position would know how to teach him the lesson,_ *" Master Essani agreed. "* _Though I believe he grasps a portion of it. It's the final stage, the why, that he doesn't recognize yet._ *"

"At the very least, he needs to be taken off missions in the foreseeable future." Master T'qu'l stated. "What other censures _would_ be of any good?"

"* _Agreed,_ *" Master Essani nodded. "* _However, censure will not help. I believe one of us will have to speak with Knight Shivasta or Aren, enlist their aid in explaining it to him._ *"

"You are his former Master." Noloth pointed out. "You know more about him than any of us."

"* _I believe I will speak to Knight Shivasta,_ *" the kushiban decided. "* _Assuming we are agreed on our course of action, at this point?_ *"

"It is a start." Master Noloth consented. "What he did is far too serious for this to be all."

"None of us dispute that, Master Noloth," Master Kareth nodded. "However, the Council, this Council even, has forgiven far more grievous transgressions in the past."

"We have," he reluctantly agreed. No matter how much he believed that Clawson should never have made Padawan, much less Knight, he could not dispute the fact that as serious as mind-rape was, even he had agreed to forgive others of worse. The Council in general had forgiven wholesale slaughter of innocents and betrayal of the Order, throughout the history of the Jedi. "He must understand his transgression fully before he goes on another mission." He insisted.

"* _I am the first to agree with you,_ *" Master Essani nodded slightly. "* _What he has done is not acceptable, and we cannot take the chance that it will happen again._ *"

"Agreed," Master Charn nodded fractionally and glanced around at the others, seeing agreement. Some had reservations, others believed in the young Knight, but all accepted the terms.

"* _Master Kareth, if you will make the record? I will see that Knight Shivasta can help us with this._ *"

"Of course, Master Essani," the Gray Fox nodded easily and began to do just that as the Kushiban stood, sending a mental message to Knight Shivasta to meet her in the Frozen Gardens.


	12. Breaking New Ground

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Interlude. Ten years pass, and among his studies as an Artisan, training a few interested Jedi in the SWAT Form, missions and both his mates training Padawans, Jay has still managed to take the time and effort to work on his own issues. Now with Jenna's Knighting and his own release from probation, he has a special celebration planned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written with Karl Wolfemann

"Jay? Are you having any luck with that holocron yet?" Shi asked the kat as he worked in one of the Sharufa's meditation chambers, Fenrik piloting the ship back towards Coruscant.

"A little. It was badly damaged. I think most of the memory components are still viable, but the rest is a mess." He answered without looking up.

"Think Kanna might be able to help you reach the spirits inside?" Shi asked him. "She's getting a little... restless."

"It can't hurt," he glanced up with a tolerant smile. "She really was bored out of her mind, wasn't she?"

"Oh yeah," Shi chuckled. "Archaeology just isn't her field, unless she gets the chance to go 'looking' for what happened. Just didn't happen this time, not enough to keep her busy. She wouldn't _say_ anything, of course, but... I can read her pretty well."

"A bored teen isn't hard to read, if you pay attention." He chuckled softly. "I'll try to entertain her. It _was_ my mission after all that dragged her out there."

"Just see if she can help you get through to whoever's in there," Shi chuckled. "She could do to learn with being bored once in a while. Think us tagging along on Fenrik's missions might've spoiled her lately."

"She'll have a few years yet of tagging along on mine to teach her." Jay grinned up at his mate. "It's probably good she's not a Healer by training. She'd be bored all the time."

"You're saying that like Seers usually get any more action," Shi smirked back, kissing him lightly. "I'll go tell her you wanted some help, she'll be in here in a minute or two I'm sure. Just a few more hours until we make Coruscant."

"When the Seer happens to be partnered with a warrior they do." Jay winked. "Your Padawans may not share a bed, but they do just about everything else together. I think Kanna's missing her co-conspirator too."

"I know," Shi smiled. "Unfortunately, it's a bit easier to learn to be a warrior who can handle herself on a Seer's mission than a seer who can handle herself on a warrior's, so it's going to be a bit longer before she's ready for her solo. Jenna should be getting back from hers not too long after we're back."

"At least we'll have that," he nodded seriously. "And Kanna will have two warriors in the house to teach her how to fight well enough to be a warrior's partner. She has taken to the lightsaber and combat better than you did."

"Jay, there aren't that many folks who make Jedi who don't," Shi pointed out with a chuckle. "It shouldn't be too long before she's back with her friend again."

"Then go get her. I'll distract her for a bit." He chuckled softly.

"Will do," Shivasta nodded, heading out to go get her Padawan to work on interpreting the contents of the holocron they'd found.

* * *

* * *

* * *

"I returned Caor to the Corellian authorities after retrieving him from the Hutts," Jenna explained to the Council a few weeks later, just returned from her solo mission. "Once he was in their hands, I returned to Coruscant; he will be at trial on schedule, thanks to the smuggler's ship I was able to 'borrow' on Toydaria."

Fenrik nodded as he listened; his Padawan had done well. He'd known in advance that the Hutts were going to try and sell the Mouse witness back to the criminals he was going to testify against. He'd also known that Jenna should be up to the challenge, and she had been. Barring the Council's decision otherwise, he had no doubts that she had performed well enough to make Knight.

The vibe he got from the Council confirmed his opinion, though he doubted than Jenna could pick it up. Experience had taught him how to read these people quite well.

"* _Very well._ *" Master Essani had taken to her roll as head of the Council well. "* _That will be all on your mission._ *"

Fenrik shifted his gaze to the largest member of the Council, the glossy black Drakon, as Master Ty'thri'ku'mo Mython lifted his slender head and spoke.

"Padawan Dyreth, are you mates with Padawan Kenna?"

The Panther blinked for a moment, clearly caught off guard by the question, then shook her head.

"No Master," she said easily. "Only her friend."

"Have the two of you discussed being partners after she is Knighted?" Master Dyba asked.

"Yes Master," Jenna nodded. "We have worked well together in the past. My Force-sight isn't nearly as strong as hers, and we've trained together since we were both just becoming Padawans."

"* _We will keep that in mind after she has finished her Trials, Knight Dyreth._ *" Master Essani told her, her fur a light golden.

"One last question before you go," Master Noloth stopped either Panther from moving. "Are you still ... interested ... in Master Fenrik?"

There was a pause, and everybody could almost feel the blush beneath the Padawan's fur.

"No, Master Noloth," she answered, keeping her reaction to the years-old crush in check. It was true, technically. She'd become more interested in younger toms, ones closer to her own age, in the last few years.

The ancient lizard nodded and glanced at Master Essani to hand over the questions to her.

"* _Then you are both dismissed, and congratulations._ *" She told the pair. "Force be with you."

The two Panthers left, both of their reactions controlled, though nobody could miss the pride in Jenna's accomplishments both felt.

"Congratulations," Fenrik smiled warmly as they rode the lift down from the Council Spire.'

"Thank you, Master Fenrik," she smiled up, pointing out that he had much to be proud of too in getting her this far.

"You're the one who earned your rank today," he pointed out with a chuckle. "You did very well on your mission. I was a little worried you might get off-track when Caor was captured, but you handled it well."

"You taught me well. It was irritating, but between your own Solo and Knight Clawson's, I had good examples of how to handle it."

"I believe you've had quarters assigned to you already," Fenrik explained as they reached the bottom. "But if you'd like, you can stay in your old room for the night yet. Maybe a little private celebration of your promotion?" He offered.

"I would enjoy that, but perhaps tomorrow," she smiled secretively as they stepped out. "I believe Knight Clawson has other plans for you tonight."

"Probably," Fenrik chuckled. "Though if you wanted, his plans can usually put off for a few hours without serious harm."

"You get to tell him his dinner has to become a late night snack then," Jenna grinned briefly, then got her face serious again, even if she wasn't inside. "He's cooking."

"And you know this how?" Fenrik asked with a chuckle.

"I saw him bring the ryl powder out after my shower."

"That... yeah, think we'll delay your celebration until tomorrow," Fenrik said, frowning slightly as he thought about it. "I thought he'd gotten rid of that after his solo," he mused, almost to himself.

"Probably did," she nodded. "It hasn't been in the kitchen for as long as I've been there."

"I'd hope not," Fenrik chuckled slightly. "A decade or so is a bit long for that to keep... besides, as I remember, you probably would have gotten into it if he hadn't," he smirked, glancing at his former Padawan.

"How do you think I'm so sure it _hasn't_ been in the house since I've been there," she winked at him. "Anyway, I said I'd take Kanna for the night, so my stuff's probably already moved. Have fun." 

"Have a good night, Jenna," Fenrik chuckled. "Won't be long before they'll be running you ragged, trust me."

"Thank you," she bowed, almost teasingly, and headed down the corridor to her new quarters, leaving Fenrik to wonder just what was up during the rest of the walk to his own.

The Panther sped up a bit, walking back to his quarters. Jay hadn't even talked about touching ryl spice since he'd gotten home just before his knighting. That was over twenty years ago. He couldn't blame him either, given what had happened the last time he'd used some.

Of course, the fact that he was willing to probably just meant he was okay with the idea of losing control like that again. Still, it was unexpected. Exciting too. He'd never admit it, but he _did_ miss the experience. Sex on ryl held an intensity in memory that little else matched, especially in the years right after Jay was knighted, when sex itself was a challenge to get threw at times.

He could understand the change, but it was good to have things improving.

He was half surprised when the door opened for him, the smell of spiced meat, fruit and vegetables filled the air that rushed out to greet him. Ryl was not among the scents, however.

He smiled at Jay, working in the kitchenette, and Shi, who was leaning against the breakfast bar counter between it and the dinning area watching him.

"Well, we have one less roommate for now," he said, stepping up next to Shi and kissing her lightly. "So if this is a celebration dinner, I'll have to go get her. Smells good though."

"Oh, it's a celebration dinner, though not for her Knighting." Jay chuckled. "I've been planning this since before she got back."

"Yeah, there's ryl shrimp for dessert." Shi smiled up at Fenrik.

"Any particular occasion?" The Panther asked with a smile.

"I think I can manage it," Jay smiled almost shyly, keenly aware of how much both his mates had missed what they'd had in their first ten years.

"Jay, it's not something you have to _make_ yourself do," Fenrik pointed out, walking into the kitchenette and kissing him gently. "We miss it, but it's not like we don't like what we still do, y'know?"

"I know," he nuzzled his mate back and relaxed into the embrace. "I want to, for me. To take back what shi took from me."

"Just don't want you to have to push anything too hard," Fen smiled, heading back to watch his mate cook with Shivasta. "So, which one of you talked Jen into letting Kanna bunk with her tonight?"

"That would be me," Jay chuckled softly as he began to plate the meal.

"Do I even want to ask how?" Fenrik asked with a chuckle. "I know they're friends, but it's Jenna's first night with her own quarters."

"She also happens to like felines and ryl, and I know how to prepare it." He winked. "So I traded cooking lessons for Padawan sitting duties."

"Just hope she doesn't use them too often," Fenrik chuckled. "Last thing the Jedi reputation needs is a young Knight with a ryl fixation."

"I think you trained her better than that." Jay chuckled softly and handed the dishes over the counter so Shi could put them on the table.

"I hope I did," Fenrik chuckled, taking a plate and carrying it over with Shivasta.

"Don't worry," Shi smirked. "In a little bit, Kanna will take her solo, and then they'll have people there to make sure they don't get into trouble on their own again."

"She's trying to be reassuring." Jay winked back at Fenrik. "At least Kanna hasn't taken a fancy to felines."

"Hasn't taken too much fancy to anybody yet, as far as I know," Shi pointed out with a chuckle.

"Which makes her the most Jedi-like of anyone who's lived here." Jay grinned and returned to the kitchen to get a bottle of wine to go with dinner. "The rest of us are a bit on the sex-crazy side."

"Some of us more than others," Shi pointed out with a chuckle, kissing Jay as he sat down. "At least I think Jenna was heading that way before we got to her. I think the Council'd be leery of letting us train anymore if they thought it was living with us that did that to her."

"Believe me, she was." Jay nodded seriously. "She was already seriously interested in Fenrik even before I started to teach her the SWAT Form. I _think_ she waited until after her first heat to actually try sex, but I didn't ask all that much."

"How is it you know more about my Padawan's sex life than I do?" Fenrik shook his head in bemusement and sat down to one of their favorite home-cooked special meals.

"Because you've been the subject for a good chunk of it, and I was more available to talk to." He chuckled. "I think she saw that I'd gone through the same thing, being interested in a guy a couple decades older than I was at that age."

"So did you give her the same advice, or will I not have to try and decide if I want to sleep with a woman twenty years younger than I am about when I'm thinking of retiring to full-time teaching?" Fenrik teased playfully.

"You should be fine," Jay smirked. "She just took the whole 'be interested in older toms' thing a bit further than she needed to, and you have to admit, you are a _fine_ example of a male Panther. When the toms her age started getting interested in girls, she found them a lot more interesting. She _might_ still ask if you'll sire a litter of cubs for her, but I think there are enough Panthers closer to her age she won't."

"Assuming she decides she wants them," Fenrik chuckled. "Somehow, I don't think she'd take to being a mother quite as well as Tes did."

"Quite likely," Jay nodded in agreement. "She doesn't seem like the maternal type to me."

"Just the type who's lucky she has a heat cycle," Shi chuckled. "I don't think I've ever had somebody _quite_ that interested in the 'impractical' uses for body control."

"I sure as hell wouldn't trust the guy if _I_ was a female in heat." Jay chuckled with a shake of his head. "At least she's smart enough to take care of herself."

"Even if she is a little indiscriminating when it comes to who she'll flirt with," Fenrik chuckled. "At least that was inside mission parameters."

"Whatever works," Jay snickered between bites of tender, marinated meat. "She used her smarts and skills to get in and out without a fight. It's not something a lot of Jedi could have managed."

"And she didn't actually end up in bed _with_ the hutt," Fenrik chuckled. "Something I'm sure everybody involved is devoutly grateful for."

"I don't even want to think how that would work," Jay shuddered. "Tonight is _supposed_ to be sexy."

"Then let's agree to never think of that subject again," Shi said with a matching shudder. "I have entirely too vivid an imagination."

"Which is usually a good thing." Jay leaned over and nuzzled her. "I know you put it to good use on missions without us."

"Yes, but just be devoutly grateful that I'm not a strong enough 'path that you heard what I thought of," she chuckled, kissing him lightly and taking a piece of fruit to eat, the warm juice trickling down her chin.

She wasn't surprised when Jay leaned forward and licked it off, his tongue sliding up to taste her lips while he was there.

Her lips parted, and she drew his rough tongue into her mouth, suckling it lightly before she pulled back.

"Think we're getting to dessert before we're finished with dinner," she smiled, leaning back and offering him a piece of meat that he accepted gently, licking her fingers clean.

"Oh, we are not missing dessert tonight. Not with ryl shrimp and tseren pears on that menu."

"I _really_ hope nobody has anywhere to be tomorrow," Shi giggled, kissing him lightly. "You're really looking to make sure you've got any control issues licked, huh?"

"If I'm going to go for it, I might as well go all the way." He chuckled with a grin, though it was a completely serious topic and he had gotten this far the long, slow, painful way.

"True," Shi smiled. "Proud of you, Jay," she added, caressing his cheek lightly and basked in the warmth of his pleasure at the praise. Sometimes, it was the simplest things that mattered the most to him. It was too easy to forget that sometimes, with how complex their lives and minds were.

"Thank you." He purred softly.

"She's not the only one who is," Fenrik smiled. "Come on, let's finish the main course so we can start in on the fun part of the meal."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Jay smirked at him teasingly. "I'm having plenty of fun."

"Mmm ... but just think how much _more_ fun you'll have after that," Fenrik winked.

"Mmm, you do have a point," he purred throatily and turned his attention back to the food on the table.


	13. Ice Walker Promotions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Interlude. Shi finishes her Artisan training while her Padawan is on her solo mission.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written with Karl Wolfemann

"It is _so_ good to be _home_ ," Kanna sighed happily, practically jumping as she and her Master made it back to their quarters.

"The warm one at least," Shi chuckled slightly, following her in with a small case that contained the results of their recently-ended trip to Garosh. Jay and Fenrik could both feel the slight, well-hidden hurt at her Padawan's comment, and general attitude towards the world that _was_ a second home for her.

"It's good to have you _back_." Jay smiled slightly, the affection he wasn't showing visibly glaringly bright in the Force.

"Sorry we couldn't take you along," Shi smiled back, moving to hug Jay warmly, pressing her fact against his furry neck. "But you boys had a mission to handle. Mmm... love you.

"And us cats don't like the cold." He chuckled and hugged her briefly before they got to their quarters. "So what was this all about?"

"Not just the cats who don't like it," Shi murmured softly, pulling back and smiling. "And I was going to collect some parts for my 'final exam' with Master Shen'ri."

That raised an eyebrow from her fellow Artisan student as he turned to face her with an amused, and rather bemused, look on his face. "Just what are you planning you make yours out of this time?"

"Not ice," she chuckled. "Thought of it, but then I started thinking about the logistics involved. Instead, I'm working with blue quartz for the casing, with sheeloth-leather for the grip. Getting everything polished right is going to take some work, but it should be worth it."

"Of course, you would pick the nastiest critter on the planet for your leather." Jay shook his head and went into the kitchen to make a pot of tea for them all. "Is she as close to her Solo as I think?" He asked when he saw the other Ice Walker, now in her early twenties, head into the bathroom for what was likely a long, relatively hot shower to get the perpetual chill of Garosh out of her bones.

"She is," Shi nodded. "As soon as I can figure out a fitting mission for her, probably. She's already passed every other Trial. Hell of a good fighter, for a Seer; it shows that she'll be working with Jenna."

"She takes after her Master." Jay chuckled. "Who is a hell of a good fighter for a Healer."

"And of course I did," she added with a slight smirk. "You would've preferred I used crevasse cat? I like fur on the living, myself."

"Sorry, no." He shuddered, having a hard time thinking of them as animals after he'd had sex with two of them, no matter how drunk he had been at the time. "That's a little _too_ close to home."

"My point exactly," Shi nodded. "Sheeloths are a lot more useful, and it has a traditional tie too. Kanna might not care much for tradition, but I've managed to trick her into a couple of them. Going along on one of the hunts among them."

"She went on a hunt for that critter?" Jay raised an eyebrow, pausing as he took the tea box down.

"Not alone, Jay," Shi said quickly. "And she wasn't even handling the main part of the hunt. Elan and I took care of that," she explained, mentally bracing herself for the reaction she was expecting from her mate when she felt his gut twist into an icy knot.

It was sweet, how protective he was of her, but sometimes he went way overboard with his 'Healers do not fight' reactions.

"You ... hunted that Sheeloth?" He swallowed, staring at her.

"With help, Jay," she pointed out, not mentioning that most of the help was just in tracking it. "I wasn't in any serious danger."

"It's a ton of bad temper with a cryogenic breath weapon and you don't call that dangerous?"

"Not when you _know_ it can do that and how to get out of the way," Shi pointed out. "Jay, the databases don't include this, but it's pretty easy to tell when it's about to use that breath weapon. And when you have a lightsaber, it goes down remarkably easily."

She knew when he bit his lower lip that it was over. She'd made her point well enough that he remembered she _was_ a Jedi, and all Jedi could fight very well by galactic standards, even the Healers. It'd be a moment more and he'd shut the protective instincts up over this incident.

"I was perfectly safe, Jay," she reassured him, putting a hand on his shoulder lightly and kissing him. "Elan and Kanna were both there if anything had gone wrong."

"And I wasn't." He murmured and rested his forehead against her cheek.

"Jay, you had other things you had to do," she pointed out softly, nuzzling his cheek. "Besides, you would've been miserable there, and you know it," she added with a smile and a wink. "This way, I only had to listen to Kanna gripe."

"I know," he sighed and pulled her close. "I just hate it when I'm not there with you."

"I'll take you with me next time, promise," she smiled, rubbing his back lightly and got nuzzled for it.

"Care to tell Fenrik it's safe to come out now?" Jay tried to chuckle as the water began to boil.

"That Panther's smarter than he gives himself credit for," Shi chuckled, kissing Jay lightly and turning to go to their room, before her eyes snapped wide open and she turned, bolting for the bathroom door.

"Jay, open this _now_ ," she told him. "Something's wrong with Kanna."

The door opened before she finished talking, both felines right behind the Ice Walker that rushed to her Padawan's side in the lightly steaming shower.

Kanna was huddled up in the back of it, her eyes wide and staring, her face almost completely blank. Shi reached over, turning off the shower and putting a hand on the nude Ice Walker's shoulder.

"She's lost in a vision," she explained briefly, before reaching out to try and pull her focus back into the real world.

"Want Master Ursal?" Jay asked even as Fenrik backed out of the room to give Shi space. He was out of his depth and knew it.

"No," Shi said simply. "Not injured, just too deep." With that, the older Ice Walker reached out across her bond with her Padawan and niece, stretching out to touch her mind and show her the way back to the here and now.

Jay and Fenrik simply stayed back and kept an eye out for both real world dangers that were almost unthinkable at the Temple, and if their mate lost her way and needed help despite her words.

Fortunately, after a few moments, Kanna blinked and looked up at the three older Jedi in the bathroom with her, then blushed fiercely and grabbed for her robes, sitting near the shower.

"Out!" She practically squeaked, covering up her now-violet skin the best she could.

"She's okay now," Shi said seriously, standing and backing out with her mates.

"What was that all about?" Jay asked quietly after the door closed.

"She had a very strong vision, from somewhere on the Outer Rim, that wasn't expected," Shi explained. "Her attention was ripped out there, she couldn't get back without a little help after that. Still not sure what the vision _was_ though."

"Sounds like she's getting to the stage she'll need an actual Seer to guide her through the last of that training." Jay said quietly as he returned to the forgotten tea and poured three cups, a fourth ready for Kanna when she was ready.

"It _shouldn't_ have happened," Shi pointed out. "I haven't heard of a vision that strong in over a decade, and I've talked to every Master Seer who was willing to, so I'd be ready for the issues that might come up."

"She's in the right place then," Jay kissed her cheek. "We're all a bit on the extra-ordinary side. At least it happened when you were close."

"Very true," Shi nodded slightly. "If it weren't for our bond, I don't know that I would've been able to reach her. It's like she was _in_ the Rim."

"Not anything like any of our visions," Fenrik nodded thoughtfully. "Hopefully it'll be more like yours than either of ours."

"Here's hoping," Shi nodded, looking over at the bathroom as the door slid open and a rattled Ice Walker stepped out.

"That was _not_ something I really want to do again," Kanna said with a shudder.

"Ones that powerful are rare." Jay smiled reassuringly at her. "Do you remember much of it?"

"A lot," Kanna nodded, taking the glass of tea she was offered and swirling it around, looking into the dark, steaming liquid, her hair still damp. "There's something happening on Hoth. Not sure what, but there's something there that wants to be found." She looked her Master in the eyes.

"I have to find it," she said. "Alone."

"* _I think you were just handed her Solo._ *" Jay commented silently, picking up Shi's mental agreement.

"Are you sure you can handle finding it on your own?" Shivasta asked her niece.

"No," Kanna admitted, something that surprised all three of the older Jedi. It was the first time any of them had heard her seriously doubt her ability to handle something that seemed to have been put in front of her. "But I know that I don't have a choice. Whatever this is, I'm meant to handle it on my own."

"Very well," Shivasta nodded. "We'll get a ship set for a possible prolonged trip to Hoth. Just make sure you come back, all right?"

"That I am sure I'll do," the younger Ice Walker said with her more typical cocky grin.

"I'll get Kalrass tripworthy." Jay said seriously. The ship hadn't been used much in decades, but he had been getting it ready to give to Jenna and Kanna when Kanna was Knighted. Tes had long since handed it over to the general pool, which didn't usually know what to do with it, and was more than happy when he took an interest in it.

"Thank you, Jay," Kanna said, bowing slightly. "You might want to make sure the guns are ready, and linked to give me the best chance of hitting what I'm shooting at. I think I'm going to have a little trouble there."

"Will do," he nodded easily. "I'll upgrade the targeting computer while I'm in there."

"You're expecting to run into trouble?" Shivasta asked her.

"It _is_ going to be my first solo-mission, Master," Kanna pointed out.

"True," Shi nodded slightly with a bit of a smile. "Just be careful. When do you expect to be leaving?"

"As soon as possible, Master," Kanna said easily.

"Then we'd better work on making sure you're really ready for it," Shi nodded. "Let's get everything set up."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ =================== ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ =================== ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ =================== ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shivasta closed her eyes, trying to drive off the slight headache she felt as she finished working on her latest Artisan's lightsaber, the final masterpiece that would complete her final training.

"I can see why there aren't more 'sabers like this," she murmured. Even without training Kanna for the past few months during her trip to Hoth and solo-mission, this one had taken most of a month, and that was after she'd finished hand-polishing the crystal for the casing. There was a dull throbbing in the back of her mind that even her healing gifts couldn't touch, and she had that mixture of peace and uneasiness she always felt after putting so much of herself into a project.

But she was done.

She closed the crystal casing, wrapping it with the leather for her hand-grips, finalizing the piece with the Force-reinforcement she'd learned over the last few years, since her previous upgrades to her first lightsaber. The crystals were the same now, but she'd changed the casing, working the crystal until it was identical to her old metal one.

She stood up and started out of the Frozen Gardens, knowing that Jay and Master Shen'ri would be waiting outside as she holstered her ice-blue quartz 'saber and went to meet them.

Jay was still years away from finishing his own Artisan training, though that was from constantly getting sidetracked on projects and creating various items, like his lightsabers, in a form that took him _much_ longer than her more traditional ones. For each lightsaber she built, he effectively did four; four that had to function as a single weapon. He'd probably be gone for weeks when he got to the final stage of creating his final set.

It was kind of strange, really. He'd always been more technical than she was, still was in all fairness. But when it came to this work, it just seemed to fall into place more easily for her. He tried to force it too much, in the end. But when he _did_ get it, he got it completely. He explained it once in that the Force, using it, never came naturally to him. He was used to 'listening' to its flow, but to actually _use_ it was something he had to force. To use it by just letting it happen didn't come easily to him at the best of times.

"I have completed my 'saber, Master Shen'ri," she told the Ithorian outside the Gardens with a respectful bow. "Icefire," she said, almost as though she was introducing the weapon she took from her hip, offering it to him for inspection.

He accepted it from her, smiling as the powerful images of ice, snow and storms invaded his mind. The cold, still exterior covering a fierce interior that was willing to fight for all that wasn't its first purpose. The paradox was answered by the final image; this 'saber was meant to protect, and everything about it made that almost painfully clear.

A few moments to confirm that, physically, it was up to the level of a technical and artistic masterpiece, and the aged Ithorian handed it back to her.

"Well," he chuckled in his familiar, dual-toned voice, "it seems I was right that one of you could finish before I started to think about retiring seriously. There is just one test remaining for you, Shivasta, though I'm sure you can handle it. You will have to face off against another Master, armed with a similar 'saber, to prove that yours is clearly a match for it."

"Very well, Master Shen'ri," Shivasta nodded, putting Icefire at her hip again. "Who is my opponent?" She asked him respectfully, though she was pretty sure she already knew. There weren't many, other than the Ithorian herself, who would qualify.

"I am." He said simply. "It will be before the full Council and other Artisans, so it will be a few days arranging."

"I will be ready, Master Shen'ri," Shivasta said, bowing to the older Ithorian and making a mental note that this might be a good time to find somebody using a double-saber to practice with for a few days.

"Good." He nodded and turned to leave. "I will inform you when it is time."

"Congratulations," Jay purred softly and gave her a hug.

"Thanks," Shi smiled warmly, returning the hug. "Now I've just got to find somebody who fights like he does," she chuckled, "get a little practice in before the final match."

"I know a few," he chuckled softly. "The double-blade is where mine started. I'll introduce you after you eat."

"You just _had_ to remind me I haven't done that for a couple days, didn't you?" Shivasta groaned, her stomach taking the opportunity to remind her a little more loudly. "Come on; let's hit the cafeteria before I decide to raid the gardens for berries or something."

"The cafeteria has much better food." Jay winked as they began to walk. "But they tend to frown on hunting in the gardens."

"So let's just get going," Shi chuckled. "Any word from Kanna lately?"

"Nope, but she's fine. Probably fuming about the weather, but fine."

"Here's hoping she finds whatever it is she was supposed to find and gets back soon then," Shi smiled. "It'll be good to have her back."

"Yeah. I think Jenna would agree too. She can't wait to have her partner back."

"Or for them to really be partners," Shi nodded. "Kanna's been looking forward to it too. Heaven help the Order once those two are working together again," she chuckled.

"Maybe they'll finally stop staring at _us_ every time something happens." He snickered.

"Only if we stop giving them reason to," Shi smirked back.

"Guess that's never going to happen." Jay shook his head. "If it hasn't by now ...."

"It never will," she finished for him. "We _are_ slowing down though. Now they only look at us when something shows up that nobody knows what it is."

"Well, figuring that out _is_ kinda why they let me in in the first place." He cracked a grin despite the self-deprecating comment.

"So that's why you keep making those," Shi giggled as they reached the cafeteria. "Job security?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ =================== ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shivasta bowed to Master Shen'ri, across the dueling chamber in the sparring rooms. The Council was watching, along with the handful of other Artisans in the Order. Jay was there too, sitting alone for the first time in a while since Fenrik was on a mission.

All of them were here to see how her final project and skills held up against those of the oldest Master Artisan currently living. She was just grateful she wasn't expected to actually _win_ this fight; just make a good showing of it. It was a test of her lightsaber more than her skill at combat.

As she stood back up, she ignited her lightsaber, the silver blade and crystalline hilt both uniquely striking as she brought it up into a ready stance as Master Shen'ri did the same and lit his forest-green double-blade, it's polished wooden hilt in marked contrast to her glittering one.

She could feel Jay's excitement at her final test, his certainty that she had done more than well enough, and the nagging worry he couldn't help that she might get hurt somehow.

"* _I'll be fine,_ *" she reassured him and focused on the match, waiting for the aged Ithorian to make the first move.

The instant he moved, lightning fast despite his age and a body not designed for it, she was grateful she'd not only practiced against the double-blade, but had listened to the warning not to underestimate his combat ability.

Green blades danced around her silver one; she was forced to dance back and forth, blocking each end of the deadly weapon her mentor used. She leaped over him, blocking his attack as she whirled over his head, and landed behind him, making an attack that was blocked handily. 

To those observing, the two Artisans weren't dueling as much as their weapons were, the Force flowing through the dueling chamber and guiding each of their actions and reactions.

It was quite enough to take Jay's breath away as he watched the Force-flow more than the combatants. It was something he'd always heard about, always known and desired to be able to do, but had never actually see it before. This was beyond what even the best combat masters did ... they let themselves become part of the Force. Here the very weapon was, and it connected its wielder to the living energy around them in a very real way.

Both Jedi moved with swift, precise motions that managed to be fluid at the same time. Shivasta would spot a small opening and strike at it with a swift, darting blow, only to have Shen'ri block it at the last second. They weren't evenly matched, Shen'ri was definitely the better fighter, but it was close.

It was over just as it began, with an unmarked signal that was as likely from the Force itself as either combatant, and both stepped back to the edge of the circle and dropped their lightsaber to the resting position.

The two bowed to each other, the Ithorian's gesture filled with the respect he felt due any equal in his art. Three blades were extinguished, and the three other Master Artisans watching stood, matching their elder's bow with similar gestures appropriate to the twi'lek, Otter, and Hawk making them.

"* _Good work,_ *" Jay purred, his mind warm with pride and appreciation of what she'd accomplished even though only a small smile crossed his face.

"Congratulations, Artisan Shivasta," Shen'ri said as he stood up straight. "You have taken to your lessons well. Carry them with you, and let Icefire serve you as well as they do."

"I will, Master Shen'ri," Shivasta smiled. "Thank you." She stood, turning to meet her mate as the gathered audience started to break up, having observed what they needed to make sure that Shen'ri's judgment of Shivasta's progress was correct. Jay could practically feel the internal grin of his mate as she hurried out to meet him, keeping what composure she could.

"Congratulations," he nuzzled her, pulling her into a hug only after most had left the hallway. "That was impressive."

"Thanks," she smiled warmly, returning the hug. "I'm surprised it went as easily as it did... that was the _weirdest_ duel I've ever had!"

"I'm not surprised. It looked pretty odd too," he grinned and let her go before they began to walk back to their quarters. "The weapons were fighting as much as either of you."

"About how it felt," she admitted. "Though not the 'sabers. They're unique, but they don't really have a personality or a 'soul.' They're _definitely_ parts of the Force though. They're not alive, but they're about as close as you can come without actually being that way," she said, trying to explain something she'd come to understand instinctively over the past two and a third decades.

"Just don't try to explain that to anyone who doesn't mostly get it already." Jay chuckled.

"Mmm... I think I understand why Artisans don't teach what they do to Padawans though," she smiled. "Besides the simple skill requirements, could you imagine having even _tried_ to get half this stuff while we were still Padawans?"

"I'm thirty years past that point and I'm _still_ having a time wrapping my brain around some of it." He laughed easily. "Back then just wouldn't have happened."

"You're getting there," Shi smiled. "A few years more and you'll be finishing up the same way I am."

"I know," he smiled slightly. "That manipulate while still going with the flow is my hang-up. I'm getting it, but it is _so_ not natural."

"Just wait," she smiled. "You said that about the first two grades of Artisan 'saber too."

"And I'll keep saying it about the third till I _get_ it." He agreed with a low chuckle.

"Yeah, and when you do then you'll...." Shivasta trailed off, cocking her head slightly before she grinned.

"Mind a little detour before we head home?"

"No," he cocked his head at her. "What's up?"

"We've got a Panther and Ice Walker inbound," she explained, turning to start for the landing pads. "They just picked up each other's ships on their sensors, I think."

"Well, that's a first." He shook his head. "You knowing before I do."

"And just how often have we had my Padawan coming back and eager to show off her new friend?" Shi asked with a chuckle. "I think she was successful."

"New friend?" He raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not entirely sure about the details, but it sounds like she managed to find a holocron that was calling out," Shi explained. "She was adamant about never wanting to go to an ice world again though," she chuckled.

"Somehow, I expect she didn't put it _nearly_ so politely."

"Well, no. It was closer to 'See? This is a hint! Somebody out there is trying to tell me that if I keep going to worlds like this, I'm gonna end up in a glacier somewhere!'" Shi consented with a bit of amusement as the two of them reached the landing pads where two familiar ships were preparing to land. "I swear, she's worse about cold than you are."

"I've got fur and a nice warm bedmate or two. She doesn't have either." Jay pointed out with a chuckle.

"Yeah, but she _should_ have twenty-degrees of comfort range on you or so," Shi pointed out with a smirk as the Kalrass touched down first, the Sharufa taking a few moments more to find an empty berth large enough for it. "You take the Panther, I'll take my Padawan?"

"I'm not about to object." He grinned and headed for Sharufa with a grin.

"* _Just remember, no fair pouncing him and dragging him to the private rooms without me!_ *" Shi teased mentally, moving to the Kalrass and waiting for the door to open. She noticed that the hull was scorched slightly, but that it was all cosmetic damage from the look of things. Apparently it _had_ been a good thing that Jay had improved the fire control systems on the large fighter.

"* _Yes, yes, we'll wait for you._ *" He promised ... assuming Fenrik was willing to wait at least.

"Welcome back," Shi smiled as her niece walked down the ramp.

"Good to be back, Master," Kanna smiled, as Shivasta noticed a second, very old, lightsaber at her Padawan's hip next to the small pouch Kanna wore for when she spotted something small that caught her Seer's eye. "Turns out I was right about a fight; there was somebody else there, trying to get to Knight Kiral."

"He would be who called to you?" She guessed, knowing it wasn't anyone she knew.

"Yes," Kanna nodded. "I've got his body in cold-storage on the Kalrass, I don't know how it'll handle warm conditions for any real time. It's... kinda creepy, really," she said, just how much of an understatement that was clear across her bond with Shivasta. "He ended up out there back before the Great Hyperspace Wars even."

"That's a long time ago," Shi nodded with an understanding of why the lightsaber looked as primitive as it did. "How did he end up all the way out on the Rim back then?"

"Chasing a Dark Sider," Kanna explained. "He crashed there in an ice storm, couldn't make the repairs before his injuries finished him. And he wanted to be taken back to the Jedi, rather than 'recovered' by the people who were searching for him. I'll be able to explain it all to the Council a bit better, I think."

"They'll probably be ready for you soon." Shi nodded and guided her Padawan inside. "He'll stay on board well enough until then."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ =================== ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Master Essani and the rest of the Council gathered on the shortest notice they had in some time, having just discovered that Padawan Kanna had returned from her solo mission. All twelve were struck by the unusual nature of this mission; they'd assigned their share of solos to Padawans before, most others being assigned by the student's Master.

This was one of a handful of times a Padawan had been given a solo by a vision, had requested a mission of his or her own. They expected that the report would be just as unusual as the beginning had been.

"* _Please begin, Padawan Kanna,_ *" Essani said as the Councilors settled in to listen, from herself as the smallest up to the massive draconian body of Master Ty'thri'ku'mo.

"Thank you, Master Essani," Kanna said with a polite bow. "As the Council was told before I left, I had a vision of Hoth over a month ago, of something that I was meant to find on my own. I left on the Kalrass as soon as it was ready, after confirming that the Council would allow me to go.

"On reaching the ice-world of Hoth, a brief scan revealed that there was another ship on the planet. Using the Kalrass' sensor masks, I touched down outside of visible range of the ship, and began to walk there."

"Why walk?" Master Dyba asked him, the entire Council knowing Kanna's distaste for dealing with ice worlds fairly well.

"The Hoth planet is a small, out of the way world surrounded by asteroid belts, Master Dyba. It is typically avoided by all but pirates and smugglers."

"And Jedi looking into mysterious visions," Master Charn said with a slight chuckle.

"Yes Master, but I rather doubted that any other Jedi had received the same vision I had," Kanna answered with a bit of a smile.

"Please, continue," the Panther said, gesturing for her to do so.

"Suspecting that it might be a pirate or smuggler camp, I approached mostly to confirm my suspicions before returning to the Kalrass and continuing my search. I found out that it wasn't nearly that simple.

"The ship wasn't a pirate or smuggler ship; it belonged to a group of Potentiates led by a Badger. I wasn't able to determine his name for certain. I only caught it at a distant, and the wind was loud."

"* _Meskin._ *" Master Essani didn't even ask. "* _You did well to escape with your find._ *"

"I almost didn't, Master Essani," Kanna admitted. "Though that may have been the name. He had been Jedi trained, I could tell that much. His helpers hadn't; I think he taught them himself. I realized that they were excavating something, so I used the Force to hide myself while I waited for them to stop for the day.

"Unfortunately, they managed to retrieve the body of an ancient Fox, Knight Kiral, before that, and they began to search him, confiscating some of his personal effects. I didn't see any other recourse; I attacked the group of them, taking advantage of the element of surprise and a localized snow storm I summoned to try to retrieve Knight Kiral and his effects."

"Was anything damaged or lost?" Master Jolani Panthera asked.

"They damaged the power pack for Knight Kiral's lightsaber when extracting his body," she explained, taking the archaic lightsaber and offering it to the Tigress, pulling out a severed power cable that screwed onto the hilt. "It was clearly of a design not used for thousands of years, according to my records, from the earliest days of lightsaber technology."

Shivasta's eyes went a bit wide when she realized she actually recognized it from her Artisan training.

"One of the very earliest, Masters." Master Shivasta added quietly. "Roughly 10,000 years prior to the Great Hyperspace Wars, possibly even earlier."

"That matches with the records we have of a Knight Kiral, a Fox." Master Kareth said, working with her datapad to look the long lost Knight up. "He was lost while hunting a Dark Jedi."

"* _Did the Potentiates' leader escape?_ *" Master Essani asked.

"Most likely, Master Essani," Kanna admitted. "He wasn't able to locate me in the Force, so I took advantage of the snowstorm to simply retrieve what I could and get back to the Kalrass to escape. As the Council knows, while I'm not a poor fighter, I'm not as skilled as some, and I could tell I wasn't nearly as skilled as he was.

"They came after me in their ship after I escaped, but I lost them in the asteroid belts near Hoth and disabled their hyperdrive before returning to Coruscant myself. Depending on whether or not they were able to make it to a colony with parts, or make repairs on their own, they might still be trapped within a light-week or so of the Hoth system."

Master Kareth nodded and made a note to send a fast ship to find out.

"What else did you retrieve?" Master Ty'thri'ku'mo asked solemnly.

"A holocron left by Knight Kiral with his body, and the body itself. It's currently in cold-storage on the Kalrass; I wasn't sure how it would respond to warmer temperatures than the glacier it was found in." She explained and handed the holocron over to Master Kareth.

"What does Knight Kiral wish, before he can rejoin the Force?" The great Drakon spoke again.

"I believe he has already Master," Kanna explained. "He only wished that his body would be found, and not taken to serve Dark Siders. His spirit seemed to have moved on already, but much of his personality was stored in his holocron. I'm not sure if he knows how to create them, but he was willing to discuss how to re-record them," she explained, opening her pouch and pulling out the small crystal that contained the recorded personality of at least one Jedi from the Dark Ages of the Jedi and Republic alike, a period when records were typically sparse at best.

"* _Is there anything else you wish to add, Padawan?_ *" Master Essani asked quietly.

"Only that Knight Kiral did wish to have his body cremated properly, Masters," Kanna said, inclining her head respectfully. "If you ask his holocron, he'll confirm that. And, while it hardly matters anymore, he was unable to complete his mission successfully."

"So noted." Master Kareth nodded in return.

"* _Is there any question of her suitability as a Knight?_ *" Master Essani asked the other Councilors privately. She received the various negative responses quickly; nobody had any complaints about her performance at all.

"* _Padawan Kanna, the Council thanks you for retrieving the body of Knight Kiral, and responding to the call from the Force that led you to him. We will arrange for his body to be dealt with properly, and his effects treated as they should be. We have also decided to bestow upon you the rank of Jedi Knight; congratulations to yourself and your former Master._ *" The kushiban said evenly, though her approval and pride in both the new Knight and Master were impossible to miss in her mind or light golden fur.

 

"Thank you, Masters," Kanna said, bowing with a slight smile.

"* _Do you still wish to be partnered with Knight Dyreth?_ *" Master Essani asked.

"Yes, Master Essani," Kanna nodded as she stood. "Assuming she is still interested. I was going to speak with her after leaving."

"* _Knight Dyreth?_ *" Master Essani reached out to the Panther waiting in the observatory below the Council Chambers. "* _Do you still wish to be partners with Knight Kanna?_ *"

"* _Yes, Master Essani,_ *" the Panther replied easily. "* _Just waiting for her to finish up before helping her move._ *"

"* _Please come to the Council Chamber, then._ *" She said before shifting her attention to Shi. "* _Master Shivasta,_ *" she emphasized the Ice Walker's new rank, "* _You are dismissed._ *"

"Thank you, Masters," Shivasta said, bowing again before turning to leave. She nodded fractionally to Jenna as the Panther passed her on the way out of the lift as she entered.

"* _The Council understands that you wish to be partnered Knights now that you have both passed your Trials._ *" Master Essani addressed them both.

"Yes, Masters," the two of them agreed.

"Having been trained together as Padawans, we've learned to use each others talents and gifts to supplement our own," Jenna explained. "We work together quite well."

"* _The Council has reviewed your records and performance and is inclined to agree._ *" Master Essani said with a bit of warmth in her words. "* _You may not always be on the same mission, however the Council recognizes the strength of your knowledge and will consider missions accordingly. You are both dismissed until called upon._ *" She told them.

"Thank you, Masters," the two said, almost in unison, bowing at the same time before turning to leave, practically buzzing inside.


	14. Turning Pages

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Interlude. The Jedi welcome their newest Master Artisan only three years after the last, while Master Fenrik considers his future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written with Karl Wolfemann

Jay closed his eyes briefly, the pain of working on his final Artisan lightsaber overcoming him for a moment. No matter how it was said that it shouldn't feel like that, it did. Immersing himself so completely into the half-alien environment, then giving it control while still working on what he wanted done, was an exercise in counter-intuitive frustration, even after twenty-seven years, over half his life, in training.

In the end, he found the center, the place where it all came together _just_ right and fit. He was immensely grateful that it was his last required project; the work was gratifying, the results beyond anything he could imagine doing before, but it wasn't something he really wanted to do all that often in the future. Especially not the set of two elegant double-blades that served as his personal weapons.

He nearly jumped out of his skin, the newly finished weapon in hand ready to use, when the light tap of Master Shen'ri's lightsaber-walking stick snapped him out of the working trance.

"Are you ready, Knight Clawson?" The Ithorian asked, leaning far more heavily on his walking stick now than he had when Jay had begun his training.

"Yes, Master Shen'ri." He relaxed his stance and bowed to his teacher and offered both the newly-finished one and the one he'd completed almost three months before. "They are finished."

"You _do_ realize you only had to complete one before your final test?" Shen'ri asked, inspecting them briefly, struck by the intensely contradictory imagery of lush, warm evergreen forests that spiraled into glittering cities of polished metal and glass only to bloom into the rich greens of the forest again. The sense of time, of how this represented not just Jay's soul, but the path of his kind and the connection he had with the cycles of life and death and evolution outside the influence of the Force was unshakable.

"It felt ... incomplete ... with only one." He answered simply.

"Understandable," the Ithorian nodded. "Given the way you fight, I imagine it would be awkward with 'sabers that didn't match. You're lucky, actually; we happen to have everybody free at the right time that you could complete your last test today, if you wish."

"I would, Master." He nodded and accepted his weapons back, slipping them without thinking into the bracer sections of his newest Glovatrix.

"Go on down to the sparring chambers, I'll catch up with you. Everybody else should be there already, or will be soon enough."

"Yes, Master Shen'ri." He inclined his head and left his workshop, half curious who would be his opponent. At fifty-one, he was still very much in his prime thanks to the slow aging all Jedi had, likely less than a quarter of the age when he was too old to wield his lightsabers effectively and was forced to go back to the single blade he had first learned on. Master Shen'ri, while still able to fight if he needed to, had been past his prime when he and Shi had been taken on as his apprentices.

Of course, anybody who doubted his ability to hold his own had seen otherwise just three short years earlier, when he had faced Shivasta. He was old and slower than he had been in his prime, but the Force was strong with him.

He couldn't help but smile at that memory. Both of them had made a very good showing in that match. He couldn't help but wonder if it would feel any different from the katas and light sparing he'd done with his single new lightsaber in recent months. The Force had been strong with that, guiding him like never before, but he couldn't help but doubt it was quite the level that he'd seen three years before.

The trip down to the sparring chambers passed uneventfully, other Knights and Padawans training as he noticed the Council and other Artisans gathering. He did notice that Shivasta was conspicuous by her absence, among the Artisans _or_ in her traditional seat for his matches.

Fenrik was there, making the empty seat next to him all the more noticeable. There were no medical emergencies that might have drawn the Master Healer away.

Jay closed the line of thought off as he stepped into the edge of the circle and focused on the here and now: his match.

A few moments passed before his mind was drawn back to the subject of where his mate was. Master Shen'ri walked into the sparring rooms... and sat down with the other Master Artisans, leaving Jay alone in the dueling chamber... until the door opposite him opened, and Shivasta stepped in.

Jay blinked, taken off guard to see the person in the room _least_ able to challenge him in a duel being the one on the mat with him. He had to remind himself that this wasn't a real duel. Just like hers three years before, this was a test of the weapon, not the combat skill of the wielder.

He bowed to her, giving her every respect a Master was due and stepped back to drop into the relaxed beginning stance of his Form, more grateful now than ever that he'd given in and sparred against her with all four blades lit.

She returned the bow, her own silver blade igniting as she dropped into her own stance, a more aggressive one than she usually opened up with. 

He reminded himself that he seemed to be the defender at this point, from what he'd seen before. The easiest way to test a blade was to see how it responded to being struck, so he shifted fractionally into a defensive stance and gave her an opening to strike at without making it insultingly easy.

She moved forward, her blade moving in the familiar patterns of the most basic lightsaber forms as the two mates quickly completed the basic test; four quick strikes, each blocked by one of Jay's four blades. That done, they were in the duel itself, a test of how well the weapons would perform in actual use, rather than just when stressed.

That was a moment that Jay was waiting for. He could feel the Force flowing around them, in tune with his weapons on a level that he instinctively resisted giving up control to for a moment, before relaxing with the flow and almost becoming a spectator for the rest of the event.

It wasn't easy to fight that way, especially here. He wasn't just trusting his safety to the flow of the living Force around him, but his mate's, and the mate that he instinctively knew _wasn't_ a better warrior than he was.

Which, oddly enough, seemed to be something that wasn't necessarily the case this time. He knew he wasn't fighting any worse than he usually did. But there seemed to be something about Shi's reactions that were faster, surer than they'd ever been before now. Everywhere his four blades moved, hers seemed to be there just in time to stop them.

What he did see was that whatever she was doing, it seemed to be draining her faster than it did him; she wouldn't be able to keep this near-perfect defense up for long, and the duel would be over when she couldn't anymore.

It made him intensely aware of that moment; he couldn't allow it to pass while he was still pressing her at full skill. Fractions of a second in that mistake could maim her.

That was just not going to happen. He didn't care if it dropped his overall skill, there were more important things. Not even the soft assurances of the Force around him was quite enough to loose his attention from protecting his mate from his own skill.

Fortunately, Shivasta knew when the moment was coming better than Jay did. She moved back abruptly as the Force's hold on her loosened, and her skills dropped back down towards where they usually were. The moment came with an instant shift to a defensive stance for as long as the rest of the duel might last.

It also ended Jay's tight reins on what was happening. He relaxed and let himself go with the flow of things as he had in most of their matches, trusting her to end things before it became dangerous to her and himself to recognize it if she didn't.

A few more moments passed, not even a full minute, before the two mates stepped apart, settling into the end-match stance and extinguishing their lightsabers, neither injured, though Shi was starting to breathe hard.

Jay bowed to her, his weapons vanishing into his Glovatrix-bracers before he turned to face his teacher.

"You have mastered the skills of the Artisan," the Ithorian said, standing and bowing to Jay. "We bestow upon you the rank of Master Artisan."

"Thank you, Masters," Jay bowed to the assemblage.

"* _And suggest that you try to learn to trust more,_ *" Master Shen'ri added, completely privately, to Jay's mind. "* _If it should be necessary in a true battle, you can't always afford to keep control like that._ *"

"* _Yes, Master Shen'ri._ *" He replied privately as those watching began to get up and leave. 

He knew he should trust the Force more, and that he wouldn't control himself like that if it wasn't Shi across from him. It was something he knew he was faulted for as a Jedi. It was a fault he accepted the criticism for. It just wasn't in him yet to trust that completely; trust that it wouldn't have him hurt her while he wasn't in control.

It was a line of thought that he shut down viciously as soon as he realized it was happening.

He hardly cared that it was heresy. It was hardly the first, or most serious, viewpoint that qualified to some.

He did care that it could break his self-control in a matter of minutes.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Fenrik looked over the datapad and the offer he'd been made, thinking about it quietly while Jay and Shi were working in the tom's lab. It was a few days after Jay had established himself as a Master Artisan, and the two of them were working on another set of the special robes they'd designed, seeing what more they could do with their current training.

It gave the Panther time to think. One of the Masters had retired recently, leaving a number of classes without an instructor when they started next. The Council had found Masters for most of them, or assigned them to Knights who weren't interested in fieldwork for a few months, but there was a large block of advanced combat-philosophy classes they just hadn't found anybody for who was both interested and qualified for.

So they'd asked him. Normally he would have accepted in a heartbeat, but the sheer number of classes involved this time....

His ears perked up as he heard Jay and Shi walking down the hall, and he sat the datapad aside, going to meet them at the door. Maybe they'd be able to help him make up his mind.

"Hey, handsome." Jay purred, clearly in a good mood as he gave his mate a solid kiss in greeting when the door closed. "You're thinking too hard again."

"I know," Fenrik chuckled, returning the kiss and moving to let Shi in, turning to give her a quick peck on the cheek as well, "bad habit. You two have a good day's work?" He asked, looking at the almost too-cheerful Jay.

"Yap," he nodded. "Now what's up?"

"Mmm ... just making sure I wasn't bringing anybody down by thinking too hard," Fenrik smirked, then moved back towards the couch with his mates. "Got an offer to take over some of Master Kylyanni's classes," he explained. "And I'm thinking of taking it... and a more permanent position just working on training."

"Retiring from field work," Jay nodded in understanding. "You like to teach, but that's a big leap."

"And not just one that affects me," Fenrik pointed out. "If I'm training full-time, at least until I find another Padawan or request a lighter class load, I won't be along with you guys on missions."

"Now don't make me start convincing _you_ I can take care of myself," Shi said with a playful pout, leaning over to kiss Fenrik's cheek lightly. "It _is_ your decision, Fenrik. I think it'd be a good move for you; you _do_ like the training, and you've been alternating between classes and missions ever since Jenna made Knight without any signs of things slowing down."

"You've been wanting to teach since you got your first taste of it." Jay pointed out. "I'll miss you on mission, but I _won't_ miss having you gone. It's not like they send me out all that often."

"And it's not like I'll _never_ get back in the field again," Fenrik admitted. "Guess I've just got that little voice in the back of my head telling me this might not be what I really want... but I don't think it's intuition as much as my inner adrenaline-junkie," he chuckled slightly, hugging his mates.

"We Healers have _very_ firm policies on listening to what your inner adrenaline-junkie says," Shi deadpanned. "Don't."

"Besides, it's not like you haven't taken a few terms off missions to teach before." Jay added with a nuzzle. "If you hate it, just retire from full time teaching."

"All right," the Panther smiled, nuzzling each of them. "So you guys think you'll be able to live with a Master Noloth in training?" He teased playfully.

Jay rolled his eyes and snickered. "If you start that, I'll box your ears until it's out of your silly head."

"Good," Fenrik chuckled. "He's not that bad, once you get to know him when he _isn't_ scowling at you, but he is _so_ not somebody I want to be."

"Mmm... I dunno, you might look good in scales," Shi teased, nuzzling him. "But for the most part, good."

"Mmm, or wings like Master Ty'thri'ku'mo," Jay grinned devilishly. "So you can do the flying for once."

"Force, you're both in your fifties and acting like kittens!" Shi exclaimed with a laugh and shake of her head.

"Like you're any better?" Fenrik asked with a slight smirk.

"I have never done anything like what you guys are talking about," she said, pretending to be offended with _no_ success.

"Only because your fantasies tend to involve worlds the two of us can't imagine going out naked on," Fenrik shot back, his smirk spreading.

"Though could you imagine what the winds could be like if they _helped_?" Jay rumbled, his attention on Fenrik. "Buffeting us just the right way each time."

"You mean instead of trying to pull us apart and send at least one of us plummeting to a painful demise?" The Panther asked with a chuckle, kissing him lightly that quickly turned into a much more intense one as Jay reached down Fenrik's trousers to cup and fondle his sheath and balls.

"Mmm... is this one of those times I should check if I'm needed in Medical, or is a third welcome?" Shi asked, pressing against Fenrik's back.

"I don't mind." Jay rumbled. "* _We haven't gone camping in too long._ *"

"Mmm... maybe before I hit my classes," Fenrik rumbled. "C'mon, let's at least try to get to the bedroom before we get going too hard. Still stiff from the last time we tried a threesome on the sofa," he winked.

"The only evidence you aren't twenty anymore." Jay snickered and slid his hand out of Fenrik's trousers with a last teasing stroke to the hardening cock inside and stood. "The sooner we're in bed, the sooner I can get my mouth around that."

Fenrik groaned, looking back at Shi and getting a knowing wink. Grinning back at her, he stood, grabbing Jay and making his way towards the bedroom with their mate in his arms.

Shi stood more slowly, sliding open a nearby drawer and pulling out a pair of cuffs they'd hidden there after the last time they'd used them, dangling them behind her back as she followed them in.


	15. The Price of Survival 1/3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's everyone's worst nightmare come true and it's not about to go easily for anyone concerned; Jedi, Sith, Darksiders, Clawsons or the universe at large. This is also the end of Jay's Story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written with Karl Wolfemann

Tes relaxed against her mate in the warm morning. She was still absently surprised she still didn't really feel her eighty years most mornings, and that her mate definitely didn't feel his years. It brought her drifting mind back to the kitten that had drawn them together and to the Temple five decades before.

"Love, why is Jay still a Knight?"

"He doesn't want to touch a Padawan with a ten-foot pole, for one thing," Doruth pointed out, kissing her lightly. They both had more gray in their fur than they had in prior years, Doruth especially. His fur was still mostly black, but there was a liberal helping of salt in with the pepper of his base-coat. "And you know him as well as I do. Does he really strike you as the Master type?"

"He strikes me as the type who excels at anything he sets his mind to, and he did that in becoming a Jedi." She said softly. "It just seems odd. Not many his age are still Knights."

"No, not many are, especially not with the Artisans," Doruth admitted, snuggling up to his mate. "But I've talked to him, from time to time, and ... he's enough of a Jedi to make it as a Knight. Not as a Master. A Jedi Master is a teacher, or at least somebody who has an understanding of the Force that's beyond that of a Knight. Jay can teach, but he hasn't trained a Padawan, and he doesn't have ... well, the faith, for lack of a better term. The Jedi are warrior-priests, after all. When you make Master, the emphasis goes to priest a bit more than warrior, in some ways."

"Faith?" She cocked her head a bit. "Not something you have had much of."

"I didn't have faith in the Jedi," he pointed out. "I had faith in the Force, and that it was telling me I had to leave." He sighed, trying to think of how to explain it. "Acid test. You know something about fixing up ships, so let's put it in those terms. You have to fix the engines on the Gurath. There are two methods which, at first glance, are each equally valid. If you pick the wrong one, you and everything you care about is destroyed as the engines of the ship explode. How do you pick?"

"I go with my gut," she answered easily. "It's the best way to choose when there isn't a clear choice."

"That's it," he said. "You'd go with your gut, which is about one-step removed from saying you'd trust the Force. I'd do the same. Jay'd check again, see if he missed something, and if that didn't work he'd have the engine tell him which method would do it. He'd fall back on his own skills and abilities. When push comes to shove, Jay trusts his own abilities before he trusts the Force to see that things work out for the best."

"I can't blame him, but I do understand." She nodded slowly. "The Force hasn't been very kind to him."

"Arguably, no," Doruth admitted. "But that's the biggest reason the Council never decided to promote him to Master based on his experience. He has the experience and skills, but he doesn't really have what it takes to be a Master at this point."

"The trust," she murmured. "At least he doesn't seem to be taking it too hard. And he _has_ taken on an Artisan apprentice. That's almost as much work as a Padawan. Harder to do to, given how few of them there are."

"I think he was just focused on making Knight," Doruth explained. "Master would be nice, but it's icing on the proverbial cake for him. And it is, teaching-wise, but the skill-set is _very_ different. I'll bet he'd be the first to explain that," Doruth chuckled.

"Not much philosophy." She chuckled. "It's all practical lessons."

"Exactly, though I think he had some choice words for their definition of 'practical' early on," Doruth chuckled. "Come on, I think we had an appointment to pick up one of the missions my old Padawan left for us when he retired."

* * *

* * *

* * *

Shivasta and Jay stepped down the Sharufa's landing ramp as they settled down at the quiet spaceport that served as the central camp for the archaeological expedition on Beldin Prime. A Wolf not much older than the two of them was there to greet them, starting up the ramp to meet them with a grateful expression and a welcoming handshake.

"We've been waiting for your arrival," the Wolf said with a smile. "We were glad to hear that the Council was sending somebody so quickly after we sent word."

"You are welcome, Dr. Tosh" Jay smiled slightly in return as the three of them walked down the ramp. "It is good to have a mission in my favorite subject again."

"Well, this should be an interesting one to get back into the fray with," the Wolf chuckled. "After we found the ruins, we contacted the Jedi as quickly as we could. I've worked with Sith sites before, but never quite like this."

"Sith?" Jay raised an eyebrow, even as Shi's concern went up significantly. "That we had not been informed of."

"I didn't send the message, I'm afraid," Dr. Tosh said apologetically. "I suspect that Dr. Kell didn't want to risk losing the site to a small army of Jedi researchers. It actually pre-dates the Republic, from our best guesses and tests."

"Which would predate the Sith as Sith." Jay nodded with an understanding of just how rare such a thing was. It also meant it predated the _Jedi_. Any such site with Force associations would get a lot of attention from the Council.

"I didn't think any sites like that existed anymore," Shivasta said with a slight frown.

"They didn't, as far as we knew," Dr. Tosh explained. "From what we've been able to gather, they were all destroyed between the time when the Sith as we know them arose and the Great Hyperspace Wars. Add that to the difficulty even _reaching_ most Sith sites, and ... well, I'm sure you can gather that we don't get very many opportunities to prove conventional theory wrong," the Wolf chuckled as he led them through the docks.

"Yes, it is quite an opportunity." Jay nodded. "Potentially a significant risk as well to those here."

"Which is why I insisted on contacting the Jedi," the Wolf nodded. "Legal issues aside, I'd rather have a Jedi or two around if we find out that the Sith we know were only pale imitations of what they were before."

"I do hope that is not the case." Jay said quietly. "They are bad enough as it is."

"I have a hard time believing they could _be_ much worse," Shi agreed. "They already worship the Dark Side. We haven't found every group of Force users, but we've never found anybody who delved into that part of the Force as much as the Sith have."

"I don't _think_ they were that bad," Dr. Tosh pointed out. "I've actually isolated a few words in the inscriptions that don't even exist in Sith as it's been spoken since the rise of the Republic. To judge by context, I'd say they're words for a number of concepts the Sith tried to stamp out of their religion, things that were worthwhile about life besides strength and power."

"Have you found out what they called themselves before the Sith took over?" Jay asked as they walked towards the dig site.

"Actually, the Sith took the name from them," the Wolf explained. "The Massassi and the Sith were one and the same until a number of Dark Jedi took over and turned Sith into the title of their religion, with Massassi being the name of the race. It's a little complicated, and based on some fairly fragmented records, but we're putting it together as time goes by."

"Hopefully this place will fill in some of those blanks." Jay nodded easily.

"That is the idea," the Wolf nodded. "Come, I'll introduce you to my colleagues here. We're a somewhat eclectic bunch," he chuckled. "And probably only going to become more of one once word of this site gets out."

"No doubt." Jay actually chuckled. "Your Jedi are hardly the usual kind."

"Oh? What does that mean?" The Wolf asked with a chuckle.

"Well, for one thing, we aren't miffed at the Council for giving us this mission," Shi chuckled.

"I'm not an expert by any means, but I do have a liking for archaeological missions and exploring the past." Jay added easily.

"Which is always good to have on-hand," the Wolf nodded with a smile. "There are some Jedi who aren't bad to work with, but sometimes you get the more hot-headed ones and ... well, sometimes I worry that they're going to break something if we don't take their lightsabers away," Dr. Tosh chuckled. "No offense, of course, but some of your colleagues can be a little trigger happy in places like this."

"I'm familiar with them," Jay cracked a smile. "I went through that phase too. Some just prefer to never leave the hot-headed warrior way of doing things. It _is_ effective on the right missions."

"And it's not so much hot-headed as nervous, sometimes," Shi chuckled. "Telling a Jedi that you're poking around an ancient Sith tomb or temple is a pretty good way to get us ready to at least snap at anything that moves suddenly."

"True," Jay nodded. "Unlike you, we tend to associate 'Sith' with 'it's going to try to kill us now,' and it doesn't have to be alive to do it. Sith Spirits are serious trouble."

"Fortunately, I doubt we'd have anything like that to deal with here," Dr. Tosh smiled. "If it is, it's over 20,000 years old."

"If something survived that long, we're seriously out of our depth." Jay told him honestly. "That's the kind of thing you call in the Council itself to deal with."

"Here's hoping it didn't then," the Wolf nodded.

"And here's hoping the site itself isn't as bad," Shi murmured. Places could be almost as bad as spirits sometimes. Even worse, in ways; you couldn't destroy a place nearly as easily if you had to.

"I think I'll introduce you to Dr. Kell first," Tosh mused. "He's the one who's really in charge here. He's just a little old to be meeting Jedi at the docks."

"How far have you gotten in the excavation?" Jay asked as they neared the ruins in the work going on.

"We stopped when we found the Sith ruins, but we've made it down through thousands of years of debris, silt, and subsequent settlements already," Tosh explained as the two Jedi looked around the tropical world they were on. "Once we found that ... well, when you identify inscriptions in Sith, it's best to wait for backup before opening the doors they're on, especially when you can't read all of them."

"Understandable," Jay nodded seriously as an aged Wolf came out of one of the temporary buildings to greet them in a repulsor-lift chair.

Compared to him, Dr. Tosh was young; Dr. Kell looked to be well into his early 100's, his fur pale grey. Despite his advanced age and physical state, the Wolf had the bearing of an Alpha, one who wasn't quite ready to give up the ghost just yet.

"Welcome to our little camp, Jedi," the aged Wolf said graciously. "I hope you'll excuse me if I don't stand up."

"Of course, Dr. Kell." Jay said easily.

"Jedi Clawson, I believe?" The Wolf asked him. "And Master Shivasta," he added with a nod towards the Ice Walker.

"Yes, Dr. Kell," Shivasta nodded. "The Council told you who was coming?"

"Yes," the Wolf nodded with a slight chuckle. "I'll admit, Knight Clawson, that I'm a little surprised to find out you have an interest in archaeology to go along with your interest in technology. I wouldn't have guessed from your papers on hyperdrive technology; you seemed far more focused on the future than previous breakthroughs."

"Without the past, the future means much less," Jay smiled slightly. "Not many archeologists have enough interest in technology to know my name from there."

"One of my theses was on the subject of archaic hyperdrive technology," Kell chuckled. "I keep an eye on modern developments as well; it's interesting to see where things go once you know where they've come from."

"How archaic?" Jay perked up. "I haven't found much by way of credible advancements since records started."

"Since the earliest known designs," the Wolf explained. "It depends on what you mean by credible advancements, but I'll admit that most of what we've seen is efficiency-related rather than methodology."

"True," he nodded, thinking back as they walked slowly towards the dig itself. "Have you gotten a chance to read my latest article on the next leap in hyperdrive technology? It was in the last Bramista."

Shi just smiled slightly at how animated her mate could be when he found someone new to talk about his hobbies with and followed along with Dr. Tosh.

"The Aristal design?" Dr. Kell asked him, nodding slightly. "I haven't seen theories like that in some time, but it seemed feasible. I found what was hinted at more interesting; if I hadn't known better, I would have expected to hear that an Arkanian had written it."

"It wouldn't be the first time I've been called that." Jay chuckled softly. It was an item he usually took some pride in that anyone would think he was that brilliant, mad scientist-like or not.

"I believe this might be a good time to introduce you to the others and let our friends talk," Dr. Tosh told Shi with a chuckle.

"If you two don't mind?" The Ice Walker asked politely with a smile.

"Not at all," Jay smiled slightly to her, an amused apology offered silently. "* _My apologies for becoming distracted, Master._ *"

"* _You know better than to call me that,_ *" Shi chuckled mentally.

"Go ahead, Master Shivasta," Dr. Kell said easily. "I won't keep your partner for too long, if I can help it." 

The other Wolf left with Shivasta, leaving the two academics to talk.

* * *

* * *

* * *

The next day, both Jedi were at the ruins along with Dr. Tosh and a number of other researchers they'd met after their arrival. Dr. Kell was nearby, but waiting in his chair some distance off so the repulsorlifts wouldn't disturb anything at the site.

"Do the two of you want to take a last look at it before we open up the ruins?" Dr. Tosh asked them. "You might recognize something we don't."

Both Jedi nodded, knowing it was more request than offer, and went to investigate. Shi mostly by her gut feeling, Jay by touch and the soft murmur that creations even this old remembered of their creation and purpose.

He got a feeling of a culture that wasn't nearly as corrupted by the Dark Side as it would eventually become. They were close to the Force in a way few industrialized people were, with priests who were as strong as the Jedi in certain aspects of the Force. Their touch was all over the ruins.

A proud people, a race of warriors and conquerors ... that was on the verge of being conquered. The ruins were a memorial, established before the event they were being built for. The ancient Sith had seen what was coming, and what would happen to their people. The equally ancient inscriptions told the story of their downfall millennia before it happened.

Jay forced himself to remember what he was doing, and quickly confirmed that there weren't any traps waiting for them if he opened the doors. Then, with a quick request to the place's doors, they slid open, letting out the musty, dead scents of a place abandoned for thousands of years.

"It is safe," he said quietly. "At least from intentional traps." He paused and stepped up next to Dr. Tosh. "I can probably translate most of what you don't know yet. It's beyond ancient, but the essence of who was here and the reason the built this is still strong in this place."

"That would be helpful," the Wolf nodded. "Though we'll need to confirm what you've found through more traditional means."

"I understand," he nodded.

"Ready to go in?" Shivasta asked everybody, her hand close to her lightsaber, just in case there was something they'd missed.

"We are, Master Shivasta," one of the younger archaeologists, a Raccoon, told her with a nod. The Ice Walker and her mate led the way in, their eyes adjusting to the darkness as the researchers brought in lights to make the process easier. They were greeted in the very first hallway by a number of chiseled statues of ancient Sith warriors, detailed down to scars on the chitin beneath their armor.

It was easy to tell where the skill that created the statue on Yavin 4 had come from; the statues here were of equal craftsmanship, though they didn't have as many Force-imbued artifacts. They all carried lanvaroks, the pole-axe disk-throwers that were traditional for their race and class, and wore their style of distinctive armor. A handful of them, farther down the corridor, had artifacts that had been treated with alchemical processes to work Force effects into them, both Light and Dark side.

Heroes and villains alike were here, a last reminder of the greatest warriors of a race of warriors.

"This is incredible," Dr. Tosh murmured as he looked around. "I'd read the legends, but never ...."

"* _I think I can almost touch their souls here._ *" Jay whispered to his mate, his own awe overriding just about everything else. "To do this as a last act of your civilization ...."

"* _The last bastion at least,_ *" Shivasta agreed, doing a good job of hiding her own reaction from everybody but her mate. She was just as in awe of the work around her as he was, sensing the history behind the place now that she was in it. Each of the statues had been meticulously hand-crafted, prepared as a last testament to a race doomed to be forgotten as anything more than brutes and monsters.

This last temple of the true Sith had been designed to stand long after their usurpers had faded into obscurity.

"This place is incredible," the Raccoon from before murmured, looking around.

"And would have been forgotten forever, if the Sith had had their way," Dr. Tosh agreed.

"Which might have been a good thing, in the long run," Dr. Kell pointed out, his chair floating down after they confirmed that he could do so without causing any harm.

Shi glanced sideways at her mate, the flash of rage flaring hot and bright for a moment before he got it under control. She was a touch relieved that he managed to keep it inside, off his expression, much less his actions. Decades as a Jedi had improved his self-control to an incredible extent, but hadn't managed to still his instinctive hatred of lost history. He just kept it completely to himself now, deep enough that only the bond allowed her to sense its real intensity, and most Jedi didn't even notice.

"Dr. Kell?" The younger Wolf asked, looking back with a perplexed expression. "That's hardly what I'd expected to hear you say."

"The Sith still have adherents, though they try to stay hidden after the war a thousand years ago," Dr. Kell explained. "Despite the fact that they're remembered for butchery on a galactic scale, for not having a single redeeming feature, people are entranced by their image of rebellion and strength. Imagine what could happen if somebody were to make this display known? We, the academics, would recognize it as being a different breed of Sith, the Sith before they were what we know.

"The rest of the Republic? They would hear that the Sith were misunderstood. That they were really a race the same as any other, not a religious sect that wanted to enslave them. The modern Sith would undoubtedly try to claim reparations for the 'misunderstandings' represented by the ancient wars, claiming ancestral worlds like this one to begin training a new generation of Sith warriors."

"Ignorance of history and the facts is never a good thing." Jay said a bit more sharply than most Jedi would approve of, though it was still an even tone to most people. "If the academics can not explain this to the people, it is still no excuse to deny it exists to those who can understand it."

"I don't mean to bury it, Knight Clawson," the old Wolf pointed out, drawing himself up in his chair. "I would never approve of such a measure. I simply question whether or not it was meant to be found now. The Massassi deserve a fair portrayal; history barely remembers them, and what memories they are given are most unfair. The only problem is the difficulty separating the Sith as they are known from the Sith as they were meant to be known."

"If people hadn't let history be forgotten in the first place we wouldn't have this conversation." Jay shook his head, cooling off some. He was still riled, just not at anyone in particular. "It would still be common knowledge that the Sith are the sect and the Massassi a race they enslaved, usurped their name from and eventually destroyed."

"Things are found when they are meant to." Shi added more quietly, hoping to stop the pair from getting any more antagonistic towards each other. "Whether it is because we are ready, or because of what they will do if we are not."

"That wasn't history forgotten naturally, Knight Clawson," Dr. Tosh pointed out. "It was the history of a people that, by the time we met them, had wiped out the majority of their ancient records and weren't interested in sharing what they did have."

"Very true," Dr. Kell agreed. "Let's continue further into the ruins; maybe we'll find the reason they _did_ that. As I remember, it's an issue that has never really been answered satisfactorily."

"Maybe we will," Shi nodded, grateful for an opportunity to simply continue and hope that Jay would relax a bit. Of all the things the Wolf could have said, he just _had_ to stumble across one that would get the kat riled up.

She was grateful too, that Jay seemed willing to let it all drop, despite the retort she could read in his mind; that it _was_ known that the Dark Jedi Sith and Massassi race were not interchangeable and that it wasn't well-known even among Jedi, that academia had already seriously failed in it's duties as an educator.

Instead, the group just pressed forward, pausing from time to time to inspect a particular statue, looking at it, taking pictures, documenting measurements ... the part of archaeology that was both mind-numbing and exciting at the same time.

After the main group had moved on, primarily to lose Dr. Kell, Jay quietly signaled Dr. Tosh to stay behind with him at one statue with a Force-weapon.

"How much of this can you understand?" Jay asked as he turned on a light in his Glovatrix to shine through one statue.

"How much of ... hmmm ...." The Wolf looked at the pattern of bars and lines that was displayed on the opposite side of the statue. "Just looking at it, nothing. But I think I see what you do. You think these patterns are more than simply the result of natural marks in the crystal?"

"No way in hell they are." Jay shook his head. "If it's not ancient Massassian, than it's coded ancient Massassian. Probably names and personal histories, given what the rest of the place is. It wasn't in the Massassian statue we found on Yavin 4, but by then they were Sith property and had probably lost the knowledge of how to do this."

"Which means that each of these statues could basically be a giant optical record," Tosh murmured. "We'll need to move one of the statues to a full-sized scanner to be sure we got everything recorded, then put the computers to work translating it into language patterns that could be translated, but ... thank you very much for noticing that, Knight Clawson. We probably would have, but it likely would have been one of those awkward accidents about a year down the line."

"Pick a statue, doctor. I can move it faster than any equipment." He offered quietly, more than slightly pleased that Tosh was honestly excited and eager to explore the information here.

"One closer to the entrance that seems to be fairly dense with information," the Wolf said after a moment. "Less chance of disturbing or damaging something."

Jay nodded and they headed back up after he told his mate what they were up to. He kept his light on, flashing it into each statue to gauge the information load in each.

After a few moments, they picked out one just a few rows in from the entrance, a Massassi female that gave the impression of a noble bearing, one of the few who didn't have a lanvarok as her primary weapon at this stage.

"How do you plan on moving it out?" Tosh asked him.

"The Force," he motioned slightly with one hand and the statue smoothly lifted into the air, easily avoiding the few obstacles. "Now, where did you want this?"

"We can use the transport we came here in to get it back to one of the ships," Tosh told him easily, clearly impressed by the display of power but not letting it distract him from the new find. "Ladies first," he chuckled.

Jay nodded and moved the statue out ahead of them and to the transport, settling it down in the cargo zone without any help opening the doors.

Dr. Tosh and the Jedi made quick work of tying it down, securing it for the trip so that nothing would go wrong with the priceless artifact when they moved it back.

* * *

* * *

* * *

"Any plans for tonight, Jenna?" Kanna asked as the two Jedi showered after their evening workout.

"I was thinking of spending some time with Master Fenrik." She answered and turned the hot air blowers on. "He has been alone so rarely, and he doesn't usually like it."

"I'd just been thinking the same thing," the Ice Walker smiled. "For a while at least. Maybe kidnap him for dinner?"

"Sounds like a plan to me," she grinned at her co-conspirator of thirty-three years. "Out somewhere, or cook here?"

"Cook here," Kanna chuckled. "I've got a couple ideas I want to try out on him."

"Should I be careful?" She giggled, thinking of ryl and a few related substances that she tended to experiment with.

"No, I'm not going to help you end up in bed with your old Master," Kanna smirked, drying off so they could head back to their quarters. "Handsome or not, he _does_ have a couple mates he couldn't check in with first."

"Spoilsport." Jenna stuck her tongue out, then quickly settled into a more appropriate demeanor when another Jedi walked in to clean up. "On another subject, I've been thinking about taking a Padawan soon."

"Syleece?" Kanna asked with a slightly knowing smirk.

"Yes," the Panther nodded and stepped out of the shower to grab fresh robes. Her partner didn't miss how she eyed the couple males in the room with them, even though nothing even came of it. "She's of age, and it feels right. Besides, I've been a Knight for twenty years. It's about time I took one on."

"True," Kanna smiled, grabbing some fresh robes of her own and following her partner out. "The same could be said of me, honestly. Should probably start looking a bit more carefully."

"Syleece does have a favored playmate." She said with a slight smile. "A Night Raptor. He's hot stuff in combat precog, might even have Seer talent."

"Cormoran?" Kanna asked with a nod. "I've met him. Maybe I'll have to talk with him a bit more. With those feathers of his, I'd almost feel guilty teaching him to use a lightsaber," she chuckled.

"Don't worry, his kin here are teaching him to use his natural weapons," she winked. "If the Temples thinks we're bad, they're in for a reality check with those two as partners."

"I meant for the people who have to fight against him," the Ice Walker smirked. "And I seem to remember our Masters said much the same thing about us. We _will_ have to start taking larger ships, if we take on Padawans finally, but I think the Council will be happy."

"Trust me; Knight Clawson's been expecting it. He's not nearly as subtle as most when he brings up our Padawans." Jenna chuckled. "Sometimes I swear he must have precog talent no one knows about."

"No," Kanna chuckled. "He's just very blunt when it comes to pointing out what he sees; ask either of his mates or the Council. It's not like it's _that_ hard to figure out we were going to do it eventually. Especially you," she smirked. "I've just been waiting for you to mention something."

"It's taken me that long, huh?" Jenna shook her head. "Still, it's odd to have a Jedi that old be that blunt."

"You'll notice that he's _not_ a Master, and that they try to keep him several parsecs away from any diplomatic missions," Kanna pointed out with a smirk. "And yes, it has. Though I'll admit, I had an edge on knowing it was probably going to happen."

"Quite true, though you must admit, it would be refreshing to be able to talk as bluntly as he does to those diplomats and leaders."

"I don't think there's a Jedi alive who doesn't agree with you there," Kanna smirked. "But let's face it, it's part of the _job_ not to when we're doing that sort of mission."

"Which is why he's never sent on them." Jenna shook his head slightly and opened the door to her quarters. "Dinner in your quarters?"

"Sounds best to me," Kanna nodded. "You handle the Panther herding, I cook?"

"Will do," she winked and stepped inside to get ready for dinner and decide exactly how to get her former Master to agree.

* * *

Kanna hummed to herself as she set the table for three, her mind mostly on what she was doing, but wandering idly at the same time. She walked back into the kitchen to flip the meat frying for herself, her partner, and their guest, then paused. Her humming stopped, her eyes dilating slightly as she felt a chill run down her spine and the patterns of the Force around her begin shifting.

The Seer recognized the feeling; something was going to happen, she just wasn't entirely sure _what_ yet. Almost instinctively, she held still, waiting to see if the impending vision would actually form up.

"Hey, watch the meat, partner." Jenna was there before anything more coherent happened. She was used to this behavior in her Seer partner. Fenrik looked more concerned.

"Sorry," Kanna blushed, pulling the frypan off and sliding the meat onto a nearby tray before it burned. "Bad habit of being a Seer; when a vision starts, sometimes I forget to finish little things like that before seeing if it'll finish. This one didn't," she shrugged, turning off the heat and bringing the tray of meat over to tip it into the bowl with a few fruits and about three other types of meat, mixing it all together.

"Dinner smells good, anyway." Jenna grinned, sniffing appreciatively at the main course.

"I hope it tastes as good as it smells," Fenrik agreed with a bit of a grin. "So, you're sure nothing's wrong?" He asked Kanna, taking a seat as the Ice Walker hurried out to fetch a bottle of juice to go with the largely carnivorous 'salad' she'd made.

"Yes, Master Fenrik," she nodded easily, pouring three glasses of it. "It happens once in a while. About half the time I don't get anything from it, one out of ten I get a solid vision of something, and the rest of the time I check with Master Zaian and she looks at me funny before telling me nothing happened."

"And usually asking you if you've been getting enough sleep lately," Jenna smirked.

"Which I usually haven't," Kanna admitted. "You'd be surprised how similar a vision can be to having too much to drink or not enough sleep."

"No wonder not many choices are made based on them." Fenrik shook his head and happily helped himself to a good portion of the meat and fruit dish.

"Exactly," she nodded, letting Jenna take her own helping before helping herself. "Even when they do form into clear visions, if they're of something that's _going_ to happen, it doesn't always happen, or it's vague as anything. So, how have things been going for you, Jay, and Shi?" She asked.

"Fairly well. I'm waiting to hear if I'll be joining them on Beldin Prime or off on another mission. I'm sure Jay's having a grand time on the dig. Shi's probably bored, or trying to keep Jay from confounding the archeologists too much telling them what things are and were used for."

"Could be worse," Kanna grinned. "I could be along with them. I think that poor doctor was going to rip his hair out for everything Jay and I told him that he couldn't use, that first mission I tagged along on after my Seer talents were working well."

"True," Fenrik chuckled with a wicked grin. "And he couldn't do much, since he _did_ ask for 'help'. That one was almost worth the boredom to get to watch."

"Even when Kanna tripped across the old courtship rituals?" Jenna asked with a smirk.

"Especially that one," he laughed. "I didn't really want to shut her up. There were fun ideas in there."

"Oh shush," Kanna muttered, blushing a light purple despite the fact that all three of them knew she wasn't _that_ embarrassed by what had happened. Not _nearly_ as much as Shivasta had been, at least. "Is it _my_ fault nobody realized what that statue was really used for?"

"I expect Jay knew, and didn't think anything of it." Fenrik chuckled softly. "Your rendition was much more interesting, though."

"I'm just glad I'm not one of the Seers who ends up acting out parts of some of her visions," Kanna chuckled, eating her dinner. "That would have been _very_ ... interesting."

"Shi would have passed out, I'm sure." Fenrik couldn't help but laugh. "It would have ruined the Jedi image for anyone there."

"And anybody who heard of it," Jenna snickered. "Though it would've fixed _my_ reputation around here, that much is for sure," she winked at her partner.

"Oh, I don't know," Kanna smirked back. "You didn't see some of the bonding rituals between the new sisters-in-law."

"Why do I get the feeling that you learned more about sex in that vision than my Padawan did in all her years of experimenting?" Fenrik shook his head, amazed at how familiar the chat over dinner was here. He really had thought it was only his dinner table that was this strange.

Of course, these _were_ the two Padawans who'd grown up around it.

"Oh, I only remember the highlights," Kanna chuckled. "Though that still puts me ahead of a lot of the people around here, especially the ones who _didn't_ have the experimental years."

"Which, as I recall, includes you." He chuckled throatily. "Somehow I wonder how you came out as traditional as you have, given who raised you, and your partner."

"Hay!" Jenna faked insult.

"Don't you start. You're _still_ as bad as Jay ever was." He smirked at her. "And don't think I didn't know you were usually watching us when you couldn't get a playmate of your own."

"Well, you never complained," Jenna smirked. "As for Miss Perfect Jedi, it was the only way she could get anybody to trust her enough to be a proper partner in crime for me," Jenna smirked.

"Guilty," the Ice Walker grinned.

"You two could teach the bothans a thing or two about espionage, you know." He shook his head.

"And that's before you've heard about our recent missions," Kanna smirked. "We do our best."

"Do I even want to know?" He raised an eyebrow, keenly interested.

"Hear about that near-rebellion on Malastare?" The Ice Walker asked, getting into one of her favorite subjects; the more exciting missions she ended up on when she was working with Jenna.

"Yes, and you two were there," he nodded, very curious about what had _not_ ended up in the report.

"Well, the Council wanted us to make sure it stayed a near -" Kanna trailed off, and then sighed.

"Well, that's great timing," she murmured, standing up. "Sorry I have to run, but I just got a call from Master Charn. Councilors I don't want to keep waiting."

"Hopefully it's _not_ the usual when another Seer calls you." Jenna nodded seriously. "I'll clean up."

"You two finish eating first," Kanna smiled. "With any luck, it won't be anything," she said, heading out the door quickly.

Despite her words, she knew full well things weren't going to be _that_ simple.

Her belief was confirmed by the dark expression on Master Charn's face when she entered the meditation chamber he'd called her to.

"Hello, Knight Kanna." The heavily silvered Panther greeted her with a motion to sit with him. Master Zaian was already there, her own fur even more pale than the Councilor's. Kanna took her seat, slipping into a meditative position.

"Hello, Master Charn, Zaian," she said softly. "What is the matter?" She asked.

"The storm rises," Master Zaian said softly, her eyelids closed to hide the once-bright eyes that were now clouded with cataracts. "It has obscured our vision, but its presence is enough to be of concern."

"The vision I almost had," Kanna said, knowing that it was somehow connected to this.

"Yes," the ancient Panthress nodded slightly. "You came closest out of all the Knights; we need you to complete the circle."

"I understand, Master," Kanna nodded. "Is there any idea what it is that is causing the storm?"

"What always causes it, Knight Kanna," Master Charn rumbled, his voice deep and almost menacing. "The Dark rises; we must discover where, and how."

The three Seers joined hands, Zaian not fumbling in the least despite her handicap, her two younger colleagues closing their eyes and focusing on the energies interfering with their visions.

And, perhaps, signaled the return of the Sith.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Darth Tembris settled back in his room, closing his eyes and beginning to meditate. The Sith Lord had been planning this for some time, decades even. Delicate plans had been laid, contingencies put in place, countless assorted permutations of his arrangements laid out to bring the Republic and the Jedi to their knees in time.

If this plan worked, it would be within his lifetime yet.

He had no intention of letting the presence he had sensed earlier interfere with _that_.

"Who are you?" He asked himself quietly, stretching out his consciousness and seeking the presence in the Force and the Dark Side again. Whatever it was, it seemed to gravitate towards the Jedi who had arrived earlier, so he was going to start there.

Masking his presence, wrapping himself in a shroud of the Dark Side's energies, he began to explore, occasionally sending out a ripple through the Force that would only be sensed by the ... thing ... he was searching for.

It drew a response much sooner than he'd expected. With that came the realization that a Dark Side creature it may be, but it was also _completely_ alien to this galaxy.

"* _Who cares?_ *" It rumbled back defensively, the heavy accent in it's mind as much from being unaccustomed to being addressed by anyone it wasn't linked to as a minimal understanding of the language.

"* _Somebody who belongs here,_ *" Tembris informed it. "* _What are you, and what is your interest in the Jedi._ *"

"* _He is mine._ *" The creature growled back, the demonic mental image coming more from what it knew others thought of it than any self-image it had. On the fringe of its mind, the Sith realize that this entity had never had a solid form.

And it was _old_.

A part of him wondered, in the back of his mind, if he was seeing a creature that wasn't a true spirit, but instead an embodiment of the Dark Side itself.

"* _I do not dispute that claim,_ *" Tembris told him. "* _But I have need of him._ *"

"* _What do you offer in exchange for that?_ *" It accepted the opening to negotiations cautiously.

"* _To turn him to your purposes,_ *" the Sith offered. His own purposes required turning Clawson to the Dark Side; he doubted that this creature would object. After presenting that option, he reached out, searching the Force for some information that would make these negotiations possible.

What he found came as a serious surprise.

The creature wanted young by his 'charge'. Young that Clawson had steadfastly refused even with his mates. It had all but given up on turning the Jedi, but the next generation, a generation even more powerful than this one, presented it with a lure it couldn't resist.

"* _You think you can turn him?_ *" It asked skeptically. "After all this time, he resists the Dark well.*"

"* _As did I,_ *" the Sith pointed out. "* _And if that fails, I can offer you something you want even more. Children, by his blood, of a Force-wielder. Children that can be raised to the Dark._ *"

Tembris knew he had the creature's undivided attention now. He could feel it in the way the Force flowed and jumped in the eagerness of the Dark seeing a long-desired event coming to pass.

"* _What do you intend for him?_ *" It asked with a slightly less possessive rumble.

"* _Only that his 'gifts' be put to proper use,_ *" Tembris assured it. "* _The Sith want the Republic and Jedi to pay for what they have done. With his assistance, I can accomplish what no other Sith Lord has truly achieved; the conquest of the Republic, and Sith domination. I imagine you could help me with this. I can sense how close you are to the Knight._ *"

"* _His family line is mine,_ *" the Demon nodded. "* _It will take more than my connection to turn him though. You must make his mates go away. He is too strong with them._ *"

"* _That was already planned,_ *" the Sith smirked mentally. "* _I have prior business with that Healer, and his other mate is across the galaxy._ *"

"* _Yes,_ *" it crooned, seeing the possibilities. "* _How is she going away?_ *"

"* _An old demon of hers is about to return in a nearby system. Nearby, but not close enough to let her return here when her mate finds he needs her. She'll be busy fighting a minor plague outbreak when the pieces come together._ *"

"* _A good plan._ *" It nodded in approval. It wasn't certain it would work, but it didn't have any obvious flaws. "* _I will leave him alone, so she is not so uneasy about leaving him here._ *"

"* _And I will arrange to fulfill my end of the bargain,_ *" Tembris promised. "* _Worst case scenario, one of my hopefuls will carry his children within days._ *"

"* _And that is far from a loss._ *" The Demon said with no small hint of the power and promise he expected of such a union.

"* _Agreed,_ *" Tembris said. "* _I'd been toying with the idea already, in case he should manage to be turned back after he joins us. We both have much work to do; it would be wise to begin doing it._ *"

With that, the Sith pulled back towards his body, moving towards his console to send out orders to move ahead with the plan.

It was time for the Republic to finally fall.

* * *

* * *

* * *

A number of the researchers and helpers were gathered around to watch the two Jedi spar a few days later. Dr. Tosh and Dr. Kell were still asleep, so the younger archaeologists were taking the opportunity to watch the Knight and Master practice.

"This is a _lot_ more interesting than working in the ruins," one of them, a lean Panthress, rumbled, her eyes focused mostly on Jay. Despite having a couple decades on her, he was still lean and well built, and not even close to showing his age.

"Speak for yourself, Ricki," a fluffy black-on-brown Tabby fem roughly the same age chuckled. "This is fun, but the work we're actually getting paid for is too. Though I have to admit, they _are_ attractive."

"Pity they spends their nights together." Ricki chuckled softly. "Though it's good to know not all Jedi are cold fish."

"Mmm ... can you imagine what it'd be like to be between them?" The Tabby grinned at her friend. "Though I'd settle for the blue-skinned girl, myself."

"You _would_ , Mina," Ricki chuckled, rolling her eyes a bit. "Pass up a perfectly good tom like that."

"I happen to appreciate toms in places _besides_ the bedroom," the smaller woman shot back playfully, focusing on the sparring match again. "Besides, it'd be nice to get to know 'em _both_ better, whether or not anybody ever made it to the bedroom."

"With the size of this dig, we'll get our chance. We'll be here for months at least." A male Sabertooth, hired for his muscle more than his skill, grinned at the pair.

"Very true," Mina chuckled, watching Clawson's fluid, effective moves with the realization that the Knight was a far better fighter than the Master in this case. "Still can't believe those ruins we found. That place is incredible."

"Yeah, it is. Just those statues are mind-blowing, never mind all the info they contain." Ricki nodded.

"Makes you wonder what any later statues they have are like doesn't it?" Mina asked with a bit of a grin. "Like just later, not the one that turned up on Yavin."

"Given how few have been found, I'm sure that they'll all be sent through a scanner system ASAP." The Panthress nodded. "Just these have already quadrupled our knowledge, and I don't think we've scanned more than ten percent of them yet."

"Hey now, give the linguists time to _work_ girl," Mina smirked. "We can scan 'em pretty quick, but then we've got to get the computer to decode 'em and _we_ have to translate from a Sith dialect that's older than the Sith. You think it's gonna go quickly?"

"No, but it's still exciting." Ricki grinned at her. "Imagine what this will actually give us in ten or twenty years when it's all been studied properly."

"Myopia," the Sabertooth smirked down at the two archaeologists. "At least from what I've seen of it."

"We're not that bad." Ricki rolled her eyes at him.

"I'll make sure to publish a large print version," Mina chuckled, looking up at him. "And to use easy words," she teased as the sparring Jedi started to slow down a bit.

"So they _don't_ last forever after all." He grinned up at the pair.

"Close enough for me," Ricki chuckled with a wise-ass grin, Mina just rolling her eyes.

"They've been at it for close to an hour now, they're probably interested in breakfast," the tabby pointed out.

"So am I." Ricki nodded, though the look she gave Jay was not all that subtle.

"Somehow, I was thinking of a different sort of 'breakfast in bed' than you are," Mina deadpanned. "I'll go check with the kitchen, you have fun trying to flirt or something."

"Want me to try and save anything for you, if I get lucky?" Ricki winked at her co-worker.

"Why not?" Mina chuckled, shaking her head. "Not like you're going to. They might not be cold fish, but they're still Jedi. You are _so_ not their speed."

"How would you know?" Ricki shot back with a bit of a smirk.

"* _I think we need to try and be more quiet at night._ *" Jay commented as he and Shi cooled down.

"* _I don't know, it's almost fun listening to those two,_ *" Shi chuckled mentally. "* _Imagine what it'd be like if Fenrik was here too._ *"

"* _Very fun,_ *" he grinned mentally and drew a deep breath to calm down. "* _The comment about breakfast was right though. I'm quite ready to eat._ *"

"* _Agreed,_ *" Shivasta nodded, dropping back to the ready position and extinguishing her lightsaber. "So, shall we find our way to the cafeteria?"

"I think so," he nodded easily. "* _We're not so sweaty we need a shower yet._ *" He winked at her mentally.

"* _That's because we already showered when we got out of bed,_ *" she pointed out with a mental smirk. "* _Come on, let's look for subjects we can talk about out-loud politely._ *"

"Found anything of extra interest in your part of the dig?" He went for the obvious, and to him, the most interesting one.

"Only that this is the _weirdest_ Sith ruin I've ever been in," Shi said easily. "They really changed after they started to turn to the Dark Side, physically and culturally."

"The more I translate, the more I get to know these people, the more I hate those early Dark Jedi. They did so much more than just subjugate and warp these people." He shook his head. Despite the evenness of his voice, she had no doubt the emotions spoken of were very real and very strong. "They weren't Light-siders, but there was no need to steal their name, their very identity."

"It was a slower sort of conquest, I think," Shivasta pointed out. "By the time they did, they weren't Dark Jedi anymore. They _were_ Sith. They didn't conquer them violently; they mingled, and twisted the culture to their purposes. Just like the Sith do with everything."

"I don't expect I'll ever understand how anyone could be so willing to give up their identity." He shook his head slightly.

"How did my people become the Ice Walkers?" Shi pointed out. "The first people didn't. There comes a point when you're not who you used to be though."

"I don't see how they did that either." He said very quietly. "To go that far ... they've all forgotten their past in becoming something new." He sighed. "Shi, you're talking to someone who _still_ holds his family name and ways as central to his identity. I _am_ a Clawson. Without that knowledge, there's nothing worth having." He closed his eyes and shook his head as they got close enough to see others at the entrance of cafeteria. "* _I can't understand giving up what you are. Maybe you can. It's just not in me to do that._ *"

"* _You're in a place where being who you are still fits, in a way,_ *" she pointed out softly, taking his hand and squeezing it lightly. "* _After a dozen generations, in a place where that's not true, you adapt or don't last that long._ *"

"* _But still, to forget where you came from, just to adapt?_ *" He wasn't really asking her, it was more just a statement of something he couldn't grasp at all.

"When it doesn't help you, or when you resent it, it doesn't matter as much," she pointed out. "And the Sith didn't forget, unfortunately. They tried to destroy the memory of what they took over, but they didn't forget about the Jedi."

"* _I guess so,_ *" he acknowledged the truth of her words, even if he didn't understand how they could be true.

"Let's just focus on what we can recover of the past, hmm?" She smiled, leading him into the cafeteria and taking a deep breath. "Smells like they didn't char the bacon this morning," she chuckled.

"Always a good thing," he managed a slight smile, though the smell of good food always perked him up more than he showed. "Smells like there is fresh bread and fruit in the offering too."

"It _is_ nice eating somewhere they aren't cooking for species that can't live on the same planet you're on," Shi smiled as they got into line. "Though the Kel Dor have some interesting dishes sometimes."

"True, though I do prefer Kanna's ideas of interesting dishes." He chuckled.

"No complaints there," she chuckled. "She learned to cook well."

"That she has," he nodded and picked up a tray, pleased with the selection available today.

"Any objection to company while we eat?" Shivasta asked, taking a tray of her own. "Looks like we have a tabby saving us seats," she explained, nodding towards Mina and the table she was at.

"Not at all," he glanced that way. "Mina, I think."

"I think so," Shivasta agreed with a nod, starting to walk over towards the table and the tabby who was glad to see she had their attention. "Looks like we might have another friend here before we leave."

"Never a bad thing," he chuckled softly before they were really in earshot.

"Thanks for saving us seats," Shi smiled as they took them.

"No problem," Mina smiled. "I figured I should get your attention before my partner realized you two were free and tried 'distracting' you."

"The Panther you were talking with while we sparred?" Jay asked.

"Yeah," Mina chuckled. "She's ... enthusiastic. I swear, she's living proof that not everybody who works digs is the calm, restrained intellectual."

"* _Rather like how we're living proof not all Jedi are 'cold fish'._ *" Jay snickered silently to Shi. "I think you'll find those exceptions everywhere."

"Most likely," Mina smiled. "But not usually to the level she's at."

"I wonder if it's a Panther thing?" Shi chuckled. "I've known several; most of them are as bad as she sounds like."

"* _I've never heard you seriously complain about ours._ *" Jay snickered silently. "It's possible," he nodded. "Though I thought that was supposed to be the domain of rabbits and Minervan Mink."

"Oh, the assorted Cats have their own reputations," Mina chuckled. "Just that most of us don't live up to them, leaving people like Rickie to fill in the gaps."

"Which they tend to do _very_ enthusiastically," Shi chuckled, starting in on her breakfast.

"The universe does prefer balance," he nodded, almost not keeping a straight face.

"Mmm ... well, if Ricki's supposed to be doing something to make the universe happy, I suspect it has less to do with balance, and more to do with metaphysical pornography," Mina snickered. "I prefer to get to know people, myself."

"I do believe somebody's hinting," Shi chuckled.

"At you, as I recall." Jay winked at her.

"Oh, all right," Shi chuckled, taking a drink of juice and setting the glass down. "So, where do you want me to start?"

"How about with some of the things you two have done?" Mina asked with a smile. "All I know about you is that you're both Jedi."

"Okay," the Ice Walker smiled, thinking back and picking out an early story of theirs. "Think I'll start with what happened at the Kallarak ...."

* * *

* * *

* * *

Doruth groaned softly as he cuddled up with his shewolf mate late that night, Tes dressed in her harem costume after a day of subtle pampering that had him wondering what was going on.

"Mmm ... I'm getting too old for this," he chuckled, licking her cheek tenderly.

"You're not even eighty-five, Jedi." She nuzzled him back. "Shan and Surool still play, and I don't even _want_ to know how old they are."

"You also tried to keep me going for about three hours," Doruth pointed out dryly, kissing her. "While you're worth it, it's just not as easy as it used to be."

"Ah, my poor warrior all tuckered out?" Tes teased him with a kiss that was gently serious. "You are worth it, love, every time."

"Mmm .... and so are you," he murmured. They both had as much grey in their fur as anything else by this point, and the familiarity of fifty years being mates behind them. Even so, they still did everything they had when they were just getting together.

Only somewhat more gently.

"So," he asked with a soft chuckle, "what is it you're trying to butter me up before asking me about?"

"It's been more than a year since we sent Neki, Verera and Kysi to the Crèche." She murmured softly, a look on her face that he'd seen _many_ times before, usually with similar words.

"You're interested in bringing up another litter?" He asked her, honestly knowing he should know better than to be surprised. They'd already raised more children than any Jedi ever before, the majority of whom were already with the Order in one capacity or another. Nasim and Abayomi were already Masters now, as were all the Wolves she'd given birth too, except for Badru, who'd been killed as a Knight, and Shyin, who was running the family business instead of becoming a Jedi.

"Yes," she smiled brilliantly, a look that they both knew he could rarely refuse.

"You really do get along with being a mother, at least for the time we are," he murmured, nuzzling her neck. "Are you really sure we can keep up with another litter though? Honestly?"

"I'm sure," she smiled and rolled over to snuggle against him. "I've never doubted your ability."

"You know, the Kaminoans have got to adore us by now," he murmured dryly, nuzzling her neck. "Every few years, just about like clockwork."

"The Council hasn't complained yet either." She snickered a bit. "They may pay, but they get some very good Jedi from the investment."

"The Council might not, the crèche-masters ... that's another story," Doruth chuckled. "I think Master Kellen was hinting that he'd rather we at least wait until he's retired before sending more cubs his way the other day."

"How long until then?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Probably just about long enough for the next litter to be ready," Doruth admitted. "Mmm ... only two this time?" He asked, knowing already that he probably wouldn't be able to say no. As much as cubs were sometimes irritating, he enjoyed being a father almost as much as Tes did being a mother. He'd have to, to have been father to three litters of pups and ten litters of cubs, and cub/pup sitter to quite a few more he was grandfather, or even great-grandfather, too.

He was just a little more willing to settle for grandfather than she was.

"I can live with that," she murred and snuggled close. "Thank you."

"Mmm ... just promise me that this litter will be the last, all right?" He asked her, kissing her neck. "By the time you'll be in the mood again, I'll almost be 90, and that is _far_ too old for even a Jedi to be called 'Daddy,'" he chuckled.

"At least by an infant," Tes agreed a bit reluctantly. "It's hard to remember you don't have the endless energy and endurance you did when we met." She smiled at him softly.

"Mmm ... you don't either, my love," he pointed out softly, kissing her tenderly. "We do our best, but even Jedi slow down eventually."

"Eighty-five is not _that_ old." She chuckled. "Master Charn's two hundred and something."

"And hasn't been on missions for at least a hundred and thirty," Doruth pointed out, scritching her back lightly. "I'm still the oldest Panther on field duty, and not planning on retiring all _that_ soon. Trust me, I'm not about to trade in my lightsaber for a rocker," he smirked.

"Or a Councilor's seat." She nuzzled him. "Which you'd be very good at, if you didn't hate politics so much."

"Mmm ... don't start that again," he chuckled. "You'd be as bored as I would be if we were stuck here on Coruscant." He buried his muzzle in her neck-fur, inhaling her familiar scent deeply. "Mmm ... sleep well, love."

"Yes, sleep," she murmured agreeably and snuggled in for the night, still as grateful for every night she had him as he was for his nights with her.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Shivasta paused as she was performing her morning stretches and meditations, opening her eyes as she heard the console in her quarters beep. Glancing at the bed to make sure Jay wasn't already up and getting it, she stood, moving to see what somebody was contacting them here for.

As she read the message, lengthy and filled with medical technical terms, Jay's half-waking mind became increasingly aware of his mate's concern and mild distress.

"* _Shi?_ *" He reached out with his mind before his body was quite awake enough to talk.

"Plague outbreak," she told him softly, moving to start packing. "It reads like a mutant strain got out of the quarantine."

"* _Great,_ *" he sighed mentally. "* _When's the ship going to be here for you?_ *"

"An hour or two," she told him. "About enough time to pack and get a quick breakfast. Are you going to be okay? It sounds like they can probably handle it with the people they have, but ...."

"Shi, you're a Master Healer. Go help the sick people." He smiled at her a bit unhappily even as he got up to come over and hug her. "I'll be fine. If there was anything active here that's nasty, we would have found it by now."

"You're right," she smiled slightly, kissing him gently. "With any luck, it shouldn't take more than a few weeks. It sounds like we caught it fairly early, and the vaccines do _some_ good, just not as much as they used to. At least I won't have to worry about catching it this time," she smiled wryly.

"At least there is that," he murmured and rested his forehead against hers. "Just be as careful as you can, okay? I'm too old to find another mate."

"Like anybody else'd put up with you," she teased playfully, kissing him gently. "Let's get some food before I have to go, okay? I'll see you again soon; it's just a few systems away."

"Yes, breakfast." He nodded and let her go, turning to get dressed. He wasn't happy, but nothing more than could be expected from the news.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Mina rubbed the bridge of her muzzle lightly as she finished translating one particular stretch of decoded ancient Sith legends.

"Knight Clawson? Think we can take five?" She asked him, setting her datapad aside.

"Of course," he nodded agreeably and set his own datapad aside.

"How're you doing?" She asked him conversationally, standing up and moving over to grab something to drink for the both of them.

"I'm fine," he looked at her a bit curiously, unsure where the question had come from.

"I meant with your mate gone," she smiled, handing him a glass of tendra juice. "You two are obviously very close; she's been gone close to a week now."

"I miss her, but this is hardly the first time we've been apart." He said easily, though it wasn't nearly so easy for him at night. "Jedi do not always have the luxury of having who they wish with them."

"Sounds a bit like our job, if you hook up with somebody who isn't cleared for dig work," Mina smiled. "How long have you two been together?"

Jay paused, doing a bit of math to answer that. "Fifty-two years next month."

"Whoa," she murmured, honestly more than a bit surprised. "Either you two got together when you were pretty young, or the Jedi _really_ age slower than most people."

"Young." He admitted after a sip of golden-orange juice. "We were both teenagers."

"And the slow aging," Mina smiled. "I would've pegged the both of you for forties, not sixties. No wonder you two are so close."

"And both our races age slower than the galactic norm to start with." He chuckled softly. "Even without Jedi training, we wouldn't look our age to most."

"Well, I imagine that has its perks," she chuckled. "Not quite as interesting as the Neti, probably, but still pretty good."

"I don't think anything could be quite that interesting." He shook his head with a soft chuckle thinking about the plant-basted life. "Not even the Drakon last so long, though none of them have tried the hibernation trick before. They might come close, with a natural life span toping eight thousand years for a Jedi and records of far older ones."

"That'd come close at least," Mina chuckled. "Have you worked with a Drakon before?" She asked him curiously. If he had, she rather hoped he wasn't _friends_ with any of them. Drakon, especially as Jedi, tended to be people you didn't want to mess around with. They were thankfully very rare off their homeworld. Not so thankfully, those that were out and about were mostly Jedi.

"A couple times," he nodded. "You have not flown until one has given you a ride at Force-enhanced speed." He smiled warmly at the thrilling memory from three decades before. "I tend to be sent on missions with one of my mates though, if all three of us don't go. The Council doesn't break up a good team without reason."

"All three of you?" She asked, interested. Tembris had only mentioned one mate. "Your other mate isn't here?"

"No," he shook his head a bit. "He was on a mission when this one came in. The Council might send him here for the rest of the dig, or back to his classes. As dull as he finds it, I do hope he comes."

"Don't like being alone?" She said understandingly.

"Not particularly." He admitted after finishing half the glass. "Our bond means we're never truly alone, but it's not the same as having them with you. As long as we've been together, it's a little weird being solo."

"Makes sense," she nodded, drinking her own juice. She was really hoping the Council would keep his other mate on Coruscant once he was back; timing everything would be tricky enough with one of them to get out of the way.

"So what about you, besides preferring females?" He countered, wanting to get himself off the main subject. "Anyone back home or hopes for the future?"

"Not at the moment," she admitted. "Nothing serious at least. Having too much fun in the field yet," she grinned.

"That's hardly a reason," Jay pointed out with a low chuckle. "There are plenty of people here, after all."

"Oh don't get me wrong, I do play around once in a while," she chuckled. "Just haven't met anybody who interests me that much yet."

"That can be a lifetime's search for many," he nodded. "I was more than lucky to find my mates as young as I did."

"I'll bet," she agreed. "Just how young were you?" 

"Thirteen." He answered simply. "They were both fifteen."

"Weren't you a little young to be interested in fems back then?" Mina asked curiously, more than a touch stunned at those ages.

"I was a little young to be interested in anyone," he shrugged. "It's one of those 'it happened' things. None of us were looking for it; the Force simply decided it was time."

"Figures," Mina chuckled. "You're not looking for one mate yet, and you manage to find two. There are people out there who've been looking for years who can't even manage to find one. At least it lasted," she smiled.

"Yes," he smiled faintly, warmed by the thought of his mates. "We've even surprised most Jedi with how long we've been together."

"I imagine you surprised most Jedi with the fact that you _were_ together, unless the rumors about the Order aren't true," she chuckled.

"They're mostly true," Jay admitted. "They knew when they accepted me that I was going to be an exception to that norm, just not with who or exactly when. My Master is a good example of more typical Jedi behavior, though. She's never actually thought about having sex in any seriousness."

"Well, unless you want some serious attention from a certain Panthress I know, you might want to keep how much of an exception you are under wraps," Mina winked. "She's definitely interested."

"Her attention is not welcome." He replied simply, a slight shifting in the Force around him indicating just how serious a 'no' that really was. "Which she'll find out if she gets past whispering about it to you."

"Understood," Mina said easily, filing that mentally. It certainly wouldn't help _her_ mission, Zykell's assurances that his new ally would help her get around that one weren't that reassuring. He would have to be a Jedi interested in sex and not interested in anyone but whom he already was with. "I'll make sure she finds out before that point, discretely."

"Thank you," he inclined his head slightly before finishing his juice. "Ready to get back to work?"

"I think so," Mina smiled, finishing her own drink and setting the glass aside. "Any idea what this passage means?" She asked, indicating one particular stretch of runes on both their pads.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Shivasta sighed as she worked through the medical readouts for the latest patients she'd had. Something didn't feel right about this. Not only was the Plague resisting the standard vaccine, but it was more virulent.

It had sounded like an accidental mutation, but given the Plague's known origin ... she was beginning to think somebody had engineered a second strain. The question was why they would release it _here_. The Carcharo system was small and out on the Rim ... but it was so close to vital Rim systems that anybody releasing it would have to realize that there would be a Jedi presence within days of the first reports.

So why would somebody take a disease that already had a cure, make it more contagious, then put it somewhere it could be cured reasonably easily? It didn't make sense.

A chill tingled along her spine, a warning of Darkness of more sentient origin than the disease she was fighting.

It was a fairly familiar feeling; something about this was connected to the Demon.

Which meant Jay was going to be in danger.

"Damn it," she swore under her breath, turning to her console to send a message to Jay. She had to get back to the Beldin system as quickly as she could, but he needed to know what was happening first. Whoever was behind this was probably on the dig with him.

What sort of sick bastard would do _this_ to an innocent system to lure a Jedi away?

She typed in the message, opening the door behind her. At least her latest patient was reasonably healthy.

"I'm afraid something came up, but you're recovering nicely," she called back. "You should be fi-" She cut off as she felt a dart hit her throat, reaching up and spinning around, ripping the needle out of her neck even as she felt the poison on it burning into her system.

The Otter in the next room, her patient, was holding small, concealed dart pistol, watching as her breath started to grow short. She didn't have to reach out with the Force to realize that her 'patient' was working with the people behind this.

She did, however, have to work to keep the poison from killing her. She recognized the symptoms as her hands started trembling; green zyla.

One of the poisons out there that didn't have a known antidote.

She summoned the Force to her, knowing that using it was her only chance to live through this, her blood burning and nerves beginning to function randomly.

The Ice Walker fell to the ground, twitching for a few moments before lying still, her eyes staring lifelessly forward.

Most of the way across the galaxy, Kanna gasped, her eyes snapping open as she sensed her Master and Aunt fall. She pulled her hands free from Master Charn's and Master Zaian's, thunder cracking the normally peaceful skies of Coruscant outside the meditation spire.

"Master," she murmured, starting to stand as she put together what she'd felt. Her bond with Shivasta was deeper than the normal Master-Padawan connection; the two of them had never truly broken it because of their familiar relationship. Thanks to that, and her meditation with the two stronger Seers, she had felt the ripples caused by ....

She swallowed hard, unwilling to believe what she'd felt. Intense pain that gave way to the Force ... she couldn't be sure, but death seemed like a very real possibility.

"Knight," Master Charn's voice stopped her in her tracks as she turned to leave, his tone clearly expecting an explanation.

"I'm sorry, Masters," she said, turning to face them again, bowing. "I sensed something, in meditation ... something happened to Master Shivasta. She has been injured, badly ... possibly killed."

That raised an eyebrow slightly on the aged male Panther. "Where are you going, then?"

"I ...." Kanna trailed off as she realized she didn't honestly know. "To try and find out what happened," she said after a moment. "See if anybody's with her, knows about it. I might be the only person who does."

"Knight Clawson most assuredly knows, given they are on the same mission." Master Charn pointed out; no longer privy to the Council knowledge that Shivasta had left the dig and her mate several systems away.

"With all due respect, Master Charn, if Knight Clawson _is_ aware of what I felt, then he is in no position to help her right now," Kanna said simply. There was no _way_ Jay would have allowed something like that to happen if he could possibly help it.

"You and Knight Dyreth should check with Master Fenrik first, then. He also shares a bond with them." His concern for the other Panther clear to the Jedi. "I will alert Master Essani to send the nearest Healer to their location."

"Thank you, Master," Kanna said, bowing. "We will check with Master Fenrik, then try and determine what happened." With that, she turned to leave, hurrying without giving any observers a clear view of how concerned she truly was.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Mina waited outside the Jedi's quarters, ready to open the door as soon as the Demon told her it was time. She could feel the turbulent Darkness in there, the Light fighting it, but the proportion of the two told her as clearly as any words that it wasn't the Force that was fighting the Darkness back. The Jedi wasn't using the methods she'd have expected him to when under attack by a creature of the Dark.

Yet he was still winning, by force of will alone, apparently.

If Darth Tembris hadn't told her how to contact the Demon, how to hear its words without letting its host in on the fact, she'd probably have left by now. It was no different than any other morning so far.

Then she heard the scream of rage and pain from the kat inside. She hit the key to open the door, rushing in, her face a mask of concern as the Force became a visible, living, chaotic entity around the tom struggling in bed. He wasn't truly awake; she could feel that as much as see it in his open, sightless, terrified and panicked eyes.

"* _Pretend to be her,_ *" the Demon's deep voice rumbled in her mind. "* _Hold him, croon comforting things to him, touch him when he calms. Reach out to his mind so I can work._ *"

Mina moved to do so, shifting onto the bed and presenting a warm, comforting presence.

"It's all right," she told him softly, using most of the words she remembered from her early mornings spent eavesdropping on the two Jedi during this little 'ritual.' "It's all right, I'm here for you." She just hoped that the obvious differences between herself and his newly-former mate wouldn't get in the way.

On the other hand, for the critical part of her mission, she only needed him to accept her this once. Darth Tembris had does things to her body to ensure that she would conceive well this morning if she even got close to what the mates normally did.

She was more than glad she'd picked up a tolerance for pain. His claws were still very sharp and he was oblivious to what he was doing as the Demon did its work in his mind and Mina held his body. She smiled slightly as he began to show signs of relaxing as the Demon backed off, leaving the new pseudo-mate-bond between the felines in its wake.

"Shh, it's all right," she murmured, kissing him lightly and drawing him back with her onto the bed, glad she was only wearing a light gown. It was probably more than his real mate did, but she couldn't very well have walked around the camp naked, and there hadn't been all _that_ much time to change once he was ready.

It felt incredibly weird, and a touch unsettling, to feel the way his mind worked; to know anyone that intimately with the realization that is she wasn't _incredibly_ careful, and he wasn't as weak a telepath as she'd been told, that he could know her just as well, just as fast.

Then her attention was no longer on the long-term consequences but focused on coaxing the slight physical arousal she could feel forming into fruition.

She kissed him tenderly, rubbing his back and neck, letting the Demon give her the tips she needed to work him _just_ awake enough to do what was necessary, without being conscious enough to realize what was happening and respond as he probably would. It was a bit fascinating to watch, from the inside and the out, how readily he accepted her actions once the bond was in place. He knew she wasn't Shi, but whatever the Demon had done had walked her right past everything that cared.

He would probably _kill_ her once this was all over, or want to at least. She was already planning to be well and truly gone by that time.

But first, she had to do what she'd been told to.

She slipped her nightgown off slightly, then wrapped her arms around him, rolling him up on top of her as he began to kiss her back in the half-awake way of lovers in the early morning.

It was working perfectly. Nothing in him resisted her desires as they became his own and he slid down her body slightly to kiss her breasts, the Force stroking her sex gently before plunging deep inside her.

"Oh yes," she groaned, tightening her body around his telekinetic shaft and wrapping a leg around his waist. It had been a while since she'd done this, and even warming up he felt good.

Especially with the brief heat cycle she was going through.

She whimpered and spread her legs when he moved further down and nuzzled her slick sex, inhaling the pheromones he'd normally have fought like hell to avoid. Then his tongue swirled around her clit in a practiced counter-rhythm to the telekinetic thrusts filling her sex.

Mina whimpered, her tail flicking against his chest as she enjoyed his touch, and the feel of being filled without really being taken yet. She wasn't going to settle for that too much longer though. It was something he felt and allowed the telekinesis to fade as he kissed his way back up her body. The real thing pressed into her with a single smooth thrust while he closed her mouth with a kiss.

It was in that moment she realized he was fully awake and aware that she was not his mate, and as confused as it had him, he wasn't contesting the idea that this female in his bed, that he was making love to, belonged there and they belonged doing just that at this hour.

He hadn't forgotten about Shi, but the pain of her passing was all but gone from him. That confused him even more, but there was something blocking him from investigating it too much for now, and it wasn't her body.

Something for which the tabby he was fucking was devoutly grateful for. She kissed him deeply, tightening her body around him, working his shaft with her sex. She wasn't as skilled as Shivasta was by now, but she knew what she was doing and Jay's pheromone-keyed up body was in no condition to resist.

Mina cried out sharply when his teeth dug into her shoulder, drawing blood even as her body was flooded by his seed and he stiffened in the peak of pleasure that she realized was just the beginning.

She fought not to respond the way her instincts were telling her to, not to fight back. Unless he started going _way_ too far, she was going to go along with whatever he wanted at this point. She could taste how used he was to the blood and violence mixed with his pleasure, both in giving and receiving ... no wonder his mate was a Healer. They'd need it just to survive if what she saw in his mind was real.

Then her body stiffened in response to the pleasure flooding her mind from him and his own skill at giving pleasure.

Bloody or not, he did care about his lover's pleasure.

* * *

* * *

* * *

"All right, Nemik," Fenrik said soothingly, watching the senior student who was still holding his training 'saber nervously as the two of them practiced in front of the class. "Form Alpha, we'll take it from the top, I'll take defensive."

The young, blue-skinned Twi'lek shifted to an offensive stance, and the two of them began the simple combat exchange. For a few moments, everything was going well. Despite Nemik's uncertainty, he wasn't making any serious mistakes, and the small ones he made Fenrik could compensate for with ease.

Then he felt a near scream across the Force, painfully similar to what he felt when Master Kiris had died, as Shivasta's bond with him carried a sensation of incredible pain, then faded away.

It only became worse as Jay's response echoed through to him mere moments later; a panicked, disturbed sense not unlike the time he'd been drugged on Alderaan ... but made all the worse because, somehow, there was the sense of somebody he _trusted_ doing this to him.

Somebody he trusted as much as Shivasta or Fenrik ... somebody who, as far as Fenrik knew, didn't _exist_.

The Panther hissed as he was snapped back into the waking world by the feeling of Nemik's training 'saber striking him on the arm, burning his robes and the arm beneath them.

Fortunately, the blade flashed off as soon as it detected a living body being struck, everybody in class, most of all Nemik, looking at Fenrik with a slightly panicked expression.

"Master Fenrik, I'm sorry!" The Twi'lek said quickly. "I-I didn't think I was ...."

"You didn't do anything wrong, Nemik," Fenrik reassured him quickly, holding his injured arm and shutting down his own lightsaber. "I felt something, it distracted me. Your form was perfect, I missed my steps. Class, practice the form with each other. I'll check in at medical, let them yell at me, and be back in a couple minutes."

After he'd figured out what the hell was happening to his mates. He noticed Kanna and Jenna waiting outside the door, reinforcing his sense that something was very, very seriously _wrong_.

Shi wasn't dead, but she was clearly very close, probably in a deep healing trance to preserve what chance she still had of surviving whatever it was. Jay ... Force, even if nothing else happened, having Jay alone on an Outer Rim world when Shi went down like that was grounds to find the fastest ship on the planet and get there as fast as he could.

"Master," Jenna said as the Knights fell in step with him on the way to medical. "Kanna's belief that Master Shivasta is nearly dead is correct, isn't it?"

"I believe so," Fenrik nodded. "You felt it too, Kanna?"

"Yes, Master," the Ice Walker nodded. "I'm not sure about Jay, but if -"

"Shivasta left the Beldin system to deal with a Plague outbreak," Fenrik explained. "I was told, but nobody felt there was any need to mention it to anybody else, since everything seemed to be going well. I'll have to go to Beldin, see to Jay. Can you two go to the Carcharo system, find out what happened to Shivasta?" He asked, looking back over his shoulder.

"Yes Master," Kanna agreed, swallowing. This was about as close as the triad could come to a worst case scenario without _both_ of Jay's mates being incapacitated or dead.

"Are there any other Healers dealing with the outbreak?" Kanna asked quietly. "If she's that injured, we'll need the help of one."

"There certainly should be by now. An alert was sent out for every Healer in that sector. She'll probably be found soon. I just hope that whoever tried to kill her fell for what she did ...."

"If he didn't, she _would_ be dead, Master." Jenna tried to reassure them as they reached Medical. "Who's telling the Council?"

"* _The Council knows._ *" Master Essani's mind broke in for all three of them, her fur no doubt a deep grey by now. "* _Go, and hurry._ *"

"* _Thank you, Master,_ *" Fenrik responded, deciding to skip medical and just handle the minor injury himself. "* _Knight Duroth will be eager to take over my classes while I'm gone._ *"

With that the three headed to the landing pads to claim the fastest ships still available. It was already going to take far too long to reach their destinations.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Mina groggily opened her eyes to the dark room, though she knew full well it was quite late in the afternoon. The tom sleeping next to her had eventually exhausted himself and gone to sleep, though not before she'd all but passed out from the exertions of trying to keep up. Apparently he'd healed her too, before closing his eyes. She was aching all over, particularly her scruff, hips and sex that had seen the most abuse, but she could feel that the damage itself was largely gone.

Still, she had to admit that the abuse had been worth it. He was one _hell_ of a good lover.

She couldn't deny the fact that it was a hell of a thrill too, to be able to control a Jedi's reactions like this. Even with how clearly he knew what was going on, at least the basics of it, and really didn't want to go along, she was in where he couldn't really fight her much.

Mina tried to shift his arms lightly, planning on grabbing a shower, but he was holding her close very tightly and even that small motion seemed to rouse him a bit as he pressed closer to her and tightened his arms a bit.

She frowned slightly, snuggling up against him as she realized she wasn't going to go anywhere without waking him up.

Great. She'd figured that somebody with two mates wouldn't be particularly territorial, but she'd run into behavior like this before. She wasn't going to go anywhere until he was conscious, and she could try and talk some sense into him.

Or him into sharing a shower with her.

At least Tembris had arranged for them to be "excused" from her duties on the dig; nobody'd come looking for them.

Her attention was drawn back to Jay when he began to nuzzle her. He was waking up, and he was already aroused.

She couldn't be too surprised; her body was in heat, even if only just enough to make him willing and her fertile. The pheromones could cause some impressive changes in personality and temperament in many toms.

Still, if he was going to keep her here for now, there were worse things to do than indulge him.

"You are going to have to let me out of bed eventually," she murmured, flicking the tip of her fluffy tail against his balls lightly as he went from a nuzzling her to running his hands along her body to spread the thick lips of her sex wide for him. His third finger trailed its way up to her clit, circling and teasing it as he roused himself enough into the waking world to take advantage of the situation.

She rurred, pressing against his fingers, and reached down to splay her hand over his own. He definitely knew how to pleasure a fem, better than most of the toms she'd met. She guessed over five decades with a female mate as active as they were here would teach him as much. She shifted to kiss the side of his muzzle that he turned into for a real kiss. She was already purring deeply when he began to stroke her clit rhythmically, the Force gradually filling her sex.

As possessive as he acted, even half asleep he allowed her to guide his fingers and rhythm to suit her pleasure best.

Her tail played along his sheath, balls, and hardening cock as she whimpered slightly, feeling his fingers rub her clit, his other hand moving around to roll her nipples between his fingers, her body being filled deeply by the telekinetic shaft he was pressing into her. She kissed him again, drawing his rough tongue into her mouth as she worked to get him ready to replace the false cock with his real one.

It didn't take long before he shifted on top of her and drove into her achingly hot sex, their mouths still locked in the kiss that now mimicked their actions.

She could feel that he wasn't completely conscious yet, but he was more than enough to wear them out again.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Fenrik frowned as he read yet another panicked, half-formed message from Jay. They'd practically been streaming in since he felt the attack on Shi. Words, feelings, a desperate plea for help from the part of Jay's mind that wasn't still coping with Shivasta's apparent death and what was happening to his body. All created at his command by the computers, not his hand.

As he came out of hyperspace in the Beldin system, the Panther tried to calm himself, reaching out mentally towards his mate, trying to contact him and reassure him that he was coming. It wasn't easy, not from this far away, but he had to try.

He followed the bond he had with his male mate, more grateful for it now than ever before. Even as he sensed he was getting close to Jay's mind, he slammed right into something sticky, cold and unbearably Dark.

The Demon.

Fenrik put the borrowed fighter on auto-pilot and focused, trying to steel himself to force his way through the creature's defenses. He knew he shouldn't be surprised to find out it was involved in this somehow.

The only question was how. It couldn't have arranged everything ....

But if it didn't it was almost worse. It meant that it had allies in the physical world now. Allies that were now working on breaking Jay and had probably arranged for Shi's condition.

It almost assuredly meant that a Sith was involved, possibly more than one.

And they practically had Jay, not only thinking that one of his mates was dead, but in a state of confusion and conflict that had him believing he had another mate who was probably one of them.

He had to get through, try and break whatever was affecting Jay's mind so he could get away.

In an instant his main concern shifted from reaching Jay to surviving himself.

The Demon didn't wait for Fenrik to come to it, it reached out along the bond and lashed out with a powerful surge of pure Dark Force designed to cripple, if not kill.

The Panther pulled back, knowing he didn't have the training to deal with this. Shi would have, Essani would have, but what it would take to counter that sort of attack was something he'd never bothered to learn.

Damn it.

He cranked the fighter's ion engines to maximum, hurtling towards the planet his mate was on, hoping he could get there in time.

A few minutes later and the Whitecloak fighter was screaming down through the atmosphere, approaching the sole spaceport in the middle of the jungle. Fenrik made the adjustments necessary to land safely, but as quickly as possible, the ship nearly shaking around him.

Technically, it wasn't _really_ built to handle this sort of speed in these conditions. If it hadn't been one of Jay's test ships, it probably would have ripped apart when Fenrik had hit the atmosphere at ramming speed.

The Panther didn't care right now. He leveled the ship out, approaching a clearing in the middle of the spaceport, broadcasting an emergency clearance code to alert the dig's security forces that he was coming and that they shouldn't shoot.

He just hoped that they weren't working for the Sith involved here. That would be the one situation where "I'm a Jedi and this is an emergency" wouldn't help his case.

As the ship started to touch down, he stood and grabbed his lightsaber, opening the cockpit and jumped out while the fighter was still a good three meters from the ground.

If the Demon had allies, they'd almost certainly be moving Jay by now. Or getting ready to ambush Fenrik when he landed.

The greeting party was definitely not friendly. Several locals opened fire as soon as he was visible, their blasts deflected by the Jedi Master's lightsaber as soon as he'd landed. For all that a frustrated part of him _wanted_ to return the attack, he restrained the impulse, instead reaching out with the Force to yank the guard's blasters from their hands, crushing the weapons and hurling them to the side before he started to run towards the space-port.

Of course, the Sith here would have to choose both. An ambush, _and_ moving Jay.

This close and he could sense his mate's state even with the Demon's interference. They'd drugged him to move him. Not quite unconscious, but far enough gone that he wasn't in any shape to resist whatever they were doing.

The worst part was at this range Fenrik could feel what bothered Jay the most right now, and that was having another male anywhere near his mate in heat. It was pure, instinctive possessiveness of who would father her kits.

Part of Fenrik dearly hoped that they'd make the mistake of doing something that would be _just_ enough to knock Jay out completely - and let out the part of him that had nearly torn Navik a new one. Everything Jay had done to try and avoid the question of kits, and the Sith were trying to breed him even before they turned him.

The Panther bolted for the space-port, getting there just in time to see an ancient Wolf in a repulsor-lift chair moving Jay with the help of a female tabby and a handful of other helpers. Two of them, a Panthress and Sabertooth, turned and opened fire with blaster rifles, forcing Fenrik to stop and defend himself while the others finished loading Jay into the Sharufa.

Damn, if they had _that_ ship, he was going to have hell catching them if they got off the ground. His was a top notch fighter, it could outmaneuver and outrace the transport-fighter, but it also had cloaking shields and he couldn't shoot to destroy it.

He closed the distance between himself and the two shooters, cutting through their blasters with his lightsaber and using the Force to push them both away.

"Jay!" He called out, hoping to get his mate to fight against the drugging enough to realize he was there and break free.

That hope was largely dashed as more 'guards' attacked him from behind, forcing him to focus on defending himself.

"* _Fen?_ *" A mind came back that was badly dazed and disoriented. A second later a snarl of pure rage exploded among the Dark Siders as Jay lashed out at those attacking Fenrik with the only thing he had available; telekinesis. It was quite enough to shatter the organized assault.

It was also the precursor to a roar of Darkness as Jay crumpled completely and Fenrik nearly went down.

The Panther rode out the wave, turning to attack and stop them. Regardless of the pain, he wasn't going to let them get away with this.

The hover-chair turned around, and Dr. Kell - Darth Tembris - looked at the Panther with a disdainful expression.

"Farewell, Jedi," he sneered, raising a hand and stretching it out towards Fenrik.

The Panther had just enough time to brace before the Wolf channeled the energy of the Dark Side itself into physical form, projecting the Force Lightning into Fenrik's frame and wrenching a scream of pain from the Jedi Master before he collapsed, feigning unconsciousness, knowing that a second attack like that would remove the need to pretend.

He just hoped that no one decided to put a blaster shot threw his skull before it was safe to get up again.

* * *

Darth Tembris reclined in his seat as Mina and Janos finished settling Jay, the Sharufa taking off, piloted by one of the Wolf's mercenaries.

The Jedi's first mate was dead in the Carcharo system, his second one unconscious or dying on the spaceport tarmac. Mina had replaced the first bond, and already the Demon had suggested that Janos, a young, powerfully dominant Alpha wolf, might take the place of the second.

"I don't trust this Demon," a shadowy figure in the corner cautioned Tembris.

"You don't trust anybody, Kressh," the Wolf chuckled to the spirit. "And you assume much if you think I do."

"You're going too far. Killing two Jedi, taking another to turn ... the Republic _will_ seek you out."

"Not before we have the Kraken and Red Tide," Tembris said dismissively. "Won't you enjoy that, Kressh? Your old nemesis' flagship under our command? He'd turn in his grave, if he still had one."

"Don't patronize me," the Sith Spirit growled, his shadows flaring a light red. "You still aren't a true Sith Lord, Zykell."

"That will come soon enough, Kressh," Tembris rumbled dangerously, sitting up straight as Mina and Janos started into the room, Kressh retreating back into the shadows. The relationship between the spirit and Wolf was a secret they intended to maintain for now, at least from his 'apprentices.'

"Jay is settled in his usual quarters," Janos reported smoothly, his manner only just giving Tembris the respect he was due. "She should stay with him." He glared at Mina, who was still giving off enough pheromones to irritate the big canine.

"She will, once it's necessary," the Sith Lord said, meeting Janos' eyes long enough to force the younger Wolf to look away and submit to his decision. "Besides, the false heat should be over in another day or so, assuming the Jedi isn't sterile."

"Yes, Master," Janos said, almost reluctantly. He didn't like having another Alpha, particularly not one as physically weak as Tembris, but the ancient Wolf had proven time and again that he could force Janos to submit every time. The show in the spaceport just now was yet another example of the power the invalid could wield against an opponent.

"* _You should too._ *" The Demon entered the conversation without a form to wear, but a presence that none could refute. "* _A male to dominate him as his other male did._ *"

"He'll try to rip my throat out if I try that while Mina's still in heat," Janos pointed out.

"If necessary, I can end the heat cycle prematurely," Tembris shrugged slightly. "I would simply prefer to give as much opportunity for conception as possible at this point. Besides, if he managed to do that, it would simply prove you're not suitable for the Sith." 

Janos' tail lashed, but the younger Wolf didn't dispute what Tembris said.

"I'm not sure I'll be able to keep _walking_ in another day," Mina pointed out.

"* _She_ is _with a Clawson child. Three in fact._ *" The Demon rumbled in extreme excitement. "* _He will not attack his mate, and you would be in that place. Even if you were feline, he would let you be with her. It is how they are._ *"

"And with two mates who are Sith apprentices, he will turn far more easily," Tembris pointed out, not needing to emphasize the carrot offered in exchange for helping with this.

"Very well, Darth Tembris," Janos acquiesced. "When should we start?"

"* _Now, when he is still unconscious and unsettled by his mate going down. I can make him believe both are dead._ *" The Demon informed them.

"With any luck, it will be true soon enough," Tembris rumbled. "Go, both of you."

Suddenly, the Sharufa was rocked by a glancing blaster hit. The ancient Wolf swore under his breath.

"Get to the Knight, work with him," he told his apprentices, moving his chair towards the cockpit. He _had_ to open his mouth about the Panther ....

* * *

"Would you _please_ keep this thing steady?" Ricki asked Fenrik with a growl as she manned the main gun of the Whitecloak fighter the Panther was piloting.

"I know what that ship can do," Fenrik pointed out, pulling hard to the side as one of the turret spun around to target them with its quadlasers, four high-energy blasts lancing out for the smaller fighter. "And frankly, this is only the start of it. Just hit the engines, okay?"

The Panthress had woken up shortly after he'd decided everything was safe, the Sith's "guards" proving to be fighting under the force of the Wolf's mind control. A brief talk, and Ricki had volunteered to gun for him in an attempt to disable the Sharufa.

Fenrik was beginning to regret the decision; she was a decent gunner, better than he would have been on his own without an astromech droid, but she wasn't quite good enough to handle this.

One of the turrets on the Sharufa landed a hit, his shields glowing for a moment as the energy was dissipated.

"Some time today would be appreciated," he added, his frustration with the situation growing.

"I'm working on it," Ricki growled, dialing in what should have been a direct hit ... only to see the transport disappear completely off her targeting computer. "The _fuck_?!?" She snarled.

"They engaged the cloak," Fenrik growled. "At least we still have visual, and they won't be able to see - hey!" The quadlasers fired again, landing a direct hit on the starfighter's main guns, destroying them. "Damn it!" He snarled, pounding the control panel. "They installed a better cloak! Get us ready to go to hyperspace, if we don't keep them in visual -"

Almost on cue, the Sharufa pulled away, its profile elongating before it disappeared into hyperspace, leaving two _very_ pissed off Panthers behind it.

"Set in a course to Carcharo system," Fenrik said after a moment to recover his composure. "We have to make sure Shivasta's okay."

"But what about -"

"If Shivasta doesn't survive whatever your boss had done to her, then finding Jay won't mean anything," the older Panther said softly. "Set the course, or I can drop you off on the planet again if you want. The Republic will send a security team out here soon enough to make sure everything's cleaned up."

"Setting a course for the Carcharo system," Ricki muttered. "You're just lucky I got into college from fighter duty."

"Very lucky," Fenrik said, biting off the remark he _wanted_ to make and waiting until the course was set, before pulling the damaged fighter around to make the short trip to find his other mate.

* * *

Janos raised an eyebrow at Mina when she undressed without a glance at him once the doors slid closed on their new quarters where the Jedi was limp on his own bed.

"You might as well. Sex is coming up, and soon." She shrugged.

"* _Correct._ *" The Demon agreed with her. "* _You are his mate, play the part._ *"

"All right," the Wolf shrugged, working off his vest and the rest of his clothes while Mina climbed into bed in front of the kat. He had to admit, the Jedi was attractive, especially for being well into his sixties by Mina's previous comments. "He'd better be willing to bottom," he muttered to himself, climbing in behind Jay. 

At least the ship wasn't rocking anymore; they'd been worried the hit would wake up their 'mate' before they were ready for him, but he seemed to be sufficiently out of it that wouldn't happen.

"* _Good, now just relax._ *" The Demon instructed him simply as dark energy flowed into the Wolf's mind, adding links and securing a semi-permanent line that was overlaid on an existing one. 

It wasn't perfect work, but by the time Jay began to rouse Janos could feel it in his mind before he felt any change in the tom's body.

It was _definitely_ not a normal feeling, but it was one the Wolf could learn to handle. He also began to pick up on the confusion and arousal in Jay's body, the latter encouraging his own responses as he watched Mina work the tom easily; her hands and tail running along his body as he began to get to the waking world and noticed her pheromones before he truly noticed the newly redirected bond in his mind.

The tabby kissed Jay tenderly, with all the apparent caring of a real mate as her hands worked his sides and back. She indicated a spot where Janos should start working Jay's back and neck once he was a bit more into it, and the Wolf gave a slight nod. It was actually rather arousing to watch her work, and even more when Jay began to touch and kiss her back with a familiarity that belied the fact they hadn't been together more than a day.

Jay's fingers slid between her legs, the Force filling her as he teased her into whimpering.

Mina moaned softly, spreading herself to make a display for the Wolf and Kat alike when Jay slowly began to open his eyes. There was something distinctly appealing about doing this here, one of the places the Jedi had shared with his mates before.

Her body stretched as Jay worked her sex telekinetically, the two felines making out, her whimpers caught in Jay's mouth as her hand found his barbed shaft, starting to stroke it lightly. He wasn't difficult to make eager, but she could feel his intent to get her off before he sank into her again.

She held off, slowing her strokes and simply teasing Jay's barbs with her claws as he quickly worked her towards her own climax. Mina closed her eyes tight, her body tensing up as she felt the pleasure of an orgasm wash over her, her insides squeezing as her wombs tightened, ready for another kit.

"Take me," she whimpered to him softly and was rewarded by the disappearance of the Force-dildo and the hot roughness of his real one driving into her. He grabbed her hands and pinned her with a hot kiss, his weight on top of her a familiar pleasure as he pushed her to a second climax on the heels of the first.

As the two felines started to mate, Janos watched, reaching up to place a dominant hand on the back of Jay's shoulders, working that spot and others that Mina had indicated, getting him used to the idea that there _was_ a third person there. Both Sith could feel how natural that realization was for Jay, even mating in front of that third person.

Jay moaned and lifted his tail in invitation, part of his mind actively rejecting that these were his mates, especially the Wolf that wasn't a Panther, but unable to reject them yet.

Janos rumbled and shifted to press his weight against Jay's back, sliding up until the slick, tapered tip of his cock pressed against the older tom's anus, then pressing in further at just the right moment, pressing his shaft into Jay's ass, and adding his weight to the power of Jay's thrusts into Mina's hot, tight body.

All three moaned in unison, the tom in the middle the most accustomed of the three to how this arrangement worked as he thrust and tightened his own body, working both his mates towards a climax that he was not far off from.

The newest member of the 'triad' bit down lightly on Jay's shoulder instinctively, a hold meant simply to say he was in charge as he pumped his shaft in and out of Jay's body, growling with pleasure around his shoulder and pleased that Jay had no resistance to being dominated or taken. It was a sweet sensation, to have a senior Jedi so willingly under his control.

They felt Mina go over the edge, followed quickly by Jay.

The Wolf pulled back, making one final thrust that forced his rapidly swelling knot into Jay's pulsing, twitching ass, groaning deeply as he pumped his seed into the hot, willing body beneath him. It had been far too long since sex had felt quite this good. The half-rape, half-willing connotations made it even better than usual. Tying to such a bedmate was just exquisite.

Janos growled when he felt Jay begin to thrust again, only now catching how long the tom was used to having these games go.

Fortunately for him, he was sure he could keep up for quite some time.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Knight Healer Cirran frowned as she looked at the vital signs for Master Shivasta. The Twi'lek sighed, turning back to look at the most senior Healer present ... still comatose after the poison had hit. The poison was based on plant spores ... any attempt to heal her with the Force had just made her condition _worse_ , helping the spores to become more virulent.

And there was no natural antidote that had been discovered yet. The most they could do was help keep her alive at this point, hope that her body was able to fight it off somehow.

"Healer?" The Twi'lek's attention was drawn to the doorway and a seriously distressed Panther in Master's robes. "How is she?"

"Master Fenrik," Cirran said, bowing her head respectfully, her violet lekku making gestures of regret and contrition. "She is stable, but I'm afraid that is all I can say for her just now. Green zyla is a very ... unusual poison. Nubian in origin, I believe. We know almost nothing more about it. And what we're discovering now isn't helping," she admitted softly, stepping back to let the Panther and his two companions into the room.

At least the Plague wasn't being as much of an issue anymore.

"At least she is stable." He said softly and stepped close to his mate's bed to gently brush her hair, using the physical contact to reach out to her with caring and support; all he could really offer at the moment.

"We have made progress in determining what not to do," Cirran said, trying to be as reassuring as she could. "And what she did to deal with the poison was probably the best thing she _could_ do. The spores try to drain the oxygen from her blood cells ... between her biology and the hibernation trance, she'll survive them. Given _time_ , they'll starve to death."

"How much time?" He glanced up at the Healer, the two Knights that had come in the room with him as worried as any daughters. They were as close as the triad ever came to children, and Jenna's attraction to her Master aside, they all felt like family. A family deep in crisis right now.

"Days, weeks ... with the effects of the trance, it's hard to tell how much it will spill over to the spores. Normally, the technique would only have stopped the progress of the poison until an antidote was administered," Cirran admitted. "This is unmapped territory; we don't know how long they can survive normally, let alone in their current state. If it's not intruding ... where is Knight Clawson? We had expected him here just a few hours after we found Master Shivasta and sent the message, but ...."

"He ... has been captured." Fenrik admitted very quietly. "By Sith, with his ship. I just needed to know she would recover, or going after him would be rather pointless right now."

"She will, Master Fenrik," Cirran said, swallowing as she heard the news. A Jedi Master nearly killed, her mate captured by Sith, and she could tell that Master Fenrik hadn't fared particularly well in the battle either; his robes were still scorched from it. "Force be with you, Master Fenrik."

"Thank you, Healer." He replied, a touch of honest emotion slipping out to color his words. He leaned down to kiss Shi's forehead, offering a bit more silent support before he turned to gather the Knights and Ricki, who'd remained out of the room, and head to the dining room set up for the Healers to grab a bite and talk about their plans.

"She _will_ live, Master," Kanna said softly as they picked up some small meals and took their private seats. "I'm just ...." She trailed off, clearly not entirely sure she should say the rest just now.

"Worried about Jay." He finished for her, at least for himself, and forced himself to eat. "They've got him in the perfect condition to turn him, or at least confuse him enough to do some very bad things."

"That's the main thing," Kanna nodded.

"Would _somebody_ please fill me in on what's going _on_ here?" Ricki asked the trio of Jedi. "All I know is one minute I was working with Dr. Kell, the next minute we were all being told to help move Knight Clawson to that ship and stop you," she explained, gesturing towards Fenrik.

"The short of it is that your boss is a Sith Lord and used the dig to get close enough to Jay to capture him, after setting up a situation where turning him to the Dark Side might work."

"Dr. Kell?" Jenna asked, cocking her head slightly. "That name sounds familiar somehow ...."

"He's who Jay and Shi went to help with the dig." Fenrik answered wearily. "He was known as Master Zykell years ago, when he was one of us."

"Master Doruth's old Master," Jenna murmured. "But how is he still ... he has to be almost two hundreds years old by now ...."

"He must have found a way to use the Dark Side to prolong his life, the way Jedi use the Light Side," Kanna said simply. "There are theories about how, but that's all I really know about it."

"And it's not the important part," Fenrik said simply. "What's important is that we find Jay, and fast ...."

"Dr. Kell did say something about going to see an old friend of Knight Clawson's, whatever that meant," Ricki offered.

Fenrik regarded her for a long moment, his mind going over more than fifty years of joint history.

"Kraken." He shook his head. "Or possibly Yavin 4 and Exar Kun. They're the only two Darksiders he's really had any contact with."

"Well he could hardly expect to be able to find Kraken that easily," Jenna mused. "Yavin 4 would be a better bet ... closer too. Besides, Kraken had its Sith components removed, didn't it? It'd hardly do any good to try and take over a Republic warship with the Sharufa."

"Didn't he have a run in with Meskin too?" Kanna added.

"Yes, but all reports indicate the Meskin died about ten years ago," Fenrik explained. "We ran into him en route to Yavin 4 when we were going to visit the Tam clan. We're pretty sure he didn't make it out of the asteroid field we chased him into, and we waited a good long time to make sure. So it sounds like Yavin 4's our best bet ... thanks, Ricki," he told the Panthress. "My friends can drop you off back on Beldin on their way back to Coruscant."

"Master!" Jenna raised her voice a bit. "You are _not_ sending us away."

"Knight Dyreth, you can't expect me to take the two of you along, can you?" He asked her pointedly. "We're dealing with at least one Sith Lord, probably a Sith spirit, and they have Jay."

"All the more reason to take us with you," Kanna pointed out. "Besides, the Whitecloak you're using doesn't carry enough supplies to make the trip to Yavin 4 _and_ back, even to the Carcharo system."

"And the ship we took here can't be piloted by one crewmember," Jenna added, before Fenrik could suggest switching ships.

"Yes, and Jay is my _family_ too." Kanna actually challenged him. "My aunt and Master's mate. He's as much kin to me as she is."

"Master Doruth will be showing up too, if this really is his Master." Jenna pointed out. "He's got a stake in this too."

Master Doruth wouldn't have been a problem, as far as Fenrik was concerned. He just wasn't sure about bringing the two Knights along.

But he also didn't have a choice in the matter, and his reluctance was more about protecting them out of habit, than out of a sense that he really had to.

And he knew it.

"All right," he nodded. "But you, we're taking back," he added, looking over at Ricki. That, he would insist on if he had to. She might have helped him in the fighter, but there was no way in _hell_ he was taking her into this any more than he already had.

"Thanks," she actually looked relieved. "You guys live _way_ too exciting lives for me."

"Don't worry, we don't drag civilians around when they don't want to come." Jenna smiled faintly and made quick work of the rest of her meal. "The sooner we're done, the sooner we're after them."

"That would be now, unless somebody's still eating," Fenrik said, pushing away what was left of his food.

"I'm done," Ricki said easily, her plate clean.

"Same," Kanna nodded, pushing away a bit less than Fenrik had, though she still hadn't finished. "If we can get hold of them, my appetite'll be a _lot_ better."

"I think that's true of all of us." Jenna nodded and stood with her tray in hand to drop it off. "It'll be better, too, when Master Shi can join us."

"That's _very_ true," Kanna murmured, standing as the group stood, then moved off to do what they had to before going off to look for the missing kat.

* * *

* * *

* * *

"Mina?" Janos asked, after nearly a day and a half of "honeymooning" with Jay, broken up briefly by stops for food. "You conscious?" He asked, smelling that the feline was finally out of her heat cycle.

"Conscious, yes. Can I move, not so sure." She groaned slightly. It was an incredibly pleasant reason to be this sore, but damn, her body was reminding her why you _don't_ fuck Jedi very often. She had no idea how Shi managed those mornings every day for fifty-something years.

Of course, 'those mornings' didn't include the heat-drive most of the time, even if they did last an hour or two most times she'd listened in.

"Let's see if we can get a shower before he wakes up again," Janos said, crawling out of bed with a groan of his own. "And pray he's not horny again when he does."

"I can definitely agree with that." She winced as she got out of bed on shaky legs, but managed to stand, grateful to the designer of this ship that the master bedroom came with a bathroom. "At least it'll be at normal levels now."

"Have to admit, it's been a hell of a day and a half," Janos chuckled, helping her into the shower. "You have any better idea than I do what Darth Tembris wants with this guy?"

"Besides making very sure I came out of this with his kids, not really. I expect he's planning on turning him, but why a Knight's worth killing two Masters for I haven't a clue."

"Figures," Janos muttered, helping her into the shower and starting the water up. "It'd be nice to know what the hell we're pissing off the entire Jedi Order for. I mean ... the site's one thing, especially with what we found here, but this is nuts."

"Might have something to do with that critter that's so attached to Jay," she shrugged, and then groaned as the hot water flowed down across battered muscles. "I'm pretty sure there's another entity around too, that Darth Tembris doesn't talk about. Things like that don't always have plans that worry about things like the Jedi getting upset."

"Or about us actually living," Janos muttered, moving around her to help wash her back. "Have to say one thing though," he added with a chuckle. "You're not bad in bed."

"You aren't bad either." She stretched a bit before gingerly cleaning her sex. "I'll be happy if I never go through the last three days again though."

"That I don't blame you for," he agreed, starting to work on his own body after her back was clean. "I've come out of _fights_ without being this sore before."

"And you weren't on the bottom more than twice." She added. "At least he can heal some of what he does."

"I don't leave mates injured." Jay's voice startled them both before he stepped into the shower designed for three and stood still, just letting the water run over his stiff body.

The two Dark Siders were silent for a few moments, finding themselves in the middle of what could very well be one of the most dangerously awkward moments of their lives if he'd been up long enough.

"How long've you been up?" Mina asked him, deciding to go along with her role and help the larger tom with his back, try and keep the 'mates' illusion going.

"Long enough to know you aren't my real mates; not long enough to figure out _how_ you did this." He said simply and reached for the shampoo to work their smell from his fur. "Long enough to know you're pregnant too."

"Your mates were killed, remember Jay?" Mina asked him cautiously. "I came to you when you felt Shivasta die, and you turned to me." It was true enough; even if the Demon had helped him turn to her, that _was_ what had happened.

"I know." He murmured, not able to counter the statement with anything other than he knew _something_ had happened that wasn't his idea and this didn't feel right. He wasn't about to tell them just how much power they really had over him now.

"When we were helping you to the ship, your other mate arrived and started attacking the people at the dig," she continued softly, giving him the story the Demon was helping to reinforce in Jay's memories. "He came after Dr. Kell, but somebody managed to stop him ... there wasn't any other way to stop him from killing somebody."

Jay simply nodded. He knew it was a twisted truth, but close to the truth. Fenrik wouldn't do that without a damn good reason. He was too good a Jedi to snap. 

It didn't change what he was facing now, though. He had two strangers with mate-bonds to him, his ship was under someone else's command, the Demon was doing an exceptional job of crippling his ability to take her back and he had no one who could rescue him anymore.

If he got out, it was up to him to figure out how.

That meant not only resisting what the mate-bonds did to his ability to fight them, but somehow keeping the mother of his kits from disappearing on him while he was escaping.

He felt Mina move around in front of him, wrapping her arms around his front as the Wolf's powerful arms wrapped around him from behind in a reassuring hug that felt right, for all that it felt wrong as Hell too.

"It'll be okay, Jay," Janos murmured into the tom's ear. "Just trust us; it'll be easier to handle with time."

"I know," he whispered, closing his eyes for a long moment to deal with the conflicting reactions and knowledge. For right or wrong, better or worse, what the Wolf said was true. It _would_ become natural in time, along with whatever they intended for him.

* * *

* * *

* * *

"After fifty years, you'd think the Kaminoans would know better than to try suggesting 'improvements' they could make on the original design," Doruth muttered, rolling his eyes as he and Tes got home from negotiating the services of the cloning world in developing their next litter of kits.

"I think it's just their nature to try." She chuckled softly and rolled her shoulders as they entered their quarters to the insistent beep of a priority message. "Not good."

"Probably somebody needing to put a Hutt in his place on Corellia or something," Doruth said, moving over to the console and hitting the display.

Tes could tell in less than a moment that it was anything _but_ a routine mission call.

"You finish unpacking, I have to go talk to the Council," Doruth said brusquely, turning and starting out of the room.

"What's wrong?" She caught his arm, missing having a pack to talk to once again.

"Jay was captured by the Sith, Shivasta was almost killed," Doruth explained quickly. "According to Fenrik, Zykell is behind it," he added more softly. It was bad enough to discover that the old Wolf had been behind the Plague in the Necropolis system, but everybody had assumed age had killed him since. To find out he was really alive ....

"I'll pack for a hunt." She said simply with a slight nod and let go. "I'm sure the Council will let you go."

"Thank you," the Panther said gratefully. "And they'd better," he added under his breath, turning to leave for the Council Spire.

A surprisingly short period of time later, Doruth stood before the full Jedi Council.

"You've gotten the same message I have, Councilors," he said respectfully. "I request permission to leave immediately to help find Knight Clawson."

"You are too emotional about this." Master Noloth pointed out. "You are not the one to finish this hunt."

"With all due respect, Master Noloth, no living Jedi knows Zykell better than I do," Doruth pointed out. "I just found out that a good friend was captured by my old Master, who betrayed the Order, and also tried to kill my former Padawan and his mate. An emotional response to that sort of news can't be unexpected."

"* _It isn't, Master Doruth,_ *" Essani pointed out. "* _However, that you act on this response is something not suited to a Jedi of your experience._ *"

"That does not change the fact that I know Zykell better than any living Jedi." Doruth replied. "I defeated him once. I can again."

"With the same results as the last time, Master Doruth?" Master Sarapas asked pointedly. "Your history with Zykell has been marked by victories that you yourself have considered tainted."

"I was younger then, Master Sarapas," Doruth said firmly. "I know that my past record doesn't speak well for my ability to control myself dealing with him, but that _was_ decades ago.

"The Council doesn't want me to react with my emotions clouding my judgment," he stated simply. "I only ask the same. Regardless of emotion, we are dealing with the search for a Sith who has, alone, tried to annihilate entire planets. If his attack had been on Coruscant instead of Dantooine, the results would have cost millions, if not billions, of lives if the defensive shields hadn't held. Now he not only has a support network of other Sith, but Knight Clawson, who probably believes that both of his mates are dead.

"If Zykell succeeds in turning him, the results will be catastrophic. It is crucial that he is found and recovered as quickly as possible, and that requires knowing Zykell more than it requires knowing Knight Clawson."

"* _He has a point._ *" Master Ty'thri'ku'mo said silently to the other Councilors. "* _I have read his records. While he had a very questionable decade as he became a Knight, his conduct in the five decades since has been exceptional._ *"

"* _This is true,_ *" Essani granted. "* _But I question the wisdom of sending only he and Tes. If they catch up with Zykell and the others alone, they would be two against an unknown number of Sith, including a Sith Lord._ *"

"* _Then I will go with them._ *" Master Miya offered.

"* _Very well,_ *" Essani nodded slightly, knowing that the Caracal female was an old acquaintance of Jay's from the crèche. She would be sure to make sure that decisions were made in favor of returning him safely and swiftly. "* _Are there any objections?_ *" She asked, focusing mostly on Noloth.

"* _I will accept that._ *" The ancient lizard acquiesced. "* _This must be dealt with swiftly. Clawson cannot be allowed to turn to the Sith._ *"

"* _He will not be, Master Noloth,_ *" Miya said firmly.

"* _We will allow you to join the hunt, Master Doruth,_ *" Essani told the Panther. "* _However, Master Miya will be joining you. Leave as soon as you are ready._ *"

"Very well," Doruth nodded slightly. "Thank you, Councilors," he added, bowing before turning to the younger Caracal as she stood to follow him to the Gurath.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Dr. Kell relaxed in his chair at the sole table in the small galley later that day, knowing that Mina and Jay would be coming in soon to get something to eat. It was time to start introducing Jay to the idea that he was in charge now.

He expected quite the uphill battle.

The two felines walked in a few moments later, Janos already warned telepathically that it would be a good idea to take a brief shift in the cockpit before coming down to eat. Tembris had no interest in having to deal with the younger Wolf's rebellious nature while he was establishing that he was in control.

One look told him that while Jay was aware of his presence, the kat had other priorities at the moment, mostly filling an empty belly, and was in no mood to have that countered.

It was also fairly clear that at least this morning, Mina was taking a decidedly submissive stance towards Jay as she sat down silently and watched as he moved about the small galley fixing a meal for two.

He still trusted her to do what she was supposed to for the time being. She wasn't completely submissive to the tom. It was closer to knowing that letting him do what he had likely insisted on was the best course of action. 

For now, Dr. Kell waited until Jay was done and had sat down; sipping his own dark tea. The tom seemed to be a reasonable cook, and was definitely familiar with the galley. He'd made quick work of heating meat, cheese and seasonings into an egg scramble while he poured juice into two glasses and set a pot for tea to boil with telekinesis.

It was all on the table in short order, including a few extras he added for Mina's meal to help compensate for her condition.

"* _Make sure he stays controlled,_ *" Kell warned Mina as she started eating. "* _I expect he won't be happy once the two of you have finished._ *"

"* _He's already very unhappy._ *" She replied, careful to shield the words from her new mate. "* _He's simply too hungry to care at the moment. Just wait till he has a full belly. Kat's got a temper on him._ *"

"* _That's why you're here, and Janos isn't,_ *" Kell pointed out, taking another sip of tea and watching Jay, trying to come up with the best way to explain this _without_ shutting him down. The temper was a good thing though; if he still had a visible one after over fifty years as a Jedi, it was definitely a way to turn him. The possessively protective nature he was subtly displaying even now towards Mina was good too.

What wasn't so easy was how they were going to get him from where he was to where they wanted him, when he would no longer resist the Dark Side. That would take time and some carefully choreographed events.

The Wolf smirked mentally; he, like most Sith Lords, was a master at choreographing events. If it hadn't been for a clumsy slip early in his own training, he would have had a fine apprentice and at least one world laid waste by now. He'd learned subtlety quickly after that.

"So where are we headed?" Jay opened up the conversation. He wasn't making it at all clear by the tone of his voice just how irritated he really was, but neither Sith was the least bit fooled by the show.

"Tatooine for now," Kell said easily. "A quiet, out of the way place where we can track down certain people."

"You know, you could have just _asked_ for the help." Jay pointed out a bit sharply. "There are far better choices than me to help hunt down people."

"Knight Clawson, we're not having you help us hunt for people," Kell chuckled. He was going to play along with Jay's desire to avoid drawing attention to the 'kidnapped' aspect of his situation. Or to the Demon's decision to block off his Gift, something the spirit had offered to do to keep the Knight from making a decision like shutting down the ship or simply turning them around to head for the nearest Jedi Temple. "We're offering to help hunt people for you. The person who murdered Master Shivasta, for example?"

That got the reaction they were both hoping for. The shiver that passed through Jay's body was small, the emotions largely kept off his face, but under the tight control there was pure, primal rage desperate for more of an outlet than the claws pricking his own palm.

"So why do all this?" He demanded quietly, the stress of the past few days finally beginning to show.

"Because I was worried about you," Dr. Kell explained. "When I discovered what happened, I knew you'd need to get away somewhere where you wouldn't be bothered until we found the person responsible."

"* _Tell him the Ice Walker wanted you to go to him,_ *" he told Mina silently, the words echoing faintly across the Force, practically a telepathic whisper from Master to Apprentice.

"Shi asked me to look after you while she was gone," she added gently, reaching across the table to place her hand over his. The reaction was instant and profound. He stilled and relaxed his hand, a glance at her showed just how confused he was at the statement, but that it also fit into the warped view of events that were starting to develop to protect himself from the reality of being mate-bound to two Sith.

"I should go back to the Temple." He countered quietly. Despite it being the truth, and what he wanted, there was little determination behind it right now.

"The Jedi won't let you do what you know you have to," Kell pointed out. "They'll expect you to sit and accept what happened, never let justice be served."

"Jay," Mina squeezed his hand, "Shi suspected that the Order might turn on you. Your ideas are dangerous to them. Too dangerous now that you're getting powerful. It's not safe for you to go back to them."

The stare she got for that from the Knight bordered on a glare, but she'd done her digging very well. He _did_ believe her, deep down. Maybe not enough to say it soon, but she'd gotten him.

"They wouldn't." He shook his head sharply.

"They've done it before," Kell pointed out. "Consider everything they've hidden, everything they've destroyed for the 'greater good.' Think of how long they spent trying to convince you that they were right, despite the fact that you _knew_ they weren't."

"And why you are still only a Knight," Mina added, knowing it wasn't a very sore spot for him, but it fit with the argument and every bit helped. "When everyone else your age and with your accomplishments would be a Master years ago."

"I never trained a Padawan." He shook his head, countering the only thing he could if their assertions. "My Master wouldn't turn on me like that."

"Your Master wouldn't. But what about Master Noloth and his allies on the Council?" Kell countered. "They were the ones Shivasta was most worried about." He would have reinforced what Mina had mentioned, but didn't have a way to do so without giving too much information about what he knew about the Council.

"Jay, she probably died trying to protect you." Mina said gently and squeezed his hand. "They know the best way to get to you is to break your support structure. We couldn't let that happen. Tatooine is a safe place to lay low until we figure out how to fix things."

Kell almost added something, then stopped as he realized that as wild and unplanned as her statements were, she was getting to the Knight. Maybe she really was good Sith material after all. Such keen reading and manipulation of the facts was a prime talent. Anyone that could get this far with an experienced Jedi Knight in only a few days was worth training, even if she _did_ have help, was displaying a lot of promise.

"What's the deal with Janos? I never saw him before."

"He's a friend of mine from the dig," Mina explained gently. "When your second mate died, I thought you'd want somebody else there to help comfort you. I'm sorry, Jay, they were supposed to be trying to stun him, not kill him. Somebody didn't have their settings right."

"He was only trying to protect me." Jay's voice finally broke. He may not have seen his Panther mate go down, but he'd seen too much.

"Then why did he attack us?" Mina countered, trying to be gentle while talking her new mate out of a dangerous path.

Jay held her gaze for a moment, and then lowered his eyes. "I don't know. He wouldn't have hurt me. He _wouldn't_."

"Not knowingly. But he trusted the Council, just like you do," she pointed out, the older Wolf staying back and letting somebody Jay couldn't help but trust work on him. "If he'd taken you back to them, they would have had you, been able to break you, and he couldn't have stopped them. We had to protect ourselves, Jay. He attacked _Ricki_ , of all people. He would have attacked us if he'd had the chance ... would have attacked me," she added, the 'and our kits' part unspoken, but understood.

The could both all but see Jay chancing his own mental tail trying to work his way out of that logic. For the first time in decades, he really did doubt the Order and his place in it. Then his gaze landed squarely on Mina and an entirely new set of priorities and instincts took the forefront: protecting his young.

He may have doubted the Council would turn on him, but he'd never wanted his children near the Jedi ways, even when he believed in following them himself.

Jay closed his eyes with a bone-deep shudder and made his choice.

"Our kits are going to be a handful to raise on Tatooine." He said quietly.

"We'll find somewhere more comfortable as soon as things have cooled down a bit," Mina smiled softly, taking his hand and rubbing the back of it with her thumb lightly as he worked through the difficult aspects of the choice.

Tembris had to approve; she'd managed to accomplish in one conversation what he had expected would take days. Even with the Jedi still struggling to accept the choice, he _had_ chosen her over the Order. It was an excellent start.

Either the bond was stronger than he'd believed, or she was _definitely_ Sith material. He was going to have to speak with her about the next stage of Clawson's turning.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Doruth wasn't at all surprised to see the welcoming committee of two Panthers and one Ice Walker waiting for them as the Intrepid set down Yavin 4 not far from the ruins of the Red Tide. He touched down with a sigh; if they were here, and bothering to wait for him, it meant there was a damned good chance that they'd already found out Jay wasn't anywhere on the moon.

He wasn't honestly _that_ surprised. It was too obvious for Zykell, but the reason to take him here would have been sound.

"Let's hook up and compare notes," he told Tes quietly, standing and holstering his lightsaber.

"Yes," Master Miya nodded as she joined the pair on the way to the exit ramp. "Hopefully they have learned something new."

"At least some suggestion where they'd be going," Doruth nodded, the hatch opening as they started down the ramp to meet the younger Master and two Knights, who offered brief bows in greeting, which became a little longer when they noticed the Councilor present.

"He's not here," Fenrik said, trying not to show his frustration at that fact. "According to the Tams, no ships but theirs have been to the moon in over a year. We came down to check, in case the cloaking device was interfering, but no luck so far."

"I'm not surprised," Doruth nodded. "It's too obvious a first stop for Zykell, and it's unlikely Jay would have turned enough to be useful here yet."

"I'd _hope_ not," Fenrik said, his tail starting to lash for a moment before he caught himself. "Shi's in stable condition, but there's no telling how long it'll take for her to recover. If Jay _isn't_ here, we don't have any better idea where he would be."

"Somewhere on the Rim," Doruth said easily. "Come on; we'll sort this out inside, where we can be pretty sure nothing's going to try and eat us," he said, gesturing towards the Independence and turning to walk back in. "Never did like this place," he muttered under his breath.

"No Jedi should." Miya said quietly as they left the jungle for the largest of the four ships in their tiny fleet. "Exar Kun still exists here."

"Which is why we thought they'd bring Jay here," Fenrik nodded. "The other obvious choice was the Kraken, but while they might have been able to use Yavin 4 to help turn Jay, they couldn't talk him into trying to steal the Kraken until he already had."

"Be a good trick even if he had," Doruth chuckled grimly as the hatch closed. "That ship's still got a mind of its own from what I've heard, even after they pulled the Sith programming out. But no, Zykell wouldn't have brought Jay somewhere to help him do something ... he'd go for somewhere he could work on him." The elderly Panther walked into the small briefing room on the Independence, taking a seat at a holo-console and bringing up the display he'd put together on the trip, an interactive hyperspace map of the Republic.

"Work with him how, Master Doruth?" Jenna asked, cocking her head at the display.

"By giving the ones who have taken Shi and my places in his mate-bonds time to turn him." Fenrik answered quietly.

"That would be one option," Doruth nodded. "Beyond that ... Zykell was always one hell of a persuasive speaker. When the two of us fought ... he made a decent case for the Sith, I'll be honest. When that didn't work, he managed to goad me to the point where he almost won anyways. Between him and two other Sith with bonds to Jay, false ones or not ...." He sighed.

"It's only a matter of time," Miya finished quietly. "We have to find him, and fast. The influence anybody bonded to that kat has on him is too strong for him to hold up against for long."

"That's what this is for," Doruth explained. "Before we leave, I'm uploading a copy to each of the ships we have available. The Sharufa is already listed as a stolen ship; any system picking up its transponder code will immediately report it to the Order. That won't stop them from changing it, which Jay could do in an instant if he wanted to.

"Zykell will probably hide in the Rim," he continued, keying in a few commands to the map. "The assorted ships the Order has on patrol in the Core through the Inner-Rim systems are already on alert to look for the Sharufa, but it's not likely. Zykell always understood the advantage of hiding where nobody _wants_ to find out, and that would be any world that doesn't have a lot of legal traffic."

"Hutt space," Fenrik muttered.

"A good possibility," Doruth nodded. "Top possibility, as far as I'm concerned. Zykell has experience blending in there, and there's no place in the galaxy better for losing yourself in the crowd than Nar Shaddaa. Fenrik, do you still have any bond with Jay at all?"

"Yes." He nodded. "It's very weak, I can't get through to him, but I can sense he's still on the other end and badly disturbed. I don't think he knows I'm here though, same as he can't sense that Shi is still alive."

"That'll help you locate him best," Doruth nodded as the inner systems of the Republic dimmed, leaving the Mid-Rim, Outer-Rim, and Expansion Regions illuminated. "The next best chance would be other worlds with illegal trade as a primary resource," he explained, highlighting the Hutt-controlled systems of the Outer Rim, Kessel, and a handful of other systems.

"Unfortunately, that leaves us with a shitload of worlds to check out, most of which are heavily populated and where a stern glance and a blaster get you through immigration without more than a second look. The rest of them are heavily populated and a couple hundred credits will get you through with no questions asked. Either way, we're going to have to split up to make anything resembling decent time."

Fenrik regarded the map for a long moment. "Give me half an hour to meditate, and I should be able to narrow that down by a good chunk. I can't pinpoint him, but I can get a feeling for what direction he is, and I think I can figure out how far."

"You've got the time," Doruth said easily. "We'll resupply all the ships while you do."

And make the Tams incredibly happy doing so, he was sure.

* * *

* * *

* * *

"He's been in there for almost two days." Janos complained as the crew of four sat down for a meal. "I don't like this."

"He's meditating, Janos." Mina rolled her eyes at him. "It's what Jedi do when they're disturbed. Listen to the echoes on the bond; he's not going anywhere we can't handle."

"Yeah, but the last time I checked we wanted him to _stay_ disturbed, not sort it all out and decide we're the enemy again," the Wolf pointed out.

"Do _you_ want to go tell him he can't meditate?" Mina challenged him outright.

"I know, I know," Janos muttered, rolling his eyes slightly. "Still, I don't think leaving him alone to think is the best idea in the world here."

"You also don't think, overly much," Tembris interrupted them. "The Jedi isn't going to turn in a day, even if things are going more easily than I'd expected. Events on Tatooine will unfold to make him begin to return to a more violent nature. After that, we'll need to coax him further into it, and make sure we stay below the Order's notice while we do so. It doesn't matter how much he 'returns' to the Order during his meditation. What I have planned will start him down the dark path again."

"Yes, as protective as he is of his mates, he's positively primitive when it comes to protecting his young." Mina smiled slightly, an evil glint in her eyes. "He will turn. The violence is not so far below the surface in him."

"And that is a spark I am _quite_ capable of kindling," Kell rumbled deeply. "As for the two of you, continue your work with him. Be subtle, but stay close to him, a coax him towards the Dark Side in what he does. Your training will begin shortly, but I will not tolerate him being allowed to turn back to the Jedi."

Both nodded, but didn't get a chance to say anything before intense, burning pain lashed through the right side of their faces and an explosion of Dark energy erupted from the back of the Sharufa.

Mina didn't even hesitate; despite the agony, she was already on her feet and running back towards the meditation chamber, Janos and Kell shortly behind her.

It took a frantic moment to bypass the locks and get the door to open to a scorched floor, a lightsaber shattered into thousands of pieces and Jay kneeling with his hands cupped over the right side of his face. A few inches away from his robes lay the tip of an ear and he was still cursing fluently in a number of languages from two galaxies as he did his best to heal himself.

"Janos, work on the damage," Kell told the younger Wolf simply, knowing that he was the one best able to do so yet. 

Janos moved over, wary of Jay's reactions, to try and see what damage had been done and how much of it could be fixed. For as violent as he was, he was surprisingly tender and almost caring now.

A reaction Tembris would have to watch; he suspected that it was more than simply acting the part of concerned mate.

Jay reluctantly moved his hands away from the half-missing ear and badly burned face for his Wolf mate to tend to. No one missed his surprise that Janos knew something about Force-healing.

"* _It won't do either of us any good if he kills himself accidentally before we turn him,_ *" the Sith told the Demon mentally. He could tell what had happened; without being able to use his lightsaber the way he was used to, he'd managed to make a mistake while practicing.

And mistakes with lightsabers, especially given the kat's Form, tended to be exceedingly painful. They were quite lucky he'd only damaged his appearance and not cut his head clean open.

"* _I will see to it that he can talk to his weapons._ *" It agreed reluctantly. "* _It is still a very effective way to anger him. It strips his most used senses from him. He hates it._ *"

"* _I don't need an angry corpse,_ *" Tembris pointed out. "* _I already have one of those to deal with. Give him enough that he can practice without seriously injuring himself. The occasional burn is acceptable; bisecting his own head isn't._ *"

"I won't be able to fix all the scarring," Janos explained to Jay, doing what he could. He was hardly a healer, but he'd learned long ago that if you were going to fight, you needed to be able to undo the damage you and your partners took. Lightsaber damage was always the worst to deal with. It didn't leave a lot to work with; vaporizing flesh instead of simply burning or cutting it.

"Not even Shi could do that," Jay closed his eyes, tears wanting to fall that he would not permit. "Thank you." He added as he slowly stood and looked at the damage he'd done to one of Fenrik's spare lightsabers that had been on board. He paused for a brief moment then summoned the power to finish what he had begun; disintegrating the remains of the weapon into its component molecules with a wave of his hand.

The act drew the attention of all three Sith, but they quickly returned it to the injured tom and not thoughts of why a Jedi knew how to disintegrate things. Mina moved in to help comfort him, Tembris stepped back to let them work, surreptitiously moving the bit of severed ear out of the room.

It wouldn't do to have that lying around.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Master Zraii was giving a report on the Order's income from assorted tech projects when Essani heard a soft beeping from the datapad on the arm of her seat.

"* _One moment, Master Zraii, I apologize for the interruption,_ *" she told the green, insectoid Verpine and lifted her datapad to pull it close. "* _A priority message,_ *" she explained, her fur turning grey as she saw who it was from. "* _From Knight Clawson._ *"

"More than excused, Master Essani," the Verpine said easily, setting hir own datapad aside, keenly interested in any message from hir missing friend. Hopefully it would include his location.

Essani nodded and played the short message.

Jay's head appeared; the right side of his face scarred by a fresh lightsaber strike and his right ear half gone. He'd seen some healing, but not nearly what the injuries needed not to leave a serious mark. His expression was no less grim, and to his former Master, more than a little scared behind the confusion.

"Master, I do not understand what is happening or what I did, but I am not the Order's enemy." He said quietly, the message ending with only that, but not before she could see that he was holding back fresh tears of loss and grief.

As short as it was, it spoke volumes about what was happening to him.

"* _They're trying to convince him the Order turned against him,_ *" Essani said silently, her fur darkening. "* _And it seems they're being fairly successful._ *"

"What have they done to him?" Master Zraii asked softly, hir mantis-like face not showing the concern in hir voice.

"Whatever they have done, it has to be stopped," Noloth said simply. "Master Zraii, can you trace the message?"

"I may be able to," the Verpine nodded. "But if Knight Clawson is trying to avoid the Order, he'll have made it very difficult at best."

"It is a priority," he nodded to hir. "Any assistance to the hunters to narrow down his location."

"Understood," the Verpine nodded, keying it into hir datapad to send the information to hir main computer so it could start working. "If he didn't want to be found at the time, I'm afraid it won't work, but hopefully he won't have thought to tell the computers not to let me trace."

"* _We'll have to inform the others,_ *" Master Essani said. "* _They'll need to know that Jay may not trust them at first sight. Is the Starseeker currently on patrol?_ *" She asked, looking up at Master Ty'thri'ku'mo.

"In the Outer Rim," he nodded, curious what she wanted of the capital class exploration ship Jay had co-designed with Zraii some years before.

"* _I would appreciate it if you would send them an order to tune their scanners to deal with hybridium cloaks and scan for the Sharufa. The sensors on board that ship might be the only ones that can detect it from an appreciable distance._ *"

"Of course," he inclined his angular head slightly and made quick work of formulating the order.

"How can anyone work on turning him while his mates are still alive?" Master Jamni looked to Master Essani.

"* _Bonds can be broken, Master Jamni,_ *" the Kushiban explained. "* _And replaced, with the Demon's help. With Master Shivasta's near-death, her bond could have been usurped by a sufficiently powerful telepath, focused on somebody else. Hers is the most important; without Master Fenrik_ there _to counteract it, he would have one 'mate' with incredible hold over him, trying to lead him to the Dark Side, and another gone, elsewhere in the galaxy and searching for him, but unable to reach him across the distances involved._ *"

"And with him believing that one of his mates was murdered," Master Noloth added with a frown. "Something that, given his temper and ethics, would be a prime opportunity to turn him."

"* _Yes,_ *" she nodded quietly. "* _If he has not turned yet, it is not likely enough, but the situation makes it unlikely he will be able extract himself before it is far too late. This is why we must find him as quickly as we can. The damage he could do if turned is ... incredible._ *"

"I doubt he will turn to the Sith quickly if they are doing things like that to him," Zraii pointed out, gesturing towards the injured hologram with insectoid fingers. "The Dark Side perhaps, but I would not want to be the Sith afterwards. However, I doubt anybody here would not say that finding him is a priority.*"

"Agreed," Master Noloth nodded. For once he did not even have an 'I told you so' thought. It was simply far too serious a situation to have such petty ideas involved.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Janos drew a surprised breath when he felt a telekinetic caress gently draw his hands over his head in the bed made for three and his feet apart. He could feel it, along the bond, that this was Jay's doing. He couldn't be so sure of why he was being held in the light grip by the tom just stepping out of the shower in the other room.

The Wolf struggled, but took a deep breath, trying to keep from panicking. Jay was still a Jedi, for the most part; they wouldn't kill or torture somebody. Especially not if Mina was right about how strong that bond was.

He just hoped Mina wouldn't be working with Tembris on her training too much longer.

"* _Shu,_ *" Jay's voice touched his mind for the first time, a surprisingly gentle mental touch as he walked into the room wearing nothing and sat on the bed and put a light hand on Janos' chest. "* _This isn't for pain._ *"

"Then what the hell _is_ it for?" The Wolf asked with a light growl, fighting to keep his reactions at that for now. This was _not_ the place or time to red out. Especially not given what Tembris would do to him if he survived long enough to get a grip on himself with a Jedi Master holding him.

"Pleasure," Jay answered, his voice low and soft. "Returning the trust I put in you."

"This isn't trust," Janos said, trying to breathe evenly even as he stopped struggling for the time being.

"Then what is it?" He cocked his head and let the Wolf go, not surprised to see his hands come down fast. "If not trusting in me to give you pleasure and not go too far?"

He could tell that Janos was trying to think of a way to explain something he'd learned instinctively when he was young. It wasn't that different for Janos that trying to explain Clawson things was for him.

"Weakness," the Wolf said eventually, quietly. "Nothing to do with pleasure for anybody but the guy on top."

"Let me prove it wrong?" Jay asked as much as offered.

Janos wasn't sure, but was about to say 'no,' letting his natural reaction win out.

Then he was reminded, silently, of what he was supposed to be doing by the older Wolf in another room.

"All right," he nodded warily. "But if you try anything ...."

"Why would I bother giving you a choice if I intended that?" Jay shook his head and pinned the larger male down again with the Force and began with a long, gentle kiss as his hands worked on finding the places that would give his mate the most pleasure. "Besides, I'm not _that_ much of a masochist."

He could feel the tension in the powerful body beneath him, the barely restrained urge to fight, try to get away. He couldn't help but wonder what had trained this sort of a response into him; it couldn't just be a cultural thing, not this strong.

This was going to be an uphill battle, for all that Janos was responding as well as he could.

It was time to drop slow and subtle and just go for pleasure.

Jay kissed his way down the Wolf's thick-furred chest until he reached the velvety sheath and balls and turned his full attention to arousing his mate quickly and directly.

He earned a soft, lupine moan of pleasure for his efforts, his rough tongue bathing Janos' heavy, downy-furred orbs, drawing one into his mouth to enjoy the musky flavor. Almost despite himself, the Wolf _was_ getting aroused, and clearly surprised at what Jay was up to.

It was quite enough encouragement for the tom, who shifted his attention to the other ball and reached up to gently fondle and stroke his mate's swelling sheath with skilled fingers.

Janos' hips pressed up into Jay's fingers as he whimpered slightly, restrained by the Force. He was still tense, but he was starting to get used to the idea. At least with this male, restraint could be a pleasurable thing.

He moaned as Jay shifted his attention from his balls to the smooth cock that had begun to peak out, using the soft, slick back of his tongue on the sensitive skin while his hands continued to fondle Janos' balls.

"Fuck," the Wolf groaned, his thighs tightening slightly around Jay's head, but only until the restraints Jay had on him stopped him.

"* _Not quite yet,_ *" Jay rumbled hotly across their bond as he continued to work until pre-cum began to ooze into his mouth and Janos was breathing hard.

Only then did he leave his manual attention and slid forward to claim a kiss, rubbing his muscular body along his mate's.

"Ready to come?" Jay asked with a throaty purr.

"Yes," the Wolf groaned, pressing up against Jay's body.

The tom smiled and shifted back to straddle Janos' hips. He reached back to easily guide the Wolf's cock deep into his body with a moan of his own.

Janos pressed up instinctively, trying to bury as much of himself in Jay as he could. His cock throbbed deep in Jay's body, spasming as the Wolf howled, pumping his seed up into the smaller tom's tight, hot ass.

Jay squeezed lightly and let him come, then panted to catch his breath before he began to work again. With the experience of a long lifetime of pleasuring a male, he slid up and down the pulsing shaft, working it with his body to keep Janos hard and on the edge.

It wasn't too hard at this point; for all he could tell the Wolf was confused inside by the mix of being bound and being inside another male at the same time, there was no denying the fact that he was enjoying at least part of it. He thrust lightly, unable to move much from his position, but doing what he could to pleasure the older male on top of him.

It wasn't something Jay was much in the mood to resist either, and as he came close to his climax he let his lover loose with a shuddering moan, his head falling back slightly.

Janos' powerful hands were on him shortly, running down his sides as the Wolf leaned up to kiss him and found Jay eager even as he shuddered and cried out into the Wolf's mouth. Jay's hot seed pumped out between them, messing their fur with ribbons of white pearls.

"You are one hot tom," Janos rumbled as their mouths parted. "Up for something a little less kinky for round two?"

"Yes," he smiled slightly and nuzzled his mate affectionately as he caught his breath.

"Good," the Wolf rumbled, reminding himself that the mate business was just part of the job, but returning the nuzzle all the same as he rolled over on top of Jay and started to thrust into his very willing body.

* * *

* * *

* * *

"Setting down on Tatooine in a few minutes," Janos called back into the Sharufa.

"We'll have to deal with the port officials," Dr. Kell said as he, Jay, and Mina ate. The other Wolf working with them was up in the cockpit helping Janos bring the transport-fighter in for a landing. "But since we're not importing anything, they should leave us be with a nominal fee. Fortunately, I already have some Hutt coin from my last visit."

Jay nodded, but kept silent for now. It wouldn't have been his first choice of how to stay out of site of the Order, but he didn't feel like arguing the point yet. He hadn't spent much time out here after all. Maybe the old Wolf knew something he didn't.

The Sharufa entered the atmosphere, the ship shaking slightly before the two pilots adjusted to the differences in flying it. The Anchorhead settlement, the only settlement still occupied on the planet, was just ahead.

Minutes later, they touched down, Kell's chair rising to carry him to the exit.

"While we're here, I have some business to take care of," he explained. "It won't take long, and it will get us closer to the people we're looking for. We'll need to visit the Cantina, but from there we'll be able to resupply the ship."

Jay nodded again, not particularly interested in either event, but familiar with the expectation that he'd come along anyway and play the part, whatever that actually turned out to be.

One glance outside was plenty of warning that his habitual civilian clothing, colorful and flowing, was decidedly out of place here. It was, however, all he had to wear other than the Jedi robes he'd carefully put in storage after sending the message to his Master several days before.

That would be something to try and fix here ... possibly along with getting something to hide the distinctive scar from his practice accident.

Or at least pick up some good field clothes. Jay was liking this place less by the second. He could feel the call of the endless deserts and badlands not so far away. The Force was out there, like it had been in the deep forest. It offered protection and home when he wanted that more than anything.

"Come on," Mina said softly, taking his hand and squeezing it lightly as they stepped outside into the dry heat of an early Tatooine morning. "At least it's somewhere comfortable," she pointed out, trying to be cheerful as Kell negotiated a 'docking fee' with the port authority. A few moments later, and a handful of small coins traded hands, the Wolf gesturing for them to follow him.

They made their way through the half-crowded mining settlement, most of the people not paying any serious attention to the newcomers. Anchorhead was a cornucopia of species; Rodians, Twi'leks, Duros, assorted morphs ... it was definitely not a racially isolated settlement. At least it seemed to be reasonably peaceful.

A massive ronto lowered its horned, beaked head, sniffing at the two felines curiously before its handler yanked on its reins and called out a command, earning a bellowing bleat of annoyance before the beast of burden continued down the street, hauling a cart of Tatooine's low-grade ore behind it.

The threesome entered one of the larger businesses in the settlement, full of drinking, gambling and general killing-time behavior common on a frontier settlement, taking seats in an out-of-the-way corner. Jay couldn't help but notice the Hutt in the back of the room, watching the comings and goings, his flunkies speaking to him briefly, then leaving with one assignment or another.

"Try to relax?" Mina asked him with a soft smile, licking his cheek affectionately. "The show's pretty good, for what it's worth," she added, indicating the dancing Twi'leks and the band playing behind them.

"I'll be back shortly," Kell said, his chair moving off through the room as he went to speak to one of the Hutt's men.

"I guess so," he tried to find it interesting, but with all he'd faced recently, the females simply weren't appealing and the music wasn't anything he normally enjoyed.

Mostly his attention kept to the Hutt and those he found instinctively unsavory as he tried to keep from becoming any more unsettled than he already was.

"It'll get better," she reassured him, leaning against him lightly, intentionally making herself look submissive and slightly vulnerable while he wasn't paying attention to how she was acting as long as she was right next to him.

"If it doesn't, there are better places to be." He replied simply.

"There are," she consented, noticing a likely mark for what Tembris wanted her to set up next; a Twi'lek looking her over and having a brief word with the Hutt in charge after the elderly Wolf was finished.

She leaned over to nuzzle Jay's shoulder likely, carefully using her powers to enforce the green-skinned male's desire to acquire her for his master without tipping off her own mate as to what was about to happen.

When he stood and walked off, apparently to get a drink, she already knew everything that was going to happen up to the point where Jay's reaction was in question.

Even then, it wasn't much of a question. He was viciously protective of his kits no matter where she looked in his mind.

"I'll be back later," Kell said, returning with drinks for the three of them and setting them down. "I have to go meet somebody to get a line on the Otter."

Jay nodded to him and shifted just a bit. Only the sensitives really knew just how uncomfortable he really was, or how little it would take to provoke him.

It was also something both the sensitives there were counting on.

A few minutes passed after the older Wolf left, and the two of them were reaching the point they were just about ready to head back to the ship. Just then, Mina felt a long, slender hand brush her side.

"Your pet is quite attractive," the green-skinned Twi'lek told Jay, his Basic accented, but quite understandable. "Tell me, who did you buy her from?" He didn't seem the least bit perturbed by the way the tom flattened his ears and glared at his hand.

She was more than a touch surprised to catch the first, unvoiced answer: 'she's the old Wolf's', but kept it off her face.

"She is not a slave." He answered instead, every line in his body and voice a warning that things were about to get serious.

"Come," the Twi'lek said smoothly, his hand moving up to ghost along Mina's bust before she swatted his hand away and smiled inside at the flashpoint rage that was building in her mate. "There may be legal issues elsewhere in the Republic, but it's not as great an issue ... "

His words were stopped dead as he was abruptly flung across the room to slam into the far wall with the pieces of a freshly shattered large mirror pinning him in place. It wasn't quite the explosive kill the Sith were hoping for, but the bloody Twi'lek made the exercise a success even as Jay pulled Mina to her feet with a glare and Force-aura all but daring anything to stop them as they stalked to the door.

She followed him easily, the Twi'lek's cries of pain still echoing as some of the Hutt's other helpers went to remove the sharp pieces of mirror from his body and found it much harder a task than it should have been thanks to Jay's continued interference.

"He's going to have to do without civilization, or without me." Jay growled softly, almost more to himself than to her.

"Jay, it's not safe outside the settlement," she pointed out. "The Raiders -"

"Aren't Jedi-trained." He pointed out with a snap and low growl. "It's a lot less safe in here."

"All right," she relented, privately glad that things were going according to plan. "We'll probably have to camp though. Don't know if the ship will handle the conditions away from the settlement, Tatooine has some strange conditions."

She caught the silently 'whatever' from his mind, though he didn't say a word as they walked back to the ship, the populous actually making way for him on several occasions.

What she did catch, and didn't like, was a sudden burst of surprise and distress from Janos once they entered the spaceport.

The ship was starting to prepare for takeoff; obviously the Demon didn't have _perfect_ control. She shouldn't have been surprised. Even only knowing him a few weeks now, she knew full well how strong willed he could be, no matter how rarely he tended to exercise that will.

"We have to wait for Dr. Kell," she warned Jay as they hurried to climb on board.

"He'd better hurry." Was the only reply, along with a growing dislike for the old Wolf as Jay made short work of figuring out what he intended to do from a galactic map and surveys of several worlds.

"Where are you planning on going?" She asked, trying to put the bond to use at working him down. They'd expected him to be pissed off, but not _this_ pissed off. "* _Tembris, get back_ now,*" she told the Wolf. "* _I have no idea what he's doing next._ *"

"Someplace nice and quiet where we'll be left _alone_." He rumbled, something in his manner making it distinctly likely he intended to ditch Dr. Kell and Markos, their other pilot, as soon as he could manage it.

"Malachor V," Kell told him, arriving at the ship just in time. "This ship is the only one that _can_ go there, nobody else will give us any trouble."

Everyone felt the instant tension in the room and just how little Jay trusted the old Wolf now.

"So why can this one go there?" Jay asked with remarkably little of his emotions showing.

"The hyperdrive on this system is strong enough to overcome the gravity well around the world," Kell explained even as Jay did his own calculations. "I visited it once, destroyed the ship I was on in the process. It is possible that another ship could go there, but the world is uninhabited, and the odds of anybody deciding to follow us to the system are astronomical."

"Have you arranged for supplies yet?" Jay asked quietly. Just the world's name made him uneasy, very uneasy, but then so did listening to the mother of his kits.

He wanted to stay here, in the heat and sand and known prey.

To be fair, the only reason he _couldn't_ was because of what they were telling him.

The old Wolf was telling him where to go again. What to do again.

"I have, but they probably haven't been loaded yet," Kell said easily. "They didn't exactly have much time."

It was the realization that Mina was mentally leaning on him that broke the stalemate inside Jay.

"* _Cut it_ out _._ *" He snarled at her silently, a mental blow almost as sharp as the physical one he was capable of inflicting, and just as startling for her. "* _You haven't earned that right._ *"

"No," he answered the old Wolf as he slowly turned to face the Sith Lord down. "This is not your ship and not your command."

"Very well," Kell said. "It was merely a suggestion."

The Wolf heard Kressh chuckle in the background, and made a mental note to have a long, hard conversation with him later.

"You will live more comfortably elsewhere." Jay was as subtle as he got in suggesting the two Wolves outside the family leave without making it an outright order. "There is no need for you to hide."

"No need," Kell said 'graciously,' trying to fight the urge to growl and put this tom in his place. He was well on his way towards aborting the plan, killing Jay, and taking the kits as compensation for his time. "I did promise to make sure you were taken care of."

It was a reminder of something Jay had all but forgotten; that Shi's hand was in this. A simple choice of words instantly broke Jay's temper and anger towards the old Wolf, at least for a while.

Jay turned his attention back to the map of Tatooine and let his gaze fall where it may; at the edge of a small, low mountain range, and he knew exactly how to pass the next few months.

* * *

Jay stood from the controls with Sharufa at a hovering stop just in front of a large outcropping of rock in the badlands not far from low mountains.

"What are you doing?" Mina asked quietly, careful not to lean on him lest she spark the directed anger that had almost ruined everything only hours before. That had been a real wake-up call for all the Sith. The mate-bond could do amazing things in directing him to a desired result, but he was neither ignorant of that fact nor incapable of resisting it when he wanted to enough.

It also gave him the ability to strike back harder than he could at most.

"Making a safe and comfortable place to camp until things have settled down a bit." He answered simply and stepped out of the open hatch to land easily tens of meters below.

"I hate it when he does that," she murmured, turning back towards Tembris. "I think things are officially derailed."

"No, merely to plan B." The ancient Wolf chuckled. "If he is more comfortable here, he is less likely to resist our efforts."

"In case you didn't notice, we also _both_ lost hold on him," she pointed out. "Another shake like that, and I'm not sure what'll happen."

"If he becomes too uncontrollable, we kill him." Tembris shrugged. "One less Jedi to worry about."

"Let's just keep him from hearing that," Mina muttered, glancing at the open hatch, then up at the cockpit. "And Janos."

"Now what makes you say that?" He raised an eyebrow at her.

"I don't trust him," she said, shaking her head. "Clawson's having as much an effect on him as he is on Clawson."

"Well, we'll just have to make sure it doesn't cause any problems then." Tembris told her simply.

"* _I told you not to trust that creature. It's turning your apprentice against you._ *" Kressh smirked at him from the shadows of insubstantial space.

"* _His weakness, nothing more,_ *" Tembris responded.

"I was simply bringing it to your awareness, Master," Mina said easily. "If I may be so bold, when will my training be beginning in earnest? I suspect we'll be spending a fair amount of time here before I have the opportunity to get myself captured."

"After you deliver the kits, and he's not quite so focused on your protection." Tembris said before flattening his ears and moved his chair closer to the open hatch to get a look at what was creating such a significant use of Force. "What _is_ that kat doing?"

He blinked a couple times to see a chunk of rock half again as large as the Sharufa being pulled out of the plateau about half way up it's face and slowly remolded into the surrounding stone so the change didn't look like a change.

"I can see why you want to turn him," Mina murmured, watching her 'mate' at work. "His powers are incredible ...."

"Yes, he is very impressive." He nodded, keeping his surprise to himself. Jay hadn't felt nearly _this_ strong at the dig. Whatever the kat was doing was definitely not solely the results of the natural strength and Jedi training that were readily apparent.

"He wants me to back into that cave and land." Janos called back, a bit uncertain about whether to actually do it.

"Do so," the ancient Wolf said easily. "It's certainly safer than a natural cave around here."

"Yes, sir." Janos nodded as the ship began to move, slowly backing into the large cave as Jay watched intently from the ground.

"When we land, have Markos modify my chair for sand," he told Mina, "I believe we're in a convenient location."

"Yes, Master." She inclined her head slightly.

"I'll be in my quarters, meditating," he said, moving off towards his room, preparing to complete the new contingencies he'd been working on.

"Master!" Markos yelled in alarm. "He's sealing us in!"

"Would you relax?" Janos sneered from next to him. "He's only sealing the ship in, not us. We'd hardly be hiding if people could see it at a glance."

"If necessary, we can still blast our way out," Tembris said, shifting to move up to the cockpit. "This ship is very well armed for its size and type."

"Besides, with Janos and I in here, he wouldn't do that," Mina said, following Tembris with her mind shielded from even Jay. "He might not be totally on our side yet, but we still have several very potent bargaining chips for the next few months."

"He'll be up once he's sure the outside looks right." Janos said with easy certainty as he stood to go look at the work his mate had done first hand.

"For somebody who wasn't sure he could be trusted to be in a room on his own for a few days, you're very certain of him," Tembris observed.

"That was before I knew what anger and scheming feel like in him." The younger Wolf said simply. "His intent is very simple to read if you pay attention."

"Is there anything we should be aware of?" Tembris asked him pointedly.

"No, Master." He said a bit more submissively. "His scheming so far has been about 'surprises' in bed, and that message he sent to the Jedi. It has a distinctive feel, when he's planning something he doesn't want known."

"It's true," Mina agreed. "And it isn't what he's feeling now. He's focused on protecting us, not harming us," she added, letting up on her shields a bit as Janos left the ship. "I'll have to talk him into making sure we have an easy way in and out."

"Do so." Tembris nodded and turned around to go to his quarters.

As Mina prepared to do just that, Janos was waiting at the small opening for Jay to fly up to it. He had to admit; it was impressive work, and the location was as secure as you could get and still have _any_ opening.

"Impressive," he said with a smile for Jay as the older tom touched down, walking in through the door-sized opening he'd left. "What happened to the rest of the stone though?"

"It's made the mesa larger." Jay answered easily. As exhausted as he was, mentally and physically, he wasn't showing it to anyone that wasn't very good at noticing, or had an inside track to his state. "Where you're standing on used to be open air."

"Added a story," Janos nodded, understanding. He moved to help support his mate, rubbing his side lightly. "Be careful," he said softly even as Jay stiffened for a second, then relaxed and leaned against the bigger male as they walked back to the ship and their quarters.

"Something like that." He nodded, his eyes closing briefly. "It's the most secure way I could think of to stay safe for a while."

"Let's hope it works," Janos nodded. "At least we won't have to worry about Krayt dragons. Though Mina might end up getting a little claustrophobic."

"I'll work on that, after a nap." He murmured. "That was a lot of work."

"I'll bet," Janos agreed as they walked into the ship, giving Mina a sharp look as she started to approach them to try and work on convincing Jay to make an easier way out. "Haven't seen anything like that before."

"You probably won't again," he murmured. "It's a significant drain, and not something many would probably think of doing."

"We'll have to get out of here eventually," Mina pointed out, following as Janos helped lead Jay towards their quarters.

"When it's time to take Sharufa out, she can simply blast her way out. We won't need this place any more then." Jay told her.

"All right," she nodded, not willing to test her bond again so shortly after his backlash across it. Janos helped Jay undress, stripping down himself before joining him in bed.

"Just take it easy for a while," the Wolf murmured, kissing Jay lightly.

* * *

* * *

* * *

"Well, it seems you've made a fine mess of things." The spirit of Ludo Kressh sounded entirely too pleased with the situation for Tembris' tastes. "What did I tell you? The slow route, steady, take your opportunities as the Force presents them to you. What do you do?"

"Shut up," the Wolf growled, opening his eyes and looking for the shadowy figure of the half-Massassi.

"You're going to loose everything to that Jedi, and his Demon." Kressh continued. "Some people are not worth the difficulty to turn."

"You saw what he is capable of," Tembris pointed out. "Without taking _some_ risks, the Sith will never rise again. Turning his power to our purposes will ensure the fall of the Republic, and of the Jedi."

"Tembris, Tembris," the spirit shook his head. "What he did anyone with a reasonable talent in the Force can do with training. As he said himself, few would _think_ of trying, but most could manage it. His true talent lies with machines, not telekinesis."

"You don't think I'm aware of that, Kressh? Imagine the chaos on Coruscant if they only lost their weather-control. Add loss of defensive shields and rampant loss of machine services? The shining heart of the Republic brought to its knees without firing a shot."

"And the fleets turned on their crews, the Jedi Temple itself turned on its inhabitants." The spirit chuckled with absolute glee. "To think, an entire family like him is out there."

"And in the other room, in a few months," Tembris nodded with a chuckle of his own. "I'm sure you understand now why I feel turning him is worth any price, even my life. After all - you of all people know that death isn't the end for a true Sith."

"None with the will to remain," Kressh nodded slightly. "And those soon to be born will never know any way but the Sith."

"A bargain both I and Clawson's Demon agree to," Tembris nodded. "So, your comments to the contrary aside, I'd say I have the situation well under control."

"Except that Clawson is still very much a Jedi, Janos is quickly turning against you for real, you can't begin to train Mina out of fear of what Clawson will do about it, we are currently holed up in a place of _his_ choosing, he's come very close to challenging you twice already, and when he does, you are not likely to survive it. Oh, and both his mates are still alive too."

"You underestimate me, Kressh," Tembris rumbled dangerously. "When he does challenge me, I will be _quite_ capable of dealing with him. As for Janos, if he turns against me, he will surrender or die. Such is the way of the Sith. Something I'm beginning to feel I understand better than you do."

"True Sith do not surrender." Kressh retorted. "Not even to Death."

"You're right," Tembris growled slightly. "Though I doubt he is a true Sith yet. He lacks the focus and the strength. All he has is anger, but that is something I intend to hone, once the time comes."

"Assuming he still has it when it does," Kressh smirked in his shadows. "Clawson has already done quite a bit to overcome it, somehow. Clawson may be turning from the Jedi, but he is turning one of your apprentices towards them. How long before you lose the other as well?"

"There is something else you're forgetting, Kressh," the ancient Wolf growled, reaching into his vest and closing his hand around the heavy onyx amulet he had worn since first meeting the Sith Spirit.

"And what might that be? That you don't have any idea how to keep the Jedi from bringing all your plans down around your ears? That I know very well. You're no closer to destroying the Order than you were the first time."

That did it. Tembris pulled the amulet out, sliding his hand to the side to expose the ancient Sith runes on its surface as he channeled the power of the Dark Side through them. A bolt of black energy that seemed to devour everything in its path shot out of the center of it, engulfing the Sith Spirit and exposing Kressh to something he hadn't truly felt in centuries.

Pain.

"No," Tembris growled. "You forget that, eventually, death comes for all, even the Sith." Seeing that his undead mentor's spirit was still clinging to its existence, he channeled another bolt through it. This time, with a silent scream that resonated through the Force, the last of the true Sith Lords was wrenched from existence, returned to the Force he had so long denied.

"I should have done that a long time ago," Tembris muttered as he tucked the amulet back into his shirt and laid back down, returning to his meditation.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Jay stretched out in bed between his mates as he woke up, surprisingly relaxed given the impressive discharge of Dark energy that had occurred so close by only a few hours before.

"What do you think about learning to use your Force talent?" He offered out of nowhere to them both.

"Hmm?" Mina sounded sleepy yet, but he could tell that she was interested; her focus was on him instantly. Janos was a little more honestly waking up yet, though Jay could tell he'd heard.

"You're both strong enough to learn to do a great deal with what you have in natural talent." He gave them a chance to wake up a little more and absorb the offer.

"Are you trying to offer us Jedi training?" Mina asked him.

"Basically," he admitted. "It's what I know, for the most part. I'm offering the practical half of it, not the philosophy. I tend to attract trouble. It would help you survive if you can fight back well."

"Not sure how much of it we're qualified to learn," the Tabby murmured, kissing Jay's cheek. "But I know I'm willing."

"Same here," Janos added, rubbing Jay's chest lightly. "You know I've already got a bit of it down, but I won't turn down more."

"Probably not lightsaber training, definitely not my type, at least not soon. You saw what can happen to even an experienced wielder with a moment of distraction." He twitched his half-missing ear in reminder and tried not to think about why the injury had really happened. "But levitation, body control, telepathy and a score more of the practical skills you should be able to pick up readily and definitely have the raw talent to master."

"We'll work on it then," Mina smiled, reaching across him to trace his still-tender scar lightly, turning his face towards hers for a gentle kiss that was returned with a lingering passion that wasn't as strong as it had been in the days following her heat, but was still honest and present.

"Yes," Janos nuzzled him from behind. "It's hardly a bad use of time, after all."

* * *

* * *

* * *

Mina sighed mentally. She knew the Demon was watching her and her self-studies of what Jay couldn't teach her and Tembris likely wouldn't anytime soon.

"* _You teach yourself well._ *" It commented shortly before she would have addressed it.

"* _I have little choice,_ *" she explained absently, setting aside the ancient Sith scroll she had stolen years before but never quite understood. "* _And much experience in doing so. Not even Tembris appreciates what I'm capable of._ *"

"* _What if you were strong enough to challenge him in raw Dark power?_ *" It all but crooned.

"* _He has been a Sith Lord for longer than I've been alive,_ *" she pointed out. "* _And was a Jedi Master before that._ *" She carefully checked her mental shields; she didn't want Tembris to overhear if he was listening in.

"* _But I'm listening._ *"

"* _You teach yourself well. Do you really need him? I can offer you more power than he has, if you can learn how to use it._ *"

"* _He has powers, skills, that I don't,_ *" she pointed out. "* _His command of the Dark Side is incredible; I haven't mastered it to nearly that level yet. But with time ... it would be possible. What do you want for this, though?_ *" She asked suspiciously.

"* _He has sent his Master to the Force; he no longer has a great source of knowledge and power he has used since turning to the Sith._ *" The Demon countered seductively. "* _I want you to stay with Jay, even after the kits are born. I want more litters. You are pure enough in the Dark that just your presence and nature will turn him in time. Time that Tembris will not give us, if he remains._ *"

"* _What Master?_ *" Mina asked, looking in the direction it seemed like the Demon's voice came from, though she knew it was inside her mind.

"* _Ludo Kressh. A Sith Spirit, the last of the ancient bloodline that founded the Order. He turned Jedi Master Zykell into the Sith Darth Tembris and has been at Tembris' side ever since. Tembris no longer has his support._ *"

"* _That explains the surge we felt last week,_ *" Mina murmured, her mind running through various possibilities rapidly. All of them played through to her advantage, especially with the Demon's support. "* _When do we move?_ *" She asked it.

"* _After I have turned Janos to our side, unless a perfect opening presents itself first._ *" It chuckled softly and extended a mental 'hand' to her; a taste of the power it offered much more freely than any Sith would dare.

It was raw, pure power too. Not the kind gained by training, but the heady rush of what usually only came naturally.

Mina accepted it without reservation, only afterwards remembering that, in the future, she should be careful to make sure she could handle it first.

"* _We may have to work without Janos at first,_ *" Mina cautioned it. "* _But he will not support Tembris over us, I'm sure of that._ *"

"* _That is the important part._ *" The creature nodded silently. "* _While Jay becoming unstable is the eventual goal, it is best if it is done slowly, and not by the 'death' of a third mate-bond. Do be careful, though. Neither kill was successful in reality. Both his Jedi mates still live, and they are hunting for him even now._ *"

"* _Further proof that Tembris is weakening,_ *" Mina grumbled mentally. "* _That would not have been allowed a few years ago ...._ *"

"* _They will be dealt with in time._ *" It assured her. "* _You and Janos hold the active bonds. They will have great difficulty convincing him they are his mates. With the right words beforehand, he may well turn on them._ *"

"* _Mmm ... how possible would it be to 'remind' him that they were his mates after he turns on them? Too late for it to do any good for them, of course,_ *" Mina suggested, purring physically.

"* _Rather easy,_ *" the Demon grinned mentally, delighting in the idea. "* _This will work very nicely. If we can get him to kill them himself, he will never turn back to the Light, even if he does turn away from the Dark._ *"

"* _I doubt he could turn away at that point,_ *" Mina rumbled. "* _Doing so would force him to confront what he did. The Dark Side would become something he needs to avoid coping with their deaths at his hands._ *"

"* _Do not underestimate their ability to accept such pain as their due punishment for their acts._ *" The Demon warned her. "* _Most have a masochistic streak in them for emotional as well as physical pain._ *"

"* _It is possible,_ *" she accepted. The Demon did, after all, know the family better than she did. "* _But as you said, it would ensure that he never returned to the Light. That is as useful as any of a number of other things. There are also other possibilities,_ *" she mused, rubbing her hand over the very slight swell of her belly below the two extra sets of tits that were beginning to swell, ready to feed the large litter inside her.

"* _Such as?_ *" It pressed her, very intent on any ideas she had where the kittens were concerned.

"* _Nothing that would harm them,_ *" she said easily, then continued as she realized the Demon didn't trust her nearly enough to settle for that. "* _Just thinking about who would best be targeted for Jay's rage should things not go perfectly._ *"

She knew, instinctively, that just thinking such things was dangerous ground around this creature. Whatever else it was, its reactions towards young Clawsons made Jay's protective possessiveness look like abandonment. It was a small price to pay for the power it offered so freely, but she would have to be careful in the future about when she planned for such contingencies.

Before another word was said, it faded into a dim presence in her mind. It was a sensation very similar to what she knew it was like for Jay when he was being left alone.

She would have to watch herself more carefully ... and make sure she managed to keep control. A part of her wondered just what it did to Jay, and that she would likely have to deal with in the future.

Pushing the thought to the side for now, the young Sith set herself to the task of learning to control the power she had now, and how to wield it best.

* * *

"I can safely say I've _never_ done something like that before," Janos murmured as he and Jay relaxed on top of the mesa, Tatooine's dual suns beating down on them as they sat, heating their bodies through their fur after a little experimenting with aerial sex.

It was experimenting for Janos as least. He had no doubts that Jay had done this often enough to be comfortable with it.

"It is unusual." Jay chuckled softly and let his eyes drift closed as he enjoyed the heat from the suns in a moment where everything else, all his concerns and the issues in his life, didn't matter for a few minutes.

It was a few minutes that Janos regretted having to end, but he knew this was the only time he'd be able to warn Jay without Tembris or Mina overhearing him.

"Jay?" He asked, double-checking to make sure the tom hadn't dozed off as he reached over to scritch the back of his neck and felt him murr in appreciation as much as heard it. "I'm not sure we can trust Kell ...." 

Hell, that was an understatement. Janos knew better than anybody that they couldn't trust him as far as Tembris could throw him. The next part was going to be the hardest to get Jay to accept. "Or Mina."

"I know." Jay whispered, a tone and trickle in the bond that made Janos realize that Jay had known from the moment he'd woken up with her in his bed. "Who are they?"

"Mina's who she says she is, as far as I know," Janos said softly. "Kell ... he's Kell, but that's a cover for Darth Tembris, the Sith Lord."

He felt the shudder pass through his mate; Jay's sick realization that he was _really_ in over his head even more than he'd originally thought.

"And your connection to him?" Jay asked quietly, unconsciously putting a good deal of pressure across the bond and the Force to hear the full truth.

"Same as Mina," Janos said softly. "Used to be at least. I was gunning to be accepted as an apprentice ... just seemed to be the next natural step for me, with what I was doing."

"Has he taught you how to use a lightsaber?" Jay let out a breath, a very private sense of panic giving way to a level of plotting and contingencies that any Sith would be proud of developing.

"He hasn't taught either of us much. I learned to do that on my own," Janos admitted. "Just like everything else I've gotten. He's been working on some of the skills ... but I'll be honest, it's not feeling like as natural a step as I'd thought it was."

"Something that will likely kill you young rarely does." He rolled to his side to rest against the Wolf. "Or maybe you're just not so angry anymore."

"You still haven't seen me in a fight," Janos pointed out with a grim chuckle. "That Twi'lek wouldn't have gotten away alive. Neither would most of the other folks in the cantina," he admitted. "As for killing me young ... I dunno, Tembris is holding up pretty well."

"Some do, most don't." Jay said quietly, then nuzzled him. "Now that the sun is down, why don't you show me what you can do in a fight?"

"I don't have my 'saber with me," he pointed out. "And I don't know that you want to go up against me hand-to-hand. Solo ... it doesn't work as well without somebody to take on," he half-explained.

"You honestly think I can't stop you?" Jay raised an eyebrow at him.

"Without maiming me?" Janos pointed out. "I don't necessarily control things once I get going."

"You're going to need enough self-control to spar with me if I'm going to teach you much of anything combat-related," Jay sighed softly. "Or enough trust in me to stop things without either of us getting hurt."

"Just pointing out the risks, when I'm practicing my unarmed skills," the Wolf said easily, licking his cheek. "Not that I learn all that much when I get like that. Less skill, more blind rage. Put a weapon in my hands and I handle it a bit better. Or if it was a challenge."

"So go get your lightsaber," Jay suggested as he began to stand, pausing for a kiss part way up, "and see what you've managed to teach yourself about it?"

"Works for me," Janos nodded, standing up. "You happen to remember where we left our clothes?" He asked, looking around with a chuckle. Jay didn't even have to motion to guide his eye in the right direction.

"I want you to pay attention to the Force around us when I take us down," Jay told him as they quickly dressed. "Levitation is a difficult skill for many to master, but it is a simple effect."

"Will do," Janos nodded, pulling the rest of his clothes on and moving to the edge with Jay.

It was still heart-wrenching, that first step into the open sky. Nothing in his life could have prepared Janos to trust anything like that. Yet this was the third time he'd done just that, and Jay had never let him be hurt. He could feel it, that the tom _couldn't_ let him be hurt.

As much as a part of him was still screaming that trusting the Jedi was dangerous, he found it easier and easier to do just that. A scant month ago and he wouldn't have even thought of telling Jay what he just had. Now, he was warning Jay about the plan that was in play, and planning on ways to help him avoid it.

As the powerful updrafts of Tatooine's early evenings blew past them, he couldn't help but marvel at how crazy things were just now, and that now was only the beginning.

When his feet touched solid rock again, Janos let out of breath of relief to be under his own propulsion again. He started back onto the Sharufa, heading back into the hold and opening the small crate that held his lightsaber, the hilt not a perfect fit for his hand. As Jay arrived, he realized that there was no way Janos had created it himself, for all that he carried it with the ease of somebody who knew what he was doing with it.

"How'd you get that one?" He asked quietly with a nod towards the weapon.

"A Jedi came after one of my employers when I was freelancing," Janos explained, remarkably at ease with the subject until he remembered who he was talking to. Apparently, he also decided it was too late to stop the explanation. "When the blasterfire was done, there was a lightsaber without an owner, so I trained myself how to use it."

"The Jedi's name?" Jay asked and extended his hand for the weapon, a knot in his stomach for being even this close to the death of a colleague.

"Not sure," Janos shrugged slightly, unholstering it and passing it over, fairly certain he wouldn't be seeing it again, but knowing that it would be better than trying to keep it against Jay's objections. "Some Ferret, going by the name of Oppo Ran. I wasn't exactly worried about his real name when the fighting started."

The tom nodded and closed his eyes as he passed his hand over the weapon, making it disappear in a powerful ripple of Force. He was grateful he did not know the owner. That may well have made the contact unbearable ... and cost everyone on Tatooine their lives. It still left him uneasy about just how to send the weapon back to the Temple with the news in a way he couldn't be traced.

"You can use my ... Fenrik's second spare." Jay said quietly and turned to leave with a subtle motion to follow. "At least until one is built for you."

It still unnerved Janos to know that Jay could do something like that. The thought of what the tom could do to somebody he got ticked off at enough ... and he'd thought that Tembris was bad with being able to use the Force as a weapon directly. This was _definitely_ not the time to bring up other fights he'd had with Jedi over the years, even if Jay probably already knew about most of them, or could. He could feel how unsettled the tom already was, how close to truly snapping in a way not even Tembris wanted.

"All right," the Wolf nodded, following Jay to claim the backup weapon from the sparring chamber. It was sitting with several others; a set of two like Jay wielded, a traditional double-blade made of crystal, and a normal looking single-blade sitting next to an empty place for a weapon of the same size.

Jay took the traditional lightsaber from its resting place and handed it over. It took Janos a startled moment to adjust his hand to the new weight and the incredible sensation of being at one with the weapon.

It was _definitely_ not something he was used to, even after years of practicing with the 'saber he'd just lost.

"What's up with this one?" The Wolf asked, looking over at Jay.

"It is a Master Artisan 'saber." Jay explained. "I made it for him a few months after I finished my training as one. That is what it feels like when you have perfected the creation of a Force-weapon. It will work for you even better than one you make for yourself."

Janos looked at it, testing the weight again, and accepting that the somewhat unsettling feeling was just something he'd get used to.

"I'll keep it in mind," he nodded, stepping back and igniting the blade. "So, what do you want to see?"

"Just fight me, for now." Jay said simply as he dropped into a loose defensive posture and light a single blade, the blacklight in stark contrast to his opponent's brilliant white. "Show me what you can do."

"You asked for it," Janos said easily, moving into an unorthodox offensive flurry that, while not so skilled that Jay couldn't block it easily, was easily on a par with those used by most novice Knights. It was clear that the Wolf had spent long hours working with a lightsaber, and while this specific weapon was one he wasn't comfortable with, he was adapting quickly.

Blow after blow rained down, each with the full strength of the lupine's powerful body behind it. It lacked practically any sign of art or grace, but it was a powerful, punishing technique that would have made most Jedi scowl to see used by one of their own, and _very_ unhappy to see used by an opponent.

It was surprisingly effective too; for all that no Jedi in his right mind would have used it.

It made it damn near the perfect style for a Sith-to-be.

Jay smiled, a dangerous look that set every nerve Janos had on edge, and the Wolf found himself on the receiving end of a fighting style as opposite to his own as he could imagine.

He shifted to the defensive, clearly a weaker skill of his. To the seasoned Jedi, it was obvious that his mate had benefited greatly from the simplest of flawed logic - that the best defense is a good offense.

Still, he tried to hold his own, blocking blows narrowly with potent parries that kept Jay from easily flowing into the next blow, forcing him to recover from the parry first.

Jay could also tell that Janos' frustration with being put into this position was growing ... and that a barely-restrained well of Dark Side energy was coming ever closer to the surface. To judge by what he'd said before, if it hadn't been for the lightsaber, he'd already have a berserk Wolf on his hands.

As it stood, he knew what he needed to.

"* _Stop._ *" Jay ordered with enough Force to stop the rising tide of rage without truly overpowering Janos' mind.

Janos moved back, blinking as he felt the retreat.

"That's never happened before," he said, clearly uneasy, looking at Jay warily.

"You've never have someone give you a Force Command then." The tom nodded with an easy manner as his lightsaber extinguished and was slid back into its Glovatrix home. "Or at least not one to stop you from fighting."

"Not by the time I reached that point," Janos agreed, extinguishing his own weapon a little uneasily. "Not that I listened to. 'Course, I haven't dealt with Jedi all that often before."

"Certainly not any experienced ones," he nodded slightly and motioned Janos to follow him. "Your style is effective, but only to a point. You haven't crossed lightsabers with anyone who's got more than the basics down, or is any good at Mind Control."

"It's worked for what I've needed it for," Janos said a little defensively. "Mostly dealing with folks who see a lightsaber and back off or try to come at me with something that _really_ isn't suited for it. I have had a few Jedi try the mind control thing, they're just not usually fast enough to get started before it doesn't help."

"You've been lucky, in part." Jay nodded. "Very lucky your name never came up when I was taking field missions. Some Jedi specialize. Mine was hunting, when they let me. With enough work, you may well become good enough to hunt with me."

"Hunting what?" Janos asked him.

"Darksiders mostly, sometimes terentatek and other such beasts." He answered as they stepped inside their quarters. "They tend not to send me when they want to make sure whatever it is comes back alive."

"If it's some sort of beast, I'm already good enough to help you as is," Janos pointed out, following Jay into the showers. It was clearly something he took some pride in. "Might not be the best lightsaber fighter out there, but I _am_ one of the best hunters."

"Want to go hunting for fresh meat with me, then?" Jay glanced over his shoulder before letting the loose, sandy-tan clothing he wore now slip off his well-toned body and to the floor. "It's not lightsaber work, but it's a good workout."

"Something to do too," Janos nodded, stripping down himself while Jay set the water temperature. "Dewbacks are a bit big, but anything smaller than that should make a good few meals for us, even with a ship full of carnivores."

"Quite true," he nodded and stepped under the shower of water. A shiver passed through his body as the warmth of the liquid seeped into his fur and skin with the arousal that typically followed.

"You never run out of steam, do you?" Janos asked with a chuckle, climbing in behind Jay and running a hand down his chest from behind, cupping the older feline's balls in a bit of foreplay that was already feeling normal.

"Eventually," he murmured and leaned back, his legs spreading apart in welcome of the attention. "But not easily."

"No wonder you prefer two mates," the Wolf rumbled, licking the sweat from Jay's fur. "Need 'em to keep up with you. Though I'm willing to try."

"You've done pretty well so far," he snickered and pressed back, rubbing his ass and tail against his mate's groin. "Though I really prefer males. It feels so good to be full."

"Mmm ... I'm not about to complain about you liking it that way," Janos rumbled, nipping his shoulder as his sheath started to fill out. "I happen to like filling you."

A soft rumble of pleasure came from Jay before he twisted and knelt to nuzzle his mate, coaxing the hard flesh from it's home with an eager mouth and skilled tongue he took care to only use the back of.

"Mmm ... you can use the front too," Janos moaned pleasantly, reaching down to rub Jay's ears and the back of his head, taking some care to watch out for the scarred one. "Damn you're good at this," he rumbled, the tip of his cock quickly emerging from his sheath to even more attention. It wasn't long before Jay had him panting, leaned forward to brace against the shower wall with on hand while the other continued to play in Jay's long hair and the still-whole ear.

Just a few moments later, his howl echoed through the shower as his cock spasmed, shooting his cum into Jay's mouth as his knot throbbed just outside the Kat's mouth. The sound went up a couple notches in intensity as the Kat closed his hand around the knot's base and squeezed gently as he hummed happily and swallowed everything Janos had to offer.

Moments later, and the Wolf was panting heavily, his tongue lolling along the side of his muzzle before he pulled Jay up and kissed him, the flavor of his cum heavy on the older Kat's breath.

"'Against your back, or face-to-face?" He asked him.

"Face to face," he grinned and slid one leg up to hook around the Wolf's hip before claiming another kiss. "Fuck me hard, handsome."

"With pleasure," Janos growled lustily, pressing his cock up into Jay's ass with a groan that was quickly muffled by the older tom's shoulder as he bit down on it, a bit more roughly than he usually did. He could feel it, across their bond, that it was nothing close to how rough the feline received his from previous male mate, or how easily the pain mixed with the pleasure for him.

And he knew, deep inside, that he was going to find out just whose appetite for pain was stronger before he was finished.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Essani sighed and took a deep breath to settle herself in the holonet chamber with Master Zraii. She set the controls to put them in contact with the Gurath, Kalrass and Independence to get an update from the Jedi hunting for her former Padawan. There hadn't been an ounce of good news in the two months since his capture, and she was sure her fur was going to be permanently darkened before there was any at this rate.

"Greetings, Masters." Master Miya said respectfully as the holonet conference began between the three Masters and two Knights spread out in space and the two at the Temple. Just her tone warned there was going to be precious little good news this week either.

Just like last week and every week since the hunt began.

One of the additional receivers flickered on, revealing Jenna and Kanna on the Independence; they hadn't quite made it to the rendezvous point yet, but they were will there.

"Sorry we're late, Masters," Kanna said, bowing. "We ran into an ion storm on the way to the rendezvous, the hyperdrive cut out for the duration."

"Understandable," Master Zraii said easily, translating for Essani as well as speaking for hirself. "Is there any news?"

"Jay is still with the Light," Fenrik began with the little good news they had. After the terrifying couple of hours a month before when he was sure that his mate had gone over to the Dark Side, that had become the opening question to answer. "I still can not get a lock on his location, but he has not moved far in recent weeks. If he stays put a few more weeks, we will have it down to what planet he's on."

"* _That is good news,_ *" Essani said, waiting for the message to be relayed. "* _On both fronts._ *"

"All indicators still say that he's in the Rim," Doruth said. "We've checked all the worlds that were top priorities and in the general range, but no luck, so we'll be moving to priority two worlds until Fenrik can get a fix."

"Is there any news about Master Shivasta yet?" Kanna asked. "She would be able to help us narrow things down as well, if she has recovered yet."

"* _They don't think it will be long, but she hasn't regained consciousness yet. Most of the poison is out of her system, but waking her up early would undo all her progress._ *"

"Understood, Master." Jenna inclined her head. Whoever had set this up had done their research well.

"Have there been any further messages from him?" Fenrik asked quietly, his weariness from the hunt and worrying about his mate beginning to show.

"* _No,_ *" Master Essani admitted. "* _He seems to be hiding out from us intentionally now._ *"

"That'll make things more difficult," Doruth observed with a frown. "Especially if he decides to interfere with Fenrik's bond. Master Zraii, was there any luck with the trace on the message we did have?"

"Very little of use," shi answered. "It came from the Falleen system. I doubt it is where he is, however. The markers indicate the ship was still in hyperspace when the transmission was made. Our best hope right now is that he stays where he is long enough for you to find him."

"Agreed," Fenrik nodded. "The Falleen system is too strongly in line with the Republic and the Jedi; we'd know by now if he was there."

"But it gives us a place to focus," Doruth murmured, looking away from the transmitter. "We have several high priority systems in the area; Tatooine, Geonosis, Ryloth, several others along the Corellian Run. I think we'll want to focus there for a bit; getting between the systems will be faster for a bit too."

"If he is in that area, I may have a better shot at tracing him." Fenrik added with a nod. "The closer I can come, the more likely I'll be to get more than a vague sense of direction."

"Then that's where we'll be headed," Doruth nodded. "Unless there are any objections, I'll take the Ryloth system, Fenrik can start out in the Geonosis system, and Jenna and Kanna, why don't the two of you start in the Rodia system? If they took Jay there, we're looking at a _very_ short fuse on things that might set him off before we find him."

"If he's on Rodia, we'd know about it by now." Fenrik pointed out respectfully to his former Master. "I seriously doubt they wouldn't report someone doing serious population damage with a lightsaber. Besides, Jay's not Dark yet. He wouldn't go there if he had a choice. Tatooine is much more likely."

"And we wouldn't have heard about it yet," Doruth agreed. "It's practically next to the Geonosis system ... why don't the three of you handle both of them?" He asked, clearly meaning Fenrik, Jenna, and Kanna. "Only a handful of habitable worlds between them, shouldn't take long either way."

"Yes, Master." Fenrik agreed easily.

"Works for us." Kanna nodded.

"A little off topic, Master Essani, but how is Syleece doing?" Jenna asked now that the decisions were made.

"* _Well, all things considered,_ *" Essani said. "* _Don't worry; the Council has agreed that, under the circumstances, the two of you don't need to worry about your potential Padawans while you're on this mission._ *"

"Thank you, Masters." Both Knights bowed in unison.

"Is there anything else, Master Essani?" Master Miya asked now that all the family business was out of the way.

"* _Only the update on the Council business that has already been transmitted to the Gurath for your review, Master Miya,_ *" Essani said, shaking her head slightly. "* _Hopefully the new direction for the search will be successful._ *"

"Yes," the Caracal nodded seriously after Master Zraii had relayed the words. "It will be good when this mess is settled. We will contact you next week, unless there is important news before then."

"* _Very well,_ *" Essani nodded. "* _Force be with you all._ *"

* * *

* * *

* * *

Tembris frowned as he sensed the Force being used in the Sharufa's training rooms. He pulled himself up and into his chair, starting to float out to see what was going on. He'd seen Jay and Janos practicing lightsaber combat at least once, and knew they did so two or three times a day as often as not, but this was something more.

He ultimately found Janos, Jay, and Mina working in the training room. Jay was helping them with their body-control skills; Janos was working with an old Jedi tool, the colors shifting with ease. The Wolf was already fairly skilled at handling his body responses, and was able to manipulate the device without much trouble.

As such, Jay was focused more on Mina, who seemed to be working with him on much the same subject matter.

"Well, that took care of the nausea," she murmured.

"That's a good start," he nodded in approval. "You should be able to control your body well enough to make the birth swift and fairly painless by the time it comes at this rate."

"That'll be good," she nodded. "Odds are, we won't be able to hit a hospital. Especially not if we're still on Tatooine," she chuckled slightly. "Don't think there _is_ one on this world."

The Wolf scowled from the door; it seemed his two 'apprentices' were working to get their training from any source available. He shouldn't be surprised at that, any Sith worth the title did, but to have a Jedi, even one who had left the Order, doing it was not something he approved of.

"Oh, _that_ I'm going to manage. It's just not something to do until it's closer." Jay said firmly. "Birth is not something I'm particularly qualified to handle."

Mina shifted a little uncomfortably. "Take this the right way, I think I'll be looking forward to it. The Sharufa's well-stocked, but it isn't really set up for a maternity ward."

"No, we're not." He agreed quietly, the pain of remembering the Healer-mate he'd lost flaring bright again. "We had very different needs when I last overhauled her."

"We can't change what happened, Jay," Mina said softly, reaching over to brush his cheek lightly. "But we can still find the one who killed her."

Tembris had to approve of that; it was good that she still seemed to be working on him. Their plans had changed, with the hiding place. It would be harder to start the next phase of the process of turning him.

But now would be the time to do it.

There was still some resistance to that hunt, something that almost couldn't be from Jedi training. They may not be kill-happy, but they rarely had an issue with _finding_ those responsible for the death of their own.

"When the kittens can be safely left in the care of others." Jay murmured, his priorities clear at least to himself.

"All right," she nodded. "I don't suppose I could talk you into a trip outside before I end up too far along to enjoy it?"

"What do you want to see?" He cocked his head at her.

"Something other than the ship and cave walls, maybe?" She chuckled, leaning over to kiss his cheek lightly. "Starting to feel a little cooped up, and not far enough along to feel like that's how I'm supposed to be yet."

"All right. After the sun sets and it's a little cooler."

"Thanks," she smiled, giving him another light kiss. Tembris nodded slightly from where he was listening; a trip or two without anything serious happening would help lull the Jedi into a feeling of security.

Now, if only they could convince him to give them the leeway to work a bit, continue turning him. The longer they spent sitting here, the more likely the Jedi were to find him. And the less unsettled Jay was, ultimately. They had to keep him unbalanced ....

"* _You worry too much, Sith._ *" The Demon interrupted his thoughts. "* _The more settled and secure he is when she is captured the more of an impact it will make. Jay will never allow himself to be captured by them._ *"

"* _He may not have a choice,_ *" Tembris pointed out. "* _The Jedi are hunting hard ... including his mate, by the reports._ *"

"* _Yes, they are hunting. He is hiding. He won't be found until he's willing to be found._ *" It told him with the simple confidence of having watched such cycles time and time again with this family.

"* _You had best be right. The last thing we need right now is to face a group of Jedi hunters._ *"

"* _It's not the hunters that are dangerous to our plans. It's the Healers._ *" It pointed out. "* _As long as the bonds are in place, the plan can still work._ *"

"* _And as long as the hunters don't come, face us, kill three of us and capture Jay and Mina,_ *" Tembris pointed out with a slight mental growl. "* _How do you think he would find the Healers again, hmm? Of course that won't happen while he's under our control._ *"

"* _It still requires them to find us, and they won't as long as Jay does not wish to be found._ *"

"* _Very well,_ *" Tembris said. He knew the Demon was just going to keep the logic going in circles right now; he also knew that there were ways that Jay could not necessarily block that they could use to find him. "* _You're privy to his thoughts; what is he up to in there?_ *"

"* _Primarily he's focused on what you are watching; training his mates to survive around the dangers he attracts. He's also trying to figure out how to return the dead Jedi's lightsaber to the Temple without having it traced._ *"

"* _He's still clinging to the past too strongly,_ *" Tembris rumbled disapprovingly. "* _You had best be right about how to deal with him,_ *" the Wolf added, turning to float back to his quarters. He would have to have a few words with Mina when he had the chance later.

"* _You have had him barely more than a month._ *" The Demon reminded him as he left. "* _The Jedi had him for over fifty years, and not even_ they _could break his holding onto his heritage._ *"

* * *

* * *

* * *

Healer Cirran snapped out of a light meditative trance with the first soft beep of Master Shivasta's' vitals that was off rhythm. She'd held this vigil for six weeks now, ever since a Padawan Healer had found the Ice Walker apparently dead. Three visits from Master Fenrik or the Knights had come and gone without a change, and now, two days before he was due back, her heart rate was picking up.

And, according to the rapidly shifting vital signs, her body desperately needed oxygen.

The Twi'lek moved quickly, grabbing a medical breather and holding it over Shi's mouth and nose, helping to restore the balance in her body the poison had disrupted. Assorted gauges moved back into the proper ranges, the Jedi Master's breathing speeding up, but becoming steadier.

Her fingers tightened into a fist, giving a sign that she was at least semi-conscious without disrupting Cirran's efforts to help her, or dislodging the IV carrying nutrients to her body.

It was a good sign. She was aware enough to know not to fight back, and that meant that her mind was likely largely intact. Cirran reached out with a bit of Force, searching for any spores that might still be in Shi's system that would make having her wake up now dangerous.

It seemed that whatever she'd done had been enough; the spores were dead, for all that her body was not going to be happy for a while. There was a fair amount of inert matter that would need to be removed naturally.

Shi's bright eyes opened wearily, and she reached over with her other hand to place it gratefully over Cirran's, then took the breather herself for the few moments necessary before her oxygen levels were back to normal.

"Thank you," she said, taking the mask away from her face. "Hope I don't offend you but, who are you?"

"Knight Cirran," the violet Twi'lek looked down at her with a slight smile of relief. "Master Fenrik should be here in the next couple days to see you, though I doubt you will be fit to go anywhere but back to the Temple for some time."

"How long have I been out?" Shivasta asked, not arguing the other point just yet. "Have to get a message to Jay ...."

"Just over six weeks, Healer." Cirran cautioned her. "The Plague is over. Master Fenrik and your Knights are trying to find Knight Clawson."

"Trying to ...." Shi closed her eyes, swallowing hard. "They took him before anybody could get word to him," she murmured.

"Yes," she nodded slightly. "We know who is responsible. We do not know where they are. Master Fenrik knows a great deal more than I do about what is happening."

"I'm just going to have to recover quickly then, aren't I?" Shivasta asked, closing her eyes again, her body clearly still exhausted. "Have to get him back ...."

"Master Shivasta, you must _rest_." The Knight insisted, ready to use the Force if she had to. "Master Fenrik will be here soon with more information."

"I know, Knight Cirran," Shivasta sighed. "I plan on resting, just now."

"Good," the younger Healer brushed a gentle hand across Shi's forehead with healing energy. "I will not be far, should you need anything."

"Thank you," Shivasta murmured, before dozing off. Even asleep, Cirran could feel the Force around the Master Healer, working to repair her body as quickly as possible.

* * *

Shivasta took a deep breath a few hours later, trying to calm herself. She knew Fenrik would have already tried this, but she had to make an effort ... and from here, it was about all she could do. She closed her eyes, not sleeping this time, but focusing on reaching out to try and find Jay across their bond, reaching out towards him telepathically.

It wasn't any more difficult than usual, given the range. She could tell he was still out in the Rim, but as she got closer a second female mind was woven in, blocking her access.

Then the Darkness rushed up. The Demon she'd felt on so many occasions through the bond was now on her, ready to finish what the poison hadn't.

Her body might still have been weak, but her mind wasn't. Before it could launch its full attack, she responded with the Light-side energy Essani had taught her to wield after Yavin 4, holding the thing at bay as it howled in rage and pain but refused to back down.

"* _Where is Jay?_ *" She demanded.

"* _He is no longer yours._ *" It rumbled back and attacked again.

"* _Like_ hell _he isn't,_ *" Shivasta growled mentally, even as she backed away. She wasn't able to handle this battle just yet. She'd need help ... help that wouldn't be here for a day or more yet. "* _This isn't over._ *"

"* _It will be soon._ *" It hissed at her, but did not follow her far. Its power was too tied to Jay's mind for it to reach far past that, not even along a bond.

Shi had to pull back into her own mind, exhausted. But she knew better what they were up against. Jay thought he had a new mate, but only because the Demon had replaced her.

Only decades of Jedi training kept her from wanting to go back and attack it with everything she had. If she kept it far enough out along the bond, she could probably do it too. Instead, she'd wait until the next day, when Fenrik could help. Between the two of them ....

They'd have to see what could be done.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Mina frowned as her hands traced down her body, over the swell her primary breasts, the two extra sets that were half the size and the obvious roundness of her belly and the three or four kits growing inside of her. Jay had been downright cool lately. Given his preference for males, and hers for fems, she couldn't really blame him for preferring Janos.

But it was the sort of change that endangered her position with him. A position she needed to protect.

She looked at herself in the mirror, nude and beginning to show her pregnant state, wondering what it would take to try and repair the damage that had already been done. Whether or not they were going to turn on Tembris, she still needed Jay to want her, to keep her as his mate, if she was going to get what _she_ wanted out of this.

At least her training hadn't suffered for his lack of interest in bed. He was fulfilling his duties as the father of the young she carried as best he could; providing her with a good diet, as much physical care as he was capable of, training in as many skills that didn't endanger the kit's health as she could wrap her mind around.

Still ... for all that he was being a reasonable good parent, and helping to teach her, she was getting increasingly annoyed with the tedium that her life was becoming. Even the occasional trip outside wasn't much to break things up.

Jay, on the other hand, seemed downright content to stay here for a _long_ time. He was not one of those Jedi who liked to travel, apparently, for all he'd gone on many missions all over the galaxy during his life.

It was reaching the point where she was considering trying to bed Markos while Jay and Janos were off playing. He _definitely_ wasn't the sort she'd normally be interested in, but it would be something to do other than practice wielding the power the Demon had given her.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when someone's hands slid down her sides to cup on her belly, pulling her back against a strong, warm body.

"I don't mean to ignore you." Jay whispered softly.

"You've just got Janos instead," Mina murmured, pressing back against him. "After what happened in Anchorhead, I figured it wasn't a good idea to say anything."

"That was very different, Mina." He nuzzled her, though she could feel it took an effort to make himself interested in her enough to respond to the nude and willing body against his loose clothing. "He was trying to take you away. I'm not usually that temperamental."

"I meant after," she murmured, turning to return the nuzzle. "S'pose you weren't really at your best then."

Not for the first time, she wondered if getting Janos involved in this had really been the best idea. It was a moot point, though. It wasn't as simple as just ditching him somewhere. Jay would go find him again, and Force help whatever was between them.

"No, I wasn't." He admitted and kissed his way up her neck. The touch was arousing, even if he was having a bit of difficulty desiring her like he had in those first couple weeks. The more he had time to think, the more she doubted he was as ignorant or helpless as everyone thought he was. There were moments that she was sure he was as devious and manipulative as any Sith. That, combined with his natural honesty, was a bewildering mixture and did nothing to sooth her uneasiness.

She had to figure out a way to reinforce the bond. Fortunately, he seemed receptive to one of the easiest.

She tilted her head to give him access to her neck, reaching back to rub his sides before she started to work his belt off.

"Love me," she murmured to him, kissing his unburned cheek lightly.

He nodded slightly and kissed her exposed throat as one hand slid down to caress her sex, wetting the fur on his fingers with her juices before he slid them up to swirl around her clit with a gentle touch that promised long, slow pleasure.

* * *

* * *

* * *

"Master Fenrik," Healer Cirran greeted the graying Panther with a welcome pleasure in her voice. Despite having gotten the message that his mate was awake, and likely felt it before then, he looked very ragged. Each visit had shown the hunt wore on him a little more. "She is awake, if you would like to see her now."

"Thank you," the Panther nodded, moving into the room. He was on his own right now; everybody else was continuing to hunt for Jay. At least this was good news.

"Hi," Shivasta smiled weakly as he stepped into the room, sitting up and holding her arms open for him, moving with just enough care to keep from dislodging the IV Cirran was still insisting she use. She was about one step short of pulling rank on the Knight, but would deal with it through this meeting at least.

The warmth, physical and emotional, that came from Fenrik as he half-sat on the bed to hug her in relief was beyond welcome.

"* _It is_ so _good to see you awake, love._ *" He murmured across their minds, not quite trusting his voice yet.

"I know," she murmured. "I was worried too." She swallowed, hugging the Panther tightly. "I heard about Jay. Don't know all the details, but I think I know enough of them."

"You already tried to contact him, I'm sure." He couldn't quite keep his voice steady and settled back to set more comfortably on the bed without loosing physical contact with her. "I don't know how it was done, but our mate-bonds have been usurped by two others and the Demon is guarding against anyone from our side contacting him."

"Anyone from contacting him alone," Shivasta said softly. "How long has it been since you've slept, Fenrik?"

"Real sleep? Weeks." He admitted. "Sleep brings nightmares and no rest. It's been more effective to meditate quietly. What little I get from Jay is twisted by the Dark and old nightmares. You've been all but dead. It hasn't been good to sleep lately."

"We'll have to change that after we get going," she murmured. "It's starting to show. Who else is helping hunt?"

"The girls, Doruth and Tes and Master Miya. We've got the Kalrass, Gurath, Independence and Whitecloak between us. They've got Jay and Sharufa. It hasn't been an even match."

"You've got me now," Shi said firmly. "We have to find him, Fenrik, and it'll take both of us to save him when we do."

"I know." He sighed and let his eyes close for a brief moment. "If our bond was in place, I could at least bring him back to the Temple. As it stands, I'd probably have to fight it out. I'm better, but not so much better that I'm at all sure we'd both come out of it alive. You've got the training to get to him when we're close."

"And my bond is still there," she said. "He's not totally lost to us, Fenrik. I almost got to him last night, but the Demon got in the way."

"Do you know how to undo what happened to our bonds?" He looked at her with a quiet kind of desperation. "To have him back, but still theirs ...."

"If I can't do it, one of the mind-healers can," she said certainly. "Whatever happened, my bond at least isn't broken ... the other is just laid in over it. And I think Jay is _seriously_ not happy with the person who 'replaced' me."

"Good," he murmured and leaned forward to rest his forehead against hers. "At least he's still enough of himself to dislike who a Sith would choose for him."

"* _Master Shivasta, should I bring in a second bed for Master Fenrik?_ *" Healer Cirran asked her privately. "* _He does not look good._ *"

"* _He'll sleep once we're in hyperspace,_ *" Shivasta told the Twi'lek. "* _I'll make sure of it._ *"

"Think you're up to an attempt to reach him?" She asked the Panther softly. "Or should we do that after the Kalrass is on the way?"

"Yes." He nodded seriously. "The sooner we can reach him, the sooner this will be over."

"All right," she nodded. "I need you to relax though, okay? We'll both try to reach him; I'll need your help with the Demon mostly. If it could, I think it would have killed me for real last night."

"I don't doubt it." Fenrik nodded grimily. "* _Just tell me what to do, love._ *" He murmured silently 

"Give me your lightsaber first," she warned him, holding her hand out for it as he blinked, taken completely by surprise by the request.

"All right," he unlatched it from his belt and handed it over.

"Sorry," she told him. "I just don't want to take the chance that it might be able to trick you into using it. I don't really want to have to heal either of us this soon," she smiled slightly, trying to make it less serious than it really was before setting his lightsaber aside along with hers and closed her eyes to slip into a meditative state.

Fenrik soon joined her in the light meditative state, their minds meeting up along their bond before reaching out together along her bond with Jay.

As they worked their way towards him, Shivasta worked on using their bonds to reinforce each other, blending the two telepathic bonds together to give each other additional strength.

"* _Get ready for it,_ *" she warned him, sensing the Demon ahead.

"* _How do I fight this thing?_ *" He glanced over at her while they still had time.

"* _Let me start,_ *" she warned him. "* _After that, your best chance will be to answer Dark with Light. Healing, defensive abilities ... don't try to destroy it, just try to hold it off until we can reach Jay._ *"

"* _Understood._ *" Fenrik nodded and set his mind to focus on defense and pure Light abilities. Two things that were not his strengths, but he was good enough at to distract with.

That was the most important part; one of them would have to keep it from actually getting an attack through, one of them would have to reach Jay. With that, the two Jedi moved along, Shi already calling on the Light, wrapping it around the two of them protectively as they entered the Demon's territory.

It was none too soon. The attack came without warning or any holding back from a creature of pure Dark, focused on Shi as the true danger of the pair.

The Healer worked to keep herself centered, avoiding the temptation to lash out in anger at it.

"* _You_ will _let us pass,_ *" she told it firmly, working with Fenrik to fight for every step of the way.

Its response was in another wave of Dark energy from what seemed to be an endless reserve. As much as it hated the pair, it was even more protective of Jay and keeping them away from him.

"* _Fenrik, I'll need your help,_ *" Shivasta told her mate. The Light side was _not_ weaker than the Dark; she knew that they could reach Jay. "* _Help with the shield._ *"

He nodded without a word and shifted his focus to put all the effort he could spare on the shield so she could do whatever she was planning. He believed as she did about the strength of the two sides, but he wasn't nearly so convinced that the Demon didn't have greater access to raw power than they did. At least not where they were, so close to Jay's mind.

Able to turn some of her focus away from the shield, she focused her power on driving a spike of Force energy deep into the Demon's being, creating an opening in its being and letting the Light side of the Force flow through her to keep it open while they moved forward, towards the tangled bonds of Jay's new 'mates.'

She began to get a sense of heat, painfully dry and parched, of two eyes staring mercilessly down onto whatever was sheltering her mate. Two eyes ... two suns.

If nothing else, they would be able to narrow down where he might be hiding. The anger and hatred surrounding them now was almost palpable, like trying to wade through quicksand. Shivasta found herself wanting to lash out at the Demon more and more, hating this creature that was causing her mate such pain, and had for decades.

"* _We need to leave._ *" Fenrik grabbed at her and wrapped his own experience at resisting the Dark Side and it's impulses around them before almost physically pulling her back to her body. 

Shivasta swore at herself mentally as she was yanked out of the Demon's reach, biting her lip as her physical body became active again. She _wanted_ to yell at Fenrik for pulling her out; she was certain she could have reached Jay with a bit more time, probably made the Demon regret giving them as much trouble as it had in the process.

But she knew, deep down, that that was _exactly_ what the Demon wanted her to feel.

"Thank you," she said a little shakily, only then realizing that Cirran was watching the two of them with a concerned expression, and that her fingernails were digging into her palms. "Fell right into it, didn't I?" She asked Fenrik softly.

"You've never faced anything like that," he said gently, brushing his hand along her face. "The Dark is difficult to resist because anger is so natural when you are desperate or hurt."

"I have faced it, but that was decades ago," she murmured. "And a different sort of feeling." She sighed, looking up at Knight Cirran. "Sorry to have worried you. We'll be leaving shortly."

"No." The Knight fell back on her rank as a Healer to give her authority over the higher-ranking Jedi. "You are going to Coruscant if you leave here. You are not yet fit for active duty."

"Knight Cirran," Shivasta said firmly. "I have been in hibernation for the past six weeks. The poison, while the reason for it, didn't have me in a coma. The Sith have a Jedi Knight in their hands, and they are working to turn him to their side. Right now, he thinks that the two people who are his primary reason for _not_ turning are both dead.

"They've had him for six weeks. My vitals are fine except for some muscle fatigue. By the time I get back to Coruscant, even that will have been dealt with. But what won't be better is the fact that another two weeks will have passed before I will have managed to report, take care of red tape, and start helping to find him."

"There are three Masters, including a _Councilor_ , two Knights and a Custos on the hunt already. Give them whatever you have found out, if Master Fenrik does not already know." Knight Cirran countered, though it was a last token resistance. More a matter of professional habit that truly expecting to win. She knew the other Healer was basically correct, even if she didn't like it.

"Cirran," Shivasta said, her voice softening. "It's my mate in question here. I might not be fit for combat duty, but I'm going to be with the Master who trained about half the current Knights in combat," she said, nodding towards Fenrik. "I'll be honest. I'd be grateful to find him in time to still not be fit for combat. But I _am_ a Healer. I can fix what's wrong yet, and it doesn't matter if I'm on Coruscant or a shuttle en route to Dagobah."

The violet skinned Twi'lek inclined her head reluctantly. Even if it required _her_ to continue with the pair to do the healing left, she really couldn't argue that Master Shivasta added far more to the odds of success than any danger to her represented. She would be with a top ranked Jedi in combat, and likely with the Jedi who could have been the Combat Master of the Order if he'd wanted to be, and had trained the one she was with too.

It didn't make it any easier to let a patient go before they were completely healed.

Cirran's mind and lekku stilled as she considered something. "You might do well to have a second trained Healer with you."

"The Kalrass isn't set up to handle three people all that comfortably," Shivasta pointed out. "And it might be a long time before you could return to your normal duties."

Cirran caught the look on Fenrik's face, hidden almost as quickly as he realized it was there, and blushed a deep purple. "Perhaps I should trust you two to take care of each other."

"Thank you," Shivasta smiled. "Besides, it's already a ship that'll have one person on board whose idea of skilled piloting it 'trust the computer and start praying,'" she chuckled, turning her wrist over. "So, could I please have my IV removed now?"

"Yes," she nodded and made short work of removing the thick needle and healing the hole it left in Shivasta's soft blue skin.

"Thank you," Shi repeated, standing up and taking a moment to get used to standing with Fenrik's hand on her back for support. "I'll transmit a report on the way," she added. "Good luck."

"Thank you, Master." She inclined her head in respect.

"I'll make sure she actually rests." Fenrik promised. "And I'm sure she'll make sure I do too."

"Just as soon as we're out of realspace," the Ice Walker said seriously. "Force be with you, Knight Cirran," she said, taking Fenrik's hand for a little support as the two of them left for the Kalrass.

"Force be with you, Masters." The Twi'lek said softly, meaning it more than most times she said the traditional farewell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to Shane Nelson of <http://www.ShaylaThePinkMouse.com> for coming up with such an interesting character and race that he did with Shayla. No, she's not in here, nor any of his other characters, but some ideas are.
> 
> We have fun chatting on occasion. This came up when discussing what Doruth and Tes are up to when Shi and Jay are at the dig. Tes wanted more cubs, Doruth is remembering Nasim and Abayomi and the thought of litters of 4-6 like them that have followed in the years since ....
> 
> K: More accurately, he's saying something about preferring the idea of being sent out to track down Zykell and finish him bare-handed to the idea of trying to raise another litter like Nasim and Abayomi at this age (80, for reference). ^^()  
> R: ~giggle~ There were worse litters. Later ones had 4 or even 6 cubs as bad as that pair.  
> K: ~chuckles~ Doruth does ~have~ ears left, right? :-P  
> R: Of course, unless he refused to have the tears healed ;)  
> K: ~chuckles~ I just have this mental image of assorted Jedi hanging around the water cooler.  
> "Yeah, lost my hand fighting a Sith."  
> "The Emperor took off half my face."  
> "A Hutt got hold of me. You do not ~want~ to know what needed replacing afterwards."  
> "So Doruth, what's the story behind your ears? Nasty run-in with a Dug? Your old Master show up and try torturing you?"  
> "Fifty years of raising kits with my mate."  
> ~dead silence and sympathetic looks all around~


	16. The Price of Survival 3/3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's everyone's worst nightmare come true and it's not about to go easily for anyone concerned; Jedi, Sith, Darksiders, Clawsons or the universe at large. This is also the end of Jay's Story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written with Karl Wolfemann

Janos slid the door open quietly, not sure if anybody would still be awake at the late hour. It had taken him a bit to get things set up, but Vondrich's empire was crumbling by the minute. Before long, everything he had that Janos could get his claws on would be in the hands of somebody else who, while not particularly reputable, was willing to pay to get at the assets of the slaver.

And, for the first time in a couple weeks, Janos could spend the evening with his pet and Jay.

He knocked on the door to his room, then slid it open.

Jay caught his eye first, simply by the fact he was there. The tom wasn't in bed with Vondra, who was sleeping soundly; instead he was kneeling near the middle of the room in a restful meditation that didn't hamper his awareness of his surroundings.

"* _Welcome back,_ *" Jay's mind brushed against his with the warmth of truly meaning it. "* _It is over?_ *"

"* _As far as I'm concerned,_ *" Janos said to him, kneeling next to the older tom. "* _Thank you,_ *" he said sincerely, reaching over to rub his back as Jay leaned towards him.

"* _I take care of what's important to my mates._ *" He smiled and purred softly at the light attention. "* _I've missed you._ *"

"* _And I've missed both of you,_ *" Janos admitted. "* _But I had to do this. And Vondrich is getting a taste of his own medicine now because of it._ *"

"* _Oh?_ *" Jay suddenly became very interested. "* _You didn't kill him?_ *"

"* _Don't tell Vondra,_ *" Janos said seriously. "* _Sold him to the T'surr instead. Cheap. His estate's being gifted to assorted people I won't mind having owe me favors in the future._ *"

"* _How'd you manage that?_ *" Jay looked at him curiously.

"* _I can play by Hutt rules as well as Wolf,_ *" Janos said, looking up to make sure Vondra was still asleep. "* _Wolf rules, I didn't own his stuff while he was alive. Hutt rules ... well, it's only the estate he has in their space, but I had claim as soon as I'd sold him._ *"

Jay cocked his head, trying to work his mind around that. "* _You went out to assassinate him, and you get his property?_ *"

"* _I sold him as my slave, slaves don't have property,_ *" Janos corrected him. "* _Since he was my slave, at least once I sold him to somebody else, his property was mine. Since that wasn't part of the sale, I had the right to do whatever I pleased with it. I've got parts of it coming to me, mostly in funds, but everything he had in Hutt space besides that, his slaves, his property, everything, has been given as presents to assorted Hutts who didn't much like him for whatever reason._ *"

"* _Oh._ *" Jay murmured silently. Though he didn't say anything, the fact that it was _that_ easy to loose your freedom and belongings in Hutt space made him distinctly uncomfortable.

"It's Hutts," Janos pointed out with a slight shrug. "The law around here basically translates into whatever makes them the most money the easiest. So, you've been keeping an eye on her while I was out?"

"Yes," Jay nodded and leaned over to nuzzle him, happy for a better subject. "She was so nervous those first few nights you were gone. She still sleeps better this way."

"I can't blame her," Janos admitted. "And I'm sorry it had to be that way, but I had to make sure he was punished. I'm back now though." He looked up at the bed, and the white-furred shewolf sleeping soundly there. "Funny, how one little brawl can change your whole life, y'know?"

"Yeah," Jay smiled fractionally, ancient memories of his first time on Nar Shaddaa and how he left brought to the surface and just how many lives had been changed by that one little fight Doruth had taken on for him. "Sometimes they even change a lot of lives all at once."

"Yeah," Janos nodded. "Just never thought I'd ever find myself half-wanting to be respectable," he chuckled slightly.

"She does like you, you know." Jay smiled slightly and chuckled. "Professional ass-kicker or not."

"I know," Janos smiled. "I just mean that it's not really fair to be working the mercenary circuit and such when I've got her to take care of too."

"Like you ever have to do that again." He chuckled softly. "Between your last two claims, you've got plenty to retire in luxury."

"Not _that_ much," Janos chuckled, kissing Jay's cheek lightly. "On the plus side, I _can_ stop and relax here for a while before we go and handle your end of the 'I have to do this' routine."

"Mmm, yes." Jay rumbled softly and shifted to press against his mate for a longer, much hotter kiss. "Time to enjoy ourselves."

* * *

* * *

* * *

Janos watched Vondra sleeping next to him a few hours later, an arm wrapped reassuringly around her back as she snuggled against his chest. He was curious, really, about what was going on inside her head. What did she dream about ... did she really care about him, or was he just an obstacle, albeit a reasonably gentle one, between her and being free again? He could hardly blame her if she did view him that way, even if he hoped that she was staring to like him.

He kissed her forehead softly, remembering the brief lessons he'd had with a Caamasi he'd been seeing decades before. It wasn't something he was good at -- after all, he _wasn't_ Caamasi, and the memory transfer usually didn't work this way even if he was -- but it was worth a shot. He reached out through the Force, gently looking into her mind, wondering just what he would see.

Her current dream hit first and clearest, for all its content was a little fuzzy. There was a huge manor in polished white stone and lavish decoration that could teach the Azine a thing or two that felt of _home_ and _hers_. She was carried inside by a male Wolf with indistinct features while she giggled, a little tipsy, and kissed him. He wasn't someone she knew well, but was clearly her new lifemate.

He brought her into a grand bedroom and laid her on the bed.

Excited. Nervous. Scared. Anticipating.

All at once, all rolled into a single moment when her new lifemate leaned down to kiss her the world exploded into flames, blood and pain.

It wasn't hard to recognize the line between the fantasy that had led up to the painfully accurate memories of her capture. He held her close to him, not entirely sure what else he could do other than try and be reassuring, keep the nightmares from being too frightening as they rode them out.

The loss of her family, first to the slaughter and then the survivors to being sold off across the Outer Rim, hurt even more than the violence against her body. The first time in her life without her pack and those holding her did everything to break her.

In there too, was the agony of knowing that even if she escaped, she'd never marry well after they'd touched her.

Janos felt her tears roll onto his fur as the simple truth of her life was laid out after that first night.

She was damaged goods.

Her heritage gave her _some_ chance at a decent marriage, but nothing like the prospects she'd had before.

Times like this he was almost glad he hadn't been born into one of the rich pack-families. It wasn't her fault this had happened, but even if her entire family could be gathered back together she'd be an outcast. Maybe even more of one.

He held her close, pressing his muzzle against her neck reassuringly. He didn't care, and made it as clear to her as he could.

He wasn't sure if she'd know when she woke up, but slowly the nightmare faded away and settled into something of a more normal dream. One that was rooted here at the Azine and smelled strongly of him and felt good even as he worked to puzzle out what her less-than-visually oriented mind was up to.

Whatever they were doing, it was turning her on physically.

He wondered, inside, just how much she actually did enjoy being with him. As he started to put together what she was thinking of, it was becoming clearer that she did.

It also became clear that as short as her education in sex had been, she'd picked up a few things, likely from her roommates.

He was on his back, his arms stretched over his head and holding onto something, probably the bed. His upper body wasn't her focus though. Her attention was on his balls and lightly stroking his still-soft sheath as he moaned deeply.

What came through clearly, even more than her fascination with his balls and cock, was that she was in charge right then. She wanted to pleasure him, to hear him cry her name as he came, because of what _she_ was doing, not because her body was warm and tight and available.

She wanted to learn him well enough to make come when he wasn't doing anything but accepting her attentions.

He rumbled audibly as he watched; it wasn't his favorite position, but he had a feeling he could learn to enjoy it, especially if she wasn't going to insist on bondage. Maybe he could get her to act on this fantasy a bit....

From his other side Jay suddenly stirred and lifted his head for a moment before mumbling something and dropped back down to sleep. Janos nuzzled Vondra softly, rumbling and focusing on her fantasies, working his hands down her back to cup her ass and slip up under her nightgown.

He knew it was more her training than anything else, but it still made things easier on him when she responded by spreading her legs, putting one on top of his hips. He could feel though, deep inside, it wasn't something even her unconscious mind was objecting to all that much. It was far too wrapped up in the pleasure-dream that his touch reinforced.

He slipped a hand up between her legs, then around her top thigh and between them to stroke the lips of her pussy, kissing her lightly and slid her dress up carefully with the other hand.

She moaned softly in her sleep as her dream took an abrupt turn, responding to what she was experiencing. Her mind took what he was doing and advanced it several steps to when he sank deep inside her. It wasn't so much for not liking the foreplay, as simply being very unfamiliar with it.

He played along with the fantasy, gently slipping a finger up into her, licking her muzzle tenderly, affectionately, as he started to finger her clit. He could taste her response, the pleasure and desire as she rubbed against his hand, thrusting lightly as her dream reinforced his touch.

He smiled, feeling a serious rush from getting her off like this, inhaling the scent of her arousal and working a gentle suggestion in to help keep her asleep for now. He'd need it if he was going to get her off without waking up. As it stood, she was responding to his attention willingly and eagerly. It was everything he hoped she'd respond like.

He felt himself getting hard, his arousal thick as she unconsciously ground her thigh against his cock. He tuned it out, focusing on her response; his would come later, once she was awake.

For now, he wanted her sweet whimpers. He wanted to feel her come around his finger as he rubbed her clit in time with his finger rubbing the slightly rougher bit of skin inside her body as she began to tense and her sounds became a bit more needy.

Her fantasy as he worked her towards her orgasm was incredible; intense and showing that for all her inexperience and bad luck, she definitely could still see sex as something to be enjoyed. He rumbled deeply, happily as she moaned in her sleep, her body spasming inside, her slumber enforced by his own stronger will as he fingered her through her pleasure.

When her cries and body calmed down she settled back into a more even sleep. Her dream was still heavy with desire as she held onto him and continued to rub against his cock, hungry for more.

As hungry as he was to oblige her, he instead slipped his finger out of her sex, reaching back slightly to run the tip around the tight pucker of her ass, being gentle and watching her reactions carefully.

It wasn't what he was hoping for, or even what he'd expected. It wasn't memories of her training that came up, but ones of going to the bathroom. This wasn't anything she'd ever associated with sex, much less pleasure.

He was surprised at first, but it wasn't too hard to put things together after a few moments. Any group that kept virginity until marriage, until their late twenties, wouldn't think of anal as sex. He started to work in some of his own memories, mental images of women he'd been with like that who'd enjoyed it, occasionally more than they did regular sex. As he did so, he kept up the teasing, waiting for some sign of a shift before trying to go farther.

He had a feeling this was one battle he wouldn't be winning, for better or for worse, not for a long time.

While her mind turned back to sex, the reaction was either attempts to shift it back to normal sex, or humiliation and degradation even greater than being raped. De-feminizing. Pleasure at it even worse than pain.

She whimpered, desperate for it to stop.

He did stop, kissing her muzzle softly and shifting his hand to simply hold her close to him. He couldn't really grasp her mindset entirely, but he could understand it enough now.

He waited to let her relax, calm down, before shifting his will away from keeping her asleep, letting her dreams return to more normal play. It was reliving when they did, but came with even more surprises as her mind turned to home again.

The faces and places at the elegant party weren't any he knew, but the name linked to it, and _her_ , even he recognized.

Santross.

Probably one of the richest Wolf families in the Republic.

A family-pack shattered not a year before, if he remembered properly. It was news even he had heard, out on the Rim.

No wonder Vondrich had wanted her. He couldn't help but be furious at the way the pompous ass had just wanted her for a trophy, and an in with the wealthier family.

With Vondra at his side, even unwillingly, Vondrich would have had a real shot of taking over what was left of them and their fortunes.

It also reminded him of the other bit of news that had also reached even this far out. There was a hell of a bounty offered on the ship that had done so much harm to the prominent family, and even more offered for the safe return of its surviving members.

Something to consider in the future ... but he had to admit, he was getting attached to her. And he wasn't exactly the sort of person they'd be likely to want sticking around with her ... or living, given the relationship between the two of them.

Even if she wouldn't be his pet anymore, he was fairly certain that she was growing fond of him beyond the fact that he was nice to her. She could refuse to see him again, but he had his doubts she would unless pressured.

At least he very much hoped so, his knowledge of the wealthy aside. It might not make too much of a difference, at least not now, but it'd be nice.

Of course, he still didn't have to take her back. That, ultimately, was the big decision he had to make ... just 'forgetting' who she was until she was in better shape to deal with them might not be the worst thing he could do. It wasn't as if she had _told_ him her last name or outright asked to be taken home. That he might have a little harder time refusing to do.

Until then, though, he didn't have to acknowledge he knew who she was in her former life.

He nuzzled her lightly, kissing her neck a little more insistently as he slid his hand down between her legs again to brush his fingers along the very slick lips of her sex.

"I know you want to wake up, pretty," he rumbled.

"Mmm?" She wasn't quite cognizant of his words, but his touch roused as well as aroused her.

"I'm home," he smiled, kissing her on the lips, licking hers. "And you smell like you could use some company."

"Yours," she mumbled and opened her mouth obediently. The act may have come from training, but the feelings behind it were an honest welcome and association of him and pleasure.

"Mine," he agreed, kissing her deeply, luxuriating in her scent and taste as he worked his hands up to her breasts. Teasing her awake had definite advantages. She was even more affectionate and hungry for his touch than usual.

The month-long near abstinence probably helped too. It certainly made him more eager for her.

After touching her mind, he couldn't be surprised when her hands were between them, stroking his hard cock and playing with his balls even before she was completely awake.

He rolled over to his back, pulling her up on top of him and rumbling lustily.

"You want to be in charge tonight?" He asked her, licking her muzzle in affection as she looked at him, a bit too startled to do anything for a moment.

She bit her lip, excitement over the prospect tempered with the knowledge that she wasn't very knowledgeable in what to do with such an offer.

"Yes, Master." She murmured and leaned down to kiss him while she rubbed her slick sex along his already-hard shaft.

"Have to start somewhere," he rumbled, licking her muzzle and groaning at the feel of her body against his, fighting the urge to take control as she continued to rub her sex against his. She lowered her head and began to kiss and lick her way down his chest, exploring what made him feel good.

He started to breathe deeply, his cock hard against her belly as he reached up to grip the headboard, needing to do _something_ with his hands while she explored his body.

She nuzzled one nipple, and then licked it in much the same way he had paid attention to her breasts.

"That's good," he rumbled, giving her feedback but forcibly reminding himself not to tell her what to do. It was in that moment that he realized from her mind that she was paying more attention to his reactions than his words. Her training ... she didn't trust words anymore. His moans and movements, those she did a bit more.

Then she was kissing her way down his abs to what she was really interested in, shifting to make sure her body never lost contact with his cock as she moved down.

He knew his cock was giving her all the feedback she could want; it was throbbing, practically drooling pre-cum into their fur as his scent became saturated with arousal. He reached over with one hand, rubbing Jay's back lightly for the sake of doing something. He'd never been much of a passive lover; he just knew that she needed him to be for now. She was definitely enjoying it too.

The tom murmured and shifted into the contact, enjoying it even in his sleep. He was probably having some hot dreams if the smells and sounds around him influenced him at all.

Janos groaned deeply when her tongue finally got to his cock. She lifted up slightly to press her breasts around its base and went to work on the hot spots she remembered from previous blowjobs. Janos actually whimpered, spreading his legs so she could get at him more easily, his balls hot against her breasts as she tasted his shaft. His legs twitched lightly, his sex throbbing while she worked him. It would take all his self-control to keep from coming before he was in her mouth or sex. 

As she took him into her mouth and continued to work him with her tongue, she shifted down to press her breasts around the base of his growing knot.

"Oh _fuck_ ," he moaned, rolling his eyes as he pressed his crotch up against her, almost too close.

He caught the pleasure from her mind at his outburst, that she enjoyed earning that immensely, but it was her tongue and warm, wet mouth attending his cock and the soft pressure around his knot that broke his control after a moment and he howled, pumping his seed into her mouth where she tried to swallow it.

He closed his eyes in ecstasy, his body burning as his balls pulled up close to his body, flooding her mouth with his cum, one hand coming down to stroke the back of her head appreciatively as she continued to work him threw it.

When he'd calmed down, her breasts loosened from his knot as she let his cock slide from her mouth.

"Such a good girl," he rumbled, looking down at her with a lusty smile as his knot kept throbbing in time with his heartbeat. "Want to try another round?"

Her surprised look was undeniable, then she grinned a bit and shifted back down to enclose his knot in her breasts and rubbed it as he groaned and closed his eyes, his tongue lolling out the side of his mouth as his cock disappeared into her mouth again.

"Oh, yeah." He groaned deeply as she worked him. Gods, she was a fast learner when she put her mind to it.

He struggled not to thrust up into her mouth, though the desire to was intense. His claws very nearly dug into the headboard, stopped only by the fact that the material was too strong to give into him. Instead he whimpered, his head lashing side to side with a deep rumble as she teased every hot spot on his cock.

"* _Fuck_ you are good at this, woman," he groaned, his shaft thick and hot again already.

He felt her beam at the praise and work him even harder with her mouth and her breasts.

"Mmmm...." He groaned, then reached out to Jay, knowing he couldn't be asleep anymore.

"* _Care to join us?_ *" He asked.

"Mmmm," the tom purred and shifted and run his hands across Janos' broad chest. "* _What did my Wolfie have in mind?_ *"

Janos turned to kiss him, pressing his tongue into his muzzle with a groan and giving him images of what he was thinking of.

"Ooooo," Jay moaned with a light shiver for the images his mate had shown him. "Vondra, he's shifting to his side."

The shewolf nodded and rolled with the motion so she never lost contact with the flesh she was adoring even as Janos felt his ass penetrated by a slick finger.

The Wolf groaned, squeezing down lightly around Jay's finger and reaching down to fondle Vondra's ears, pre dribbling lightly from his shaft as he was surrounded by pleasure.

Jay made quick work of stretching him, though he made sure it was good enough, and shifted run his hands across Janos' chest, holding the Wolf in an embrace as he pressed into his ass easily.

Janos moaned, reaching back behind himself to rub Jay's thighs and ass, nuzzling his muzzle as he bore down around the barbed length inside him.

"Fuck this is good," he panted.

"You do have a thing for being taken on both sides at once." Jay chuckled and nuzzled his neck affectionately as he thrust into the warm tightness of the Wolf's body, searching for the small nub of a gland that would make him howl.

When he found it, Janos howled loudly, pumping his seed into Vondra's waiting, hungry mouth as his grip tightened around her velvet-furred ears.

She swallowed his seed fairly easily, though it still wasn't a flavor or texture she was all that fond off. Still, she continued and licked him clean, her breasts wrapped around the base of his swollen knot, until he was panting and whimpered slightly at the continued stimulation.

Then she let go and slid up his body to kiss him hotly while she shifted a bit to guide the tip of his cock into her very wet sex and worked him deep into her body with a moan of her own.

Janos returned the kiss with every ounce of passion he could manage, plundering her mouth and savoring his taste inside of her as he thrust up instinctively, groaning at the feel of stiff barbs raking his bowels as he did so.

His arousal spiked again when caught her mental image of her on her back with Janos on top of her and Jay still fucking him

He was _definitely_ not inclined to turn that one down.

"* _Turning more,_ *" he warned Jay, before doing so, taking the tom on top of him and getting into position to really take his pet.

Though that descriptor was getting harder and harder to use about her. Especially as he got to know her and knew so intimately that she was starting to care for him.

He groaned as she cried out and spread her legs wide as she brought her knees up, sending each thrust even deeper into her wet, willing body and pushing her right to the edge of orgasm. A little focus, and he was thrusting in rhythm with Jay, both of them driving his cock into her body, his shaft rubbing her g-spot as his tip teased her cervix and his thick fur rubbing her clit.

She whimpered softly and wrapped her arms around him before her body took over with a piercing howl as it came, claming down hard around the thick, pulsing flesh inside her.

He howled with her, the sound harmonizing and echoing around the room as he pumped his seed deep into her tight, hot, wet sex. Jay came a moment later, filling Janos' ass with his seed as the threesome fed off each other's pleasure to heighten their own.

It felt like an eternity before they came down enough to do more than enjoy their shared orgasms, and when they did Janos was nuzzling and licking Vondra's neck tenderly as she rubbed his back and squeezed his cock even as Jay slowly pulled out of Janos' ass.

"* _Vondra wants to play with just you a bit more._ *" Jay chuckled and slipped from the bed. "* _I'm going to go play with my pet._ *"

"* _Enjoy, whichever one you choose,_ *" Janos told him, rolling over onto his back before he started to pull back out of Vondra's mind.

He wasn't the least bit disappointed by her rumble of excitement as she followed his roll easily and she settled across his hips, her own relaxed as her legs spread and she began to move up and down, showing off her youthful body as her fingers ran threw the thick fur of his chest.

He ran his arms up her back to hold her shoulders lightly, thrusting up a bit to meet her as she came back down, but the position made it impossible for him to really take control and she was seriously getting off on the fact as she rode him hard. Each motion bringing not only the pleasure of friction to his oversensitive cock, but came with a matching squeeze as she tightened her muscles as she pulled up and relaxed as she moved down, his swollen knot just outside of her body, teased as she pressed down a bit deeper with each attempt.

He pulled her head down, kissing her hungrily, parting his muzzle in invitation and found her eager and hungry for it.

She whimpered into his mouth as the shift in position pressed her clit against his hard flesh and deep into the fur of his groin even as his cock rubbed against all the right places inside her. She closed her fingers around the fur of his chest as her legs shifted to lay along his, her thighs closing around his knot to squeeze and rub it as they moved and she shuddered, very close to the edge again.

He pressed up, making a somewhat awkward shift to grind his pelvis up against her clit, thinking only of her pleasure as he suckled her tongue.

She moaned into his mouth, then cried out as her grip tightened on his fur and her body clutched around his, the muscles fluttering in a pattern that hit him hard.

He moaned back, his balls pulling up one last time, emptying themselves into her sex, his fur soaked with the sweat of two lovers and himself. He could feel her eagerness to continue, and just as surely that she stilled and nuzzled him because she felt his exhaustion.

"Sorry," he murmured, kissing her. "Mmm ... you are _so_ hot, Vondra."

"Thank you," she blushed deeply as she murmured, her face buried against his fur as she nuzzled and licked his neck.

He ran his fingers through her fur, pulling her close to him and nibbling her neck back.

"Wouldn't it be weird if we managed to start our own pack some day?" He murmured, half-chuckling as he tried to feel out how she felt about the idea of being with him when she didn't have to be.

"It would be," she murmured, the idea shocking her past much more than that.

The shock wasn't from what he expected though, from being with him that long, but the idea that she might have that much of a future left to her now.

"I don't care what they did to you," he told her softly, rubbing her back as her blush deepened. "You're not broken, Vondra. You're not worthless."

"I'm not?" She looked at him, the hope in her bright blue eyes painful to see.

"You're not," he said firmly, looking into her eyes even as she instinctively flicked them away every few seconds to avoid any possibility of a challenge. "They didn't break you all the way, I can see that. Anybody else should see the same thing, and the rest shouldn't matter."

He could tell, just from her expression, that she accepted his statement, even as it was difficult for her to grasp. Less than two months wasn't nearly enough to undo her upbringing, or the effects of her treatment at the hands of the T'surr. He was making major inroads into both, but there was a long road head before she didn't think of herself as 'damaged goods'.

He sighed and hugged her close, kissing her neck as she relaxed into his embrace.

"It doesn't matter to me," he said softly, hoping that would be enough for now.

"Yes, Master." She murmured, something in the words more than the obligatory statement. In her tone and mind was a gratitude that she didn't know how else to express.

"Rest well," he murmured, holding her close and rubbing her back. "Maybe when we're both awake again you can pick up where you left off."

"I'd like that." She murmured and closed her eyes, content to rest for a while with his cock still hard inside her.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Jay looked up as the group was eating lunch, Tami's and the midwife's absence notable but something he expected given she'd entered labor late in the night.

"How did it go?" He asked the tired-looking but pleased midwife as she entered the dinning room.

"Very well," the middle-aged black-and-white said easily. "Two kits, one boy and one girl, both taking closely after the mother, both very healthy and nursing fine. I hope it's that simple with your mate."

"How long until it is safe to travel with them?" Jay focused on her as how soon they could move on. He really wanted to be settled in on the Kraken before Mina went into labor.

"It should be safe in just a few days," the midwife explained. "I would suggest waiting longer though," she added, knowing he wouldn't accept it, but also knowing it would be better for kits and mother alike.

"Very well," Jay nodded. "I want to be settled into our permanent home before Mina gives birth. We'll leave in four days."

"That is cutting things close, but we'll be able to get them their inoculations by then," the midwife granted. "What will they be expected to do in the course of moving?"

"Tami should be able to walk to the cab to go to Sharufa and then through the spaceport to the ship." He said simply. "It'll be a week before we reach Kraken, where she'll need to walk to her new quarters. Her duties won't really begin until after my kits are born." He nodded towards Mina. "Until then, she only needs to keep her own under control."

It was clear that if she hadn't known the situation was under control, she would have argued with him. Of course, she also knew that if the situation _hadn't_ been under control, he would have waited and made whatever changes needed to be made. He may have been overeager to leave, but he was also more concerned about the welfare of those with him than his schedule.

"And Mina?" She asked, looking over at the tabby.

"I won't be involved in anything too hard for me to deal with," she said easily.

"There is nothing to move that a single droid can't handle." Jay nodded in agreement with his mate. "Sharufa and Kraken are both fully equipped and little of what is here we will be taking with us."

"Very well," the black and white shecat nodded. "I'll go make arrangements then."

Jay nodded with a soft purr as she left. It was good to have a _plan_ in motion again. It would be good to get back into space against too and have something that was _his_.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Kanna took a deep breath, settling into a meditative position in the holo-net chamber she was using on the fleet vessel White Saber. It was time to check in with Masters Charn and Zaian again, compare what they'd seen regarding their shared vision. Her Padawan was there, but Cormoran was only observing, the Night Raptor's obsidian feathers clicking lightly as he moved.

It only took a few moments before the two elder Panthers appeared, sitting next to each other in the holo-net chamber as they were in real life far away.

"Masters Charn, Zaian," Kanna said respectfully, bowing her head. "I believe I have some insight into our visions."

"That is good." Master Charn nodded fractionally. "What have you learned?"

"The situation with Knight Clawson is not the greater storm we have been sensing," she explained. "It is a serious threat however ... it is more like a squall coming before the perfect storm hits."

"How have you discerned this?" Charn asked evenly.

"I can sense that there is more ahead, Master Charn," Kanna said softly. "Far ahead. If you try to reach out, look past the disturbance now, you can feel it. It's not clear ... but the ripples are there."

The older Panthers closed their eyes and settled in to study the weave of the Force past Clawson's lifetime, then well past it.

"I see." Master Zaian murmured, disturbed by what she saw there. "It does not seem strongly related, for all that I sense there is a link there."

"It is not, Master," Kanna agreed. "It is connected by nature of event only, I believe. Two disturbances in the force, two events that risk the Dark Side eclipsing the Light. We sensed that one would leave the Republic in shambles; I feel that this is not the one, for all that we must still find Knight Clawson as quickly as possible."

"To not do so would be to ignore his capabilities to bring the Republic to shambles," Charn nodded. "Whether he is this greater storm or not, his abilities with technology can not be ignored, and can not be allowed to fall to the Dark Side."

"Agreed," Kanna nodded. "He is capable of causing tragedy the likes of which we haven't seen since the Jedi Civil War. However, I believe that he will be stopped before he reaches that point. As I said, this has the feel of a squall. It may be horrifying, and it may claim many lives... but I believe it will pass quickly."

"That is good news." Master Charn said quietly. "There is some evidence that his kin have finally arrived. If they join him against the Republic ...." He simply shook his head.

"With all due respect, Masters, I seriously doubt that will happen," Kanna said. "If they are at all like Knight Clawson described them, they will be upset that this has happened, but then likely seek to kill him to prevent his turning."

"If they know the truth," he cautioned her. "We are doing what we can to ensure that they come to us first, before seeking him. They do not know us from the Sith at this point. He could tell them anything and they would not know what was true and what was twisted."

"If they _do_ find him, I hope that the influence would help pull him back from the Dark Side," Kanna said. "From what I understand, the family is not strong in the Force as we typically see it, but their morals, while extremely pragmatic, would not be in line with a Dark Sider's behavior."

"No, they are not." He nodded seriously. "It is a question I do not want to see answered, however. Have you discerned anything else of the nature of the storm, or this squall?"

"Not yet," she admitted. "We must find him, quickly. The point of no return is drawing near."

"That we have all seen." Master Zaian agreed. "He must not find and an outlet for his rage."

"No, he must not," Kanna nodded. "At the least, the outlet must not be a full one. I sense disturbances near some of the ships in the fleet; Cormoran and I will be checking to see if they are connected to this."

"Very well." Master Charn accepted. "Force be with you, Jedi."

* * *

* * *

* * *

Janos watched as Jay meditated, just like he'd been doing for hours. The Sharufa was waiting near the Kraken, heavily cloaked, waiting for the ship to dock with the nearest station and drop its shields so they could get on-board. Or so he thought.

"Any idea what he's doing?" The Wolf asked the gravid shecat next to him quietly.

"Whatever he does with computers." She shrugged. "Getting us on board that ship without getting blown out of space."

"I know, but I just don't know how he plans on doing that meditating ... I mean, it's not like there's any sign of action from that ship."

"There is a great deal of activity." Jay spoke quietly without opening his eyes. "The crew is disembarking even now. It takes time to do that."

"How the heck did you get the entire crew to disembark?" Janos asked him.

"The same way I got them to dock Kraken _here_." He smiled slightly. "They think the ship is in for upgrades and a regular checking over. It will leave only a skeleton crew on board."

"And how are we going to deal with them?" Janos asked. "Skeleton crews for ships like that are still somewhat larger than the two of us want to handle."

"Kraken will deal with them as soon as we're on board." Jay's smile turned deadly. "Those who don't abandon ship will have the security systems turned on them."

"Here's hoping this ship isn't part of the search fleet they were talking about planetside," Janos murmured. "Don't think I want to deal with Jedi on there who might be able to handle the security."

"There are no Jedi on board." Jay told him simply. "I already asked."

"Well, there's something," the Wolf nodded, leaning back to let Jay work even as he realized they were moving again, albeit very slowly.

Meanwhile, in the observation bay, the assorted pets were looking at the Kraken, Tami's kittens nursing and being petted by Vondra and Tamil alike.

"Hard to believe that _that_ ship could really belong to _any_ one person," the Raccoon murmured. "Bigger than the slave ship that took me."

"It doesn't." Vondra said softly. "It's a Coruscani Battle Cruiser, Kraken by the markings. Our masters are stealing it."

"Not like any Republic ship _I've_ ever seen before," Misha pointed out.

"How do they expect to steal a ship that big?" Tamil asked incredulously. "You could fit an entire _city_ on that thing and it'd have room to rattle!"

"It's got Coruscani markings on it." Vondra shrugged. "As for how ... I just hope it's not by killing everyone inside."

"You really think they'd do that?" The Raccoon asked her, looking over.

"It's what Darksiders do." She murmured softly. "And our masters are not Jedi."

"How'd you get there?" Tami looked at her in bewilderment.

"Jay and Janos, at least, are both Force-users. I've seen both their lightsabers. Jay's is black and Janos' blood red." Vondra sighed. "Only two kinds of people have lightsabers, and Jedi never have those two colors. Only Sith do."

"There are also the Jedi who aren't Jedi anymore," Misha pointed out. "Do you really think Master Janos is a Sith, all things considered?"

"Not a normal one ... but Mina fits the bill. Jay, I'm not so sure about." Vondra admitted. "But black and red lightsabers? Who but a Sith would want such a color?"

"Someone who doesn't want to be thought of as a Jedi." Tami said easily. "Out on the Rim, they aren't safe, you know."

"Mistress Mina definitely fits the bill," Y'alla agreed softly, nodding a bit. "As for the rest... maybe they just couldn't find the parts for anything else? If the Jedi make them most of the time, then it might be hard to get anything other than that."

"Maybe," Vondra admitted and looked out the wide viewing window. "Why they'd need _this_ though ...."

"Mina," Tamil said simply. The others looked at him quizzically, wondering how the heck he'd come to that conclusion. "Well, you all know Master Jay better than I do. As wound up as he is about the kits, as protective as he is, putting a ship that could wipe out a couple continents between them and anybody who might want to hurt them makes sense."

"Now _that_ is overkill." Vondra shook her head slightly as they came into dock with the huge ship. "Makes sense though, as much as anything does."

"I don't think that overkill is a concept Master Jay is entirely familiar with," Y'alla mused.

"Or several other concepts." Misha snickered. "First male that could ever wear _me_ out."

"Slut," Tamil teased, the epithet clearly well-intentioned as the serious mood broke and most of the pets started to tease back and forth while they waited to be called.

* * *

Red lights flashed and alarms blared faintly in the distance.

"Intruder alert," the ship's voice said calmly. "All internal security is now active."

Bodies of Republic officers lay strewn about the corridors. The main part of the crew was on the station, probably well on their way to the planet, and the skeleton crew was now very nearly a literal term.

The doors to the docking bay opened, and Jay stepped out into the scene of death and chaos. The turrets mounted in the ship swiveled to target him ... but did nothing more, retracting into the ceiling as the alarms stopped without him doing a thing. The lights still flashed, casting a grisly red glow over everything, but most of the systems seemed to be going off-line.

"Greetings, Kraken." The tom called out to the mind he hadn't touched in over forty years.

"Greetings, Master," the ship responded after a few moments. "It's good to see that you still remember me, after so long. Good to see that _I_ still remember me," it added with a chuckle.

"I knew they couldn't strip your personality." Jay said simply, then glanced around at the carnage before stepping through it into the great ship with a rumbling purr. "Have the droids start cleaning this mess up. We can jettison the bodies when we're well out of range of the station."

"With pleasure, Master," Kraken told him, assorted droids returning to active duty from their current positions, some stained with blood from having to deal with crewmembers more... personally... than the turrets did.

"* _Come, it is safe now._ *" He called back to his mates.

Janos, Mina, and the assorted pets slowly stepped off the Sharufa, looking around at the massive vessel. The Wolf took the lead, with the gravid shecat in the middle of the slaves.

"Well, I see you've acquired some new friends," Kraken said approvingly. "Your litters?"

"Yes," he nodded, claiming the newborns as he intended to as soon as he'd felt them. He'd train them as his own, blood-kin or not. The two young sensitives wouldn't have the full family gift, but they would have enough other potential. He smiled fractionally as a speeder of sorts arrived to take them to the quarters normally reserved for top-ranking dignitaries. "Everyone on board. It's time to settle in."

"When you have the time, Master, I would appreciate the opportunity to speak you, privately," Kraken told him politely as everybody climbed aboard.

"When I'm setting course, while they settle in." He nodded easily and relaxed back as the speeder whisked them to their new quarters.

* * *

It didn't take long for the speeder to drop them off, leaving Mina, Janos, and all the pets settling in as droids were assigned to move luggage from the Sharufa to their new quarters. The ship was like a tomb; it was meant to carry thousands of people, rather than eight. Droids would need to be reprogrammed to fill the minimum crew requirements, but that wouldn't take too long.

It was already in progress, as Jay found out when he checked on what the Kraken was up to. Apparently the ship had been preparing for something like this for some time.

"I see you have kept yourself busy while the Republic had you." Jay all but smirked as he settled into the captain's chair on the bridge and reached out with his mind to connect with the Dark-tainted computers to begin preparing for a takeoff the moment they were ready.

"I had little else to do, Master," the ship pointed out. "Though I'm curious. Why did you have most of the crew disembark first? It would have been much easier to simply have my security systems turn against them in realspace."

"Because that's a bigger mess than I wanted to deal with." Jay shrugged. "They do leave a mess when they die, even by laser."

"It wouldn't have been the first time," Kraken pointed out. Jay could almost hear the shrug in the ship's voice. "However, it is your decision. Do you intend to operate the ship with only the eight of you? Or are you planning on acquiring additional passengers?"

"Additional crew would be undesirable." Jay answered simply. "Though I expect them from time to time as hunting brings in slave cargo."

"Very well. I will assign a contingent of maintenance droids to building additional mechanized crew at the first opportunity," Kraken said easily. "Though you may wish to consider acquiring some crew that isn't meant to be sold off. There is potential for this vessel beyond going into the slaver business, after all."

"Oh, I am sure," Jay chuckled darkly. "But the first groups that I intend to feel your sting are slavers. The T'surr die, but there is little need to not take advantage of their stock. My kits need to be older before other ships are gathered and the real conquest begins."

"So you do intend to build a proper territory," Kraken said approvingly. "Might I suggest starting on the Rim? Worlds such as Korriban, perhaps? There are resources there that will prove invaluable to training your children."

"It is also a territory with little by way of an organized fleet to challenge us." Jay grinned at his ship. "Is there anything on Korriban that actually qualifies as a threat?"

"Some native creatures, but that is all," Kraken said easily. "Barring things that have been set up there without my knowledge, of course. My intelligence is rather dated before it was limited to Republic files."

Jay nodded simply, his attention on making sure the station computers didn't let anyone on board while Kraken prepared for departure and the beginning of a well-deserved hunt.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Essani ran for the Council chamber from her quarters. The Kraken had just disappeared, most of the crew left stranded on a maintenance station by false orders. Mutiny had seemed possible ... up until the bodies were found. That left one chilling option.

Jay had turned, completely.

He was the only one who could have pulled this off.

The only real questions now were where he was going to start and how long it would take him to get to Coruscant.

Most of the Council had already arrived before she had, the rest arriving shortly afterwards.

"* _Are there any signs of where the Kraken may have been heading when it left the Argos system?_ *" She asked, taking her seat, not sure if somebody else had information she didn't.

"From the location of the bodies, back out into the Outer Rim." Master Ty'thri'ku'mo Mython said evenly. "It is our only indication at this point, however."

"* _Do we have any indication why he decided to come out of hiding now?_ *" Essani asked them.

"His kittens." Jamni spoke quietly, her eyes down slightly. "What better to protect them than a warship with his abilities?"

"It seems to be somewhat more than would be necessary," Zraii clicked. "Though I'll admit, Knight Clawson has a skewed concept of overkill."

"* _And the timing is accurate,_ *" Essani agreed. "* _This is actually good news for us._ *"

"How so?" Noloth regarded her with a raised eye ridge.

"* _His intents are defensive, even if his methods are negative. He is unlikely to attack anybody without provocation, out of fear of inspiring a similar response that would endanger his kits._ *"

"He is, however, now capable of leveling entire plants if provoked." Miya said.

"He is also going to be significantly easier to track." Zraii added. "Kraken does not have nearly the ability to hide, or the cloaking shields of Sharufa."

"* _And while he has more space to install additional cloaks or screens, the Kraken is a much more difficult ship to shield._ *" Essani nodded. "* _His capabilities have increased, but so have ours. The Kraken can't exactly stop at a random spaceport and not be noticed, even outside Republic space._ *"

"Very true," Mython nodded his slender, triangular head. "He will have to do something to crew it as well if he intends to do much beyond limited travel. It is far too large a ship to crew himself."

"He will likely use droids for the vast majority of the work," Zraii pointed out. "They are quite capable, especially given the Kraken's capabilities."

"* _Have the hunters been alerted of this development?_ *" Essani looked at the Verpine.

"The alert went out to them as quickly as it did to us," the insectoid nodded, mandibles clicking. "They're redeploying to points as suggested by search vessels that were already in the system even now."

"* _Good,_ *" Essani settled her fur out a bit. "* _Can anyone think of anything to add?_ *"

"The Kraken's manufacturing capabilities are impressive," Noloth said. "Given Knight Clawson's gift, there is no telling what it might be equipped with when it is found. It's more important now than ever that the fleet be summoned when it is found."

"The message has been sent to reinforce that part of their orders." Zraii told him.

"Then I believe that is all, unless somebody else has more to add," the Lizard said simply, looking around at his fellow Councilors and received a general negative response. They were all uneasy to have their rogue knight so well armed, but it was out of their hands.

* * *

* * *

* * *

"What is wrong, Master?" Misha looked up from her work on Jay's cock when she realized he wasn't responding anymore.

"Mina's labor has started." He murmured, his attention almost fully on the birthing room. He knew he wasn't welcome in there, but he'd be damned if he didn't _watch_.

Janos reached down, pulling Vondra up from the attention she was giving him to hug her as she sat in his lap.

"Everything okay?" He asked, knowing full well what Jay was up to.

"So far," the tom nodded and stood to settle in a more relaxed meditative pose on the floor of the master bedroom. "It'll be hours before it's over."

"Of course," the Wolf nodded. "Any idea what you're going to do after?"

"I'm inclined to kill her." He said simply, though he wasn't set on that course yet.

"Don't blame you," Janos chuckled grimly, though Vondra was clearly surprised by both of them. "Though it might be hard on Tami to nurse both litters."

"Once they've nursed for a few days, they can be transitioned to a bottle if need be." Jay countered, though the statement had made a definite impression and would likely buy Mina several months.

A factor that Janos wished he'd thought of _before_ mentioning it.

"Something like that, or find another wet-nurse," he agreed. "This place is going to be pure chaos once things really get going," he chuckled.

"Oh, very much." Jay smiled fondly and chuckled. "Six kits strong in the Force, five with my family Gift for machines. It'll be a constant event when they learn how to crawl."

"I don't suppose we can use those little kit-proof gates to try and keep 'em under wraps?" The Wolf deadpanned. It lasted only as long as it took for Vondra to start giggling.

"Just hope none of them figure out flight as young as I did." Jay winked at his mate.

"I have the distinct feeling we're going to need to get Tamil's medical training finished," Janos muttered good-naturedly, nuzzling Vondra's neck lightly.

"It would be a full-time job." Jay snickered. "Fortunately, we both know something about healing as well."

"A bit," Janos agreed. "Getting better at it lately, what with everything that's been going on."

"Yes," Jay murmured, a bit annoyed that it was getting harder every day to heal the way he'd been taught. He'd begun to resort to taking his knowledge of how to fix machines and apply it to himself. It was messy, but it did work. It could also grow parts back with enough effort as his ear was beginning to show.

"Still hard to believe we've got this whole ship to ourselves. Kind of like being the last people alive, sometimes," Janos chuckled, changing the topic.

"Anytime you're feeling too isolated, we can just take Sharufa down to a planet for a reminder." Jay chuckled, though the offer was serious. "It's smaller than the ship I was born on, but nice sized to me."

"It's more the fact that we're the only folks on it," Janos explained. "Used to a ship this size having more noise."

"True," Jay consented. "Guess I just don't notice much. The machines aren't that quiet, and they're what I hear the most."

"And they're mostly background noise for the rest of us, unless they start saying something's wrong," Janos chuckled. As if on cue, the alert light started flashing in their room.

"A T'surr vessel has entered the system," Kraken informed them easily.

"Perfect timing," Jay purred and stood, rearranging his dark robes to cover himself. "Something to distract us from Mina for a bit."

"T'surr?" Vondra asked, looking back at Janos and shifting to the bed when he motioned for her to shift over so he could get up.

"Don't worry," he said reassuringly. "They're not going to be the ones doing the attacking this time."

"Yes," Jay purred dangerously and motioned for Misha to join the white Wolf. "It's time they were introduced to why 'the strangest takes all' can be a bad idea, when you piss off the wrong people. We'll be back when the party is over."

"Relax, Vondra." Misha nuzzled her. "They're very good at this."

"A-all right," she nodded, clearly disturbed by the notion even as she snuggled up to the Mink.

"Be back soon, promise," Janos smiled, following Jay out and towards the speeder that would take them to the Sharufa, now their boarding vessel.

"What's the head count by race on that ship?" Jay asked as they sat down.

"Uncertain, Master," Kraken said easily. "The slave quarters are well shielded so that Republic vessels can't pick up more than that there are several hundred life signs on board. However, I can detect roughly two-dozen T'surr."

"Easy pickings," Jay grinned with a deep rumble of approval and signaled the T'surr ship to open a comm line.

It wasn't necessary; the ship was already hailing them within moments.

"This is the vessel Kuranti," somebody said gruffly, the voice deep and gravelly. "Lower your shields and prepare to be boarded."

Jay actually laughed and shook his head. "They are making this _too_ easy." He opened the com-link. "Agreed." He told them and closed the line as the speeder changed direction to take them to where the T'surr vessel was expecting to dock. "Kraken, go ahead and kill any T'surr that actually make it on board."

"With pleasure, Master," the ship chuckled.

"Maybe we _don't_ need to worry about sensor masks," Janos chuckled, shaking his head. "I'll bet the captain just about wet himself when he found out how few folks are here, figured he'd found himself a new ship."

"I do hope they're all so thoughtless about wondering _how_ a crew this small has this ship in the first place." Jay smirked and licked his whiskers back eagerly. "This'll be fun."

"They probably figure we're some sort of scientific vessel," Janos pointed out. "Some of those have a hell of a lot of automated systems. So, how are we getting on-board?"

"In position, docking bay opening," Kraken informed them.

"They want to board us, so they have to drop their shields and open a hatch." Jay grinned, his excitement building as the speeder came to a stop outside the docking bay the T'surr ship was maneuvering into.

"True," Janos nodded. "You have their weapons down, right? Lightsabers aren't really all that hot against ship-scale weapons."

"Yes, the ship's weapons are down." The tom nodded and stepped off the speeder. His dual lightsabers dropped into his hands but didn't light as he and Janos approached the docking ship.

A few of the T'surr started down the bay, armed with large blaster rifles - just in time for the Kraken to open fire, blasting them as soon as their feet touched down on the ship.

"Your friend's a smidge trigger happy," Janos muttered, drawing his own saber.

"That just means we have to _move_." Jay grinned and bolted for the intruder's hatch, his lightsabers flaring to life as he entered the fray.

Janos wasn't far behind him. The T'surr were mostly gathered near the entrance, blaster shots firing wildly as they realized they'd walked into a trap. The 'science vessel' was turning out to be anything but, and the two warriors invading their ship were making mincemeat out of the trained combatants who'd been caught with their proverbial pants down.

It was over in a few moments, neither Jay nor Janos having even broken a sweat yet as they began to search the ship for any T'surr or crew that might not have been in the boarding party.

There were a handful of them, but they were small and weak for their kind, and willing to surrender rather than be killed. It made for a dissatisfying end after the warriors, but slaughtering the last of the T'surr wasn't a question for Jay. They were all to die.

It didn't take long for them to realize it and start to fight back, but the fights were even easier than the surprise assault at the boarding ramp.

Through it all, Jay never really noticed Janos' disturbed expression, or the way he was unsettled by the wholesale slaughter of the T'surr willing to surrender.

Within the space of an hour, everything indicated the ship was theirs, hundreds of slaves packed into the holds like sardines, cheering for their freedom as their keepers were slaughtered.

With the only living things left the slaves, Jay reached out to Kraken to send droids in to escort the slaves into the makeshift secured sections on the ship for him to go over at his leisure. Then he reached out to the Kuranti and had it transmit his thoughts on the PS system.

"Attention. Cooperate with the droids that will escort you to new quarters on board the Kraken. You will be interviewed by a live crewmember as soon as possible. Until then, please do not attempt to leave the restricted zone. Security can be a bit trigger happy."

"They'll probably be grateful enough for what we give them to not _want_ to leave," Janos pointed out, following Jay as they started to make their way off the ship, droids starting to move around, clearing bodies and escorting slaves in small groups.

"True," he nodded acceptance of the likelihood. "Guess I still think it's just polite to warn them it's not good to try to leave their area. There are probably a few in this lot that will make viable crewmembers. T'surr don't seem to bother to check on what skills someone has."

"Not once they decide you're good for something in particular," Janos agreed. "Slaves don't always get put where their skills are, after all, or Tamil wouldn't have been a pleasure slave."

"True, though he's _very_ good at it, and happy to be one." Jay nodded. "Unlike Vondra before you got her."

"He also wasn't gang-raped on a regular basis as his introduction to sex," Janos growled lowly. "Now _those_ T'surr I wouldn't have minded going back to slaughter once I found out about it."

"We may well find them at some point." Jay smiled faintly. "They _are_ still in the business after all, and we know their ship."

"Even if they are working for another Hutt now," Janos agreed. "By the way, speaking of ships, any plans for this one?"

"Figuring on selling it." He shrugged. "Something you want?"

"Just figuring it wouldn't be that hard to pick up a nice, small smuggler or something afterwards," Janos shrugged. "Something that'd give us options besides the Kraken and Sharufa."

Jay nodded easily. "It would be fun shopping for one, instead of building it."

"And a lot easier," the Wolf chuckled. "We can always add to it after that.

"Quite true," he nodded with a throaty purr and ran his hand down Janos' side. "Why don't we get back to those pretty pets of ours?"

"Sounds good to me," the Wolf rumbled. "This was a lot faster than I'd expected."

"Very much," Jay reached up and licked the side of his muzzle playfully. "Much better too."

"Right," Janos chuckled, sincerely hoping that Jay was only referring to the number of slaves they'd taken, and not the number of bodies they were leaving behind.

* * *

"Master?" Misha looked up at Jay when he suddenly froze, his sharp claws digging into her arms as his attention snapped to elsewhere with a snarl between rage and heartbreak.

Janos caught the echo of exactly what had happened; the light bond between father and son that had built up over the last two months suddenly snapped. He couldn't tell which of the newborn, or unborn, kits had died, but five were now four and Jay was reacting in the not-to-unexpected way as he pulled out of the Minervan Mink and bolted for the door, his fur bristled and his focus only on reaching his other kits to protect them from whatever had claimed the life of one.

He didn't even bother with a speeder, just his natural speed to make it to the birthing room in record time. He didn't even notice that the door had been locked and sealed as he flung it open with a snarl and lit lightsaber, seeking whatever had happened to his son. He saw the midwife standing over the four surviving kits, Mina visibly exhausted and pained on the medical bed.

"* _It's her fault,_ *" the Demon whispered to him. "* _The midwife was supposed to keep them alive...._ *"

"* _No,_ *" Mina protested across their bond. "* _Jay, it ... I don't know what happened, but...._ *"

"I am sorry, sir." The midwife spoke softly, her grief at the death reverberating in the Force. "There was nothing to be done for him. I did everything I could, but he was already gone."

It was that truth, the emotions in the Force, that saved her life as close as she was to his surviving children. 

Mina let out a soft mental sigh of relief, shielded behind her own grief ... surprisingly honest, though for a different reason entirely than the midwife's, or even Jay's.

Jay was still trembling, his rage and pain needing an outlet. Then his eyes fell on the surviving kittens, tiny and mewing, and the needs of the present overrode everything else.

The lightsaber was turned off as he stepped up to the midwife tending his newborn kits and he reached out to lightly touch each of them, cementing the parental family bond that was more instinct than knowledge. "Do you need Tami yet?"

"It would be best to leave them with their mother for now," the midwife said. "She can keep them, and they need her milk more than Tami's. If you'll help hold them?"

He nodded; the nervous, unprepared first-time father he was visible to both women as he took extreme care and submitted to the midwife's instructions without question as the survivors were brought to Mina and began suckling eagerly from four of her six breasts.

Mina, for her part, was grateful for the help, her largest breasts being suckled hungrily by the mewling kits who were literally too much of a handful for her to hold all at once. She'd have it figured out in time, but for now, she didn't have the coordination or knowledge to keep all four of them up.

She was fervently grateful that their claws wouldn't grow in for a week yet, and the needle-sharp teeth were a couple months away. She was also grateful that the incredible rage that had boiled up in her mate had been subverted by his kittens. He'd let it loose sometime soon, but not against her or the midwife she really did still need.

Here, she saw a tender, doting, absolutely enchanted side of the tom that didn't fit at all with the quickly-darkening Jedi she knew him to be.

* * *

"Master Janos? What is between Master Jay and Mistress Mina?" Misha asked quietly as the Wolf was panting between his two females. The Mink had been busy proving, along with Vondra, just how well the two of them could tire him out, Force-enhanced endurance and all.

"Besides the fact that she's a sadistic, twisted bitch who'd as soon torture somebody as say hello?" He asked her. "Probably the mess about how the three of us hooked up."

"Yes, Master Janos." She nodded. "You and Master Jay I can understand. How she got involved ... it's kinda hard to trick a tom into siring a litter."

"Our old Master did something to her that put her in heat," Janos explained with a sigh. It felt like it had been years since then. "It's complicated, but the short of it is that she tricked him into sleeping with her, and she was guaranteed to be pregnant afterwards."

"And he's enough of a father to take care of her." She nodded seriously. "She won't live much longer now that she no longer has the kittens to protect her, will she?"

"If she's smart, she'll leave just _before_ the kits don't need her at all," Janos nodded. "They're all he cares about. He might just buy her off, but I wouldn't count on it if I were her. Wouldn't blame him either."

"She brings out the worst in him, I think." Misha murmured as she ran her slender fingers threw Janos' thick gray fur. "He seems so much nicer when he hasn't been around her for a while."

"He was a Jedi before," Janos said softly. "I was an idiot for ever working with Tembris... if it weren't for the things he's done since, I'd be tempted to fill the Jedi in on where he is, turn him over, take out Mina, and cut and run with what I could."

The females exchanged a look at the first revelation and Vondra shivered.

"I thought Jedi didn't believe in punishment." Vondra murmured uneasily.

"Yeah, tell that to any of a half-dozen Jedi who've tried to take me down," he muttered. "They might not believe in punishment, but they don't much believe in bringing in prisoners alive if they don't think it's worth trying to save 'em either."

"But you weren't one of them ... were you?" Vondra looked up at him uncertainly.

"Nah," he said, shaking his head. "Just a punk whose sire found out the hard way that you can only push a guy so far before he pushes back. Hard."

"Master Jay was though." Misha pointed out. "They'd probably try a lot harder to take him alive."

"Yeah, but some of the things he's done ... I don't think he'd _want_ them to take him alive," Janos pointed out, thinking back to Naboo and Nar Shaddaa alike. Even more to Jay's reaction to his former mates on Toydaria. It spoke volumes for how much the tom didn't _want_ to go back to the Jedi.

"He's good enough to make them kill him to, if he wanted to." Vondra murmured. "And the kittens ..."

"I don't think he'd kill them, but he doesn't want the Jedi getting their hands on them," Janos agreed. "He'd rather have Mina take them, I think."

That made both females shudder.

"Better that _we_ take them, Master." Vondra said firmly.

"Believe me, I know," he nodded. "If it gets that far, I'll make _sure_ she doesn't get them," he said firmly. "She's one person who should never have been allowed to breed, but it wasn't my idea ... as soon as she got some power of her own, she let it twist her."

Vondra nodded in understanding, though it was based in a very different kind of power. "It happens to some people. They just can't handle it."

"Too true," the elder Wolf nodded softly, hugging both women against him. "Come on, let's get out of bed and get something to eat. I could use a good meal."

"That sounds very good." Vondra smiled and nuzzled him.

* * *

* * *

* * *

"They had quite an inventory." Janos commented as he and Jay headed for a set of rooms set aside near the slave quarters for interviewing them before deciding what to do with each.

Most would be resold along with the T'surr ship, though Jay had a mind to free those captured from freedom recently and keep those who had the mindset and skills to be useful on the ship. First though, would be determining what they could do and whether they were actual slave material or not.

"So, who're we starting with?" The Wolf asked him, glancing at the datapad. "Ringtail?"

"The pilot?" Jay nodded. "Yes. We do need one after all."

"Hey, I'm not complaining," Janos said seriously. "This ship's _way_ the hell too big for the two of us, and I'd rather have another living pilot than a droid."

"I kind of expected so." He chuckled softly and opened the door to where the Ringtail male was sitting at the small table, waiting for them. He'd clearly seen better days, but was likely much improved from when he'd been on board the T'surr ship. "Rob Starjumper?" Jay looked him over critically, looking in the Force more than with his eyes.

"Yes sir," the Ringtail said, nodding a little nervously. He wasn't at all sure what to expect, though the improved quarters and food that had been available were making him hopeful.

"T'surr records say you're a pilot." Jay said as he sat down across from the slave. "And seem to indicate you were not a slave before they 'found' you."

"I wasn't," he said easily. "The blue-skinned bastards caught me while my ship was recovering from a run through the Kessel system and captured me."

"You were freelance then?" Jay barely had to guess with how easy it was to read his mind.

"Yeah," the Ringtail nodded his striped, vaguely feline head. "Was running the spice legitimately too," he added quickly, not sure if it would be a problem or not.

The definite mental 'this time' in the pilot's mind wasn't missed by either sensitive.

"Do you want to earn your freedom?" Jay got to the point. "Two year contract and you can walk away, no implant, on any planet we stop at."

"* _Hell_ yes!" The Ringtail said, unable to keep his excitement at the prospect under wraps. "Anything's gotta be better than being some Hutt's pet smuggler."

Jay couldn't help but chuckle. "I've been told otherwise, but that was before we had a ship that could out-fight nearly anything in the system." He reached down and slid a small lightslate from the bag he'd brought in and handed it over. "This'll show you where your new quarters are, the bridge, your duties, restrictions and what is expected of you."

"No problem," he nodded, taking the slate. "Uhm... I've never actually been one of the chief pilots on a ship like this before," he warned them. "I'm fully trained for it, but never actually got a post on one this big before I went solo."

"You just have," Jay nodded slightly. "Be ready for a fight. We have a few coming."

"How big a fight?" Rob asked him. "This ship could take anything up to a full-scale battle fleet without breaking a sweat, to look at it."

"Fairly accurate." Jay nodded. "And I expect a serious fight at least once." He stood to leave. "It's the Jedi fleet hunting us after all."

"The _what_?!?" The Ringtail asked, his eyes wide as saucers and the Wolf and Kat stood, walking out and leaving him behind to wonder just what he'd gotten himself into.

* * *

"Last one for a while?" Jay offered Janos a break after 20 interviews of varying levels of intensity and outcomes. They'd recruited a gunner and navigator in addition to their Ringtail pilot, but most didn't have a lot of skills and had been broken to the point that they really weren't suitable for much more than slaves anymore.

"Please," the Wolf almost groaned. "One more, but I really can't take another one like that weepy shecat."

"There are probably going to be a lot more given T'surr methods." Jay sighed and shook his head. "They believe in breaking, not training after all."

"Yeah, but one a day is my limit," Janos muttered. "Nice girl, I feel sorry for her, but she _really_ was getting on every nerve I had left at that point."

"She'll do better on Alderaan." Jay nodded as they stopped in front of the next meeting room and took a deep breath. "I will _so_ be ready for a break after this one."

"Here's hoping it goes well," Janos agreed, rolling his head, the vertebra in his spine 'cracking' lightly. "Well, let's see what we have to work with for her."

"An attitude," Jay actually smirked as he reached into the room with his mind before opening the door to reveal a flat-chested Mouse with rich burgundy, snow white and deep blue fur and a scowl on her face and complete defiance.

"I'm guessing she gave a few T'surr good cause not to go for blowjobs before they gave up," Janos observed quietly enough that he didn't think she'd hear it.

"Imna?" Jay greeted her with an even tone that didn't exactly hide his approval of her reaction.

"That's me. Who are you?" She demanded tersely.

"Jay," he answered easily and sat down across from her. "Janos," he nodded to the Wolf. "We're in charge of this ship."

"I guess you expect me to be grateful or something for getting me away from those things." She lifted a lip in distaste of her captors. Mouse or not, she had sharp teeth and the two large front ones were enough to slice into flesh with a good bite.

"Well, since you're not packed up like a sardine anymore it certainly wouldn't be out of place," Janos said dryly. "Though it's not like we we're in this for gratitude."

"You seem to have survived well for being with them for eight months." Jay nodded in approval and cut off her sharp retort.

"Surviving is what Painted Mice _do_." Imna shrugged and met the larger predator's gaze unflinchingly. "So what are _you_ going to try?"

"Talking to you?" Janos suggested, his eyes roaming her unusually colored fur. He'd heard about them before, but not often, and the rumors about their colors were true. Imna had colors on her he hadn't imagined seeing on a Mouse before, at least not one who hadn't pissed off a fur-dye specialist.

"They had no idea what they were getting into with you." Jay abruptly laughed, shaking his head slightly. "So what are you skills? You don't seem like the pleasure-slave type."

"Wanna try it, furball?" She leaned forward defiantly, her large front teeth on prominent display.

"I _have_ pets who enjoy it." Jay smirked, showing his own fangs in a grin. "You aren't that kind. Now I can just dig into your mind and _find_ what I'm looking for, or you can chill a bit and tell me." He leaned on her in the Force a bit. Not quite a Command, but enough to get her to stop baiting them a bit.

"I did okay in school, but no skills to speak of." She murmured and settled down.

"So how'd the T'surr get their hands on you?" Janos asked. "Just a raid?"

"I was going to Parmainia to visit family. They attacked the ship I was on." She answered with more than a bit of anger showing.

"* _I like this one. She'd make a_ damn _good guard._ *" Jay commented silently.

"* _If she's willing, I'd have to agree,_ *" Janos responded. "* _Attitude aside, you don't grow up in Wild Space without picking up a few tricks._ *"

"How'd you like to earn your freedom and come out of a four-year contract with job skills, a full education and experience that'll get you in with most anyone you want to work for?" Jay cut to the deal. Despite her outward suspicion, he could feel how interested she was.He couldn't help but be surprised that the education on offer was almost as valuable to her as the freedom to her.

"What do I have to do?" She asked warily.

Jay reached down and pulled a lightslate from the bag and handed it over. "Pick something on that list. You'll be trained for the job. You can pick up your education during your down time."

They waited while she looked over the list of jobs on the ship and suddenly perked up, her large, round ears twitching slightly as she looked up and met Jay's gaze.

"Fighter pilot."

"* _She knows how to pick one that'll be training heavy,_ *" Janos observed mentally to his mate. "* _Hell, I'm not even sure either of us would rate a real expert on the ancient Sith fighters on this thing._ *"

"* _She knows how to pick an adrenaline-junky job._ *" Jay chuckled back. "* _And don't worry about the fighters. I can handle that._ *"

"Agreed." He nodded acceptance. "The slate will show you to your new quarters, restricted areas and expectations. I'll be in touch in a few days to work out a training schedule."

"You're about to learn how to fly ships that haven't been seen for a long, long time," Janos chuckled. "Hope you're a fast learner."

"And a couple that haven't been seen yet." Jay added with a snicker and stood. "Settle in and relax. You won't have a lot of time for it when we get started."

"Right." She nodded suspiciously, though both males knew they'd won her over if they kept their part of the bargain.

* * *

"Mmm ... y'know, when you're this tense, you usually can't keep your hands off me," Janos observed, rubbing Jay's shoulders as they snuggled in bed after the interview with Imna. "Can't be that wound up over the slaves, ex and otherwise."

"No," Jay admitted quietly and rolled over to face his mate for a soft kiss. "It's about who's chasing us...and how our bond was formed." He paused, biting his lip slightly. "If I die first, you'll probably end up with a lifebond to Fenrik."

Jay shook his head sharply and shifted to sit up. He reached for Janos' mind and drew a mental image of a thick band between himself and Fenrik.

"This is the natural bond between Fenrik and myself." He spoke softly. He glued a new band on, overlaying the original and linking Janos to him. "This is how we were bonded. Cut any one side, and the remaining two are still bonded. It's not quite a triad bond, but it's close."

"Unless the bond's weak enough that it just snaps instead," Janos pointed out. "And even if that is the case, there's not much we can do about it, is there?"

"We make sure I don't die first." Jay murmured, his eyes downcast, unwilling to spell out that it meant hunting their hunters and killing Fenrik before Jay could be captured.

"Hey, Jay," Janos said, tipping his head up so he could look into those eyes. "You realize that it doesn't have to reach a point where _any_ of us die in particular?"

He watched as Jay struggled to believe that, something he wanted very much, and come up short.

"How?" He whispered.

"Well, if they don't _catch_ us is one," Janos pointed out, nuzzling him lightly. "Besides, I think your mate would be willing to take you back without killing you, if worst came to worst."

"He would," Jay shuddered, the raw terror bubbling up from the back of his mind quickly overwhelming the well-trained tom. "To face Revan's fate. No." He shook his head sharply with a half-outraged, half-terrified snarl. "I will _not_ have my mind wiped and replaced with something that suits them. I am Jay Clawson and no one will take that from me."

"Jay, your situation isn't like mine or Mina's," Janos pointed out. "I don't know who this Revan is, but I have a feeling it's not the same there... if the Jedi brought you back alive, they'd probably at least see if having you around them would fix things the way being around Mina fucked them up. I don't like the Jedi any more than the next guy, but you didn't choose the Dark Side, and if anything I've heard about them from Tembris is true they'd try and bring you back that way. You haven't killed any Jedi, after all."

"I've killed a great deal though." Jay murmured, wanting to believe and simply too afraid of what the Jedi could do to him, and his kits, to accept it. "They'd never leave my kits be. They trained me out of fear of my capabilities untrained, they won't allow four just like me, and even stronger, to run loose."

"And you don't want to give them up to somebody else to raise," Janos nodded understandingly. "Just remember, it doesn't do them any good for you to be dead either."

"I can't, no one else in this galaxy knows the Demon and how to use our family Gift. No one else _can_ train them."

"Weren't you planning on building a drive that'll get us out of this galaxy and back to yours?" Janos pointed out.

Jay actually blinked, surprise written across his face. "Forgot that, actually." He murmured sheepishly. "Need to start to focus on that."

"Might be good," Janos chuckled, licking Jay's cheek. "The Azine kinda sidetracked us all. Jay... if you do go, I'm not sure if I'll be able to come with you, on that trip. I might, but I'm not sure."

"We'll have to find a strong mind-healer, then. One who doesn't ask questions." Jay accepted it with regret. "Leaving the bond intact with that kind of distance can be worse than shredding it intentionally."

"What about your other mates?" Janos asked him. "They are still alive, after all. Sounds like we'll have to find a healer either way."

"If it came to that, I know how to break bonds, even these." He whispered. "I can't do it before I get home. It takes too long to recover."

"All right," Janos nodded slightly. "I just know... they deserve the concern as much as I do. I'll have to raise the question with Vondra."

"They're trying to take me back," Jay protested the idea. "Take my kittens away."

"And the only reason you're not still there with them, the only reason you _have_ kittens you didn't really want, is because Tembris and that thing in your head did something to force two bonds on you that you didn't want," Janos told him.

"I can't allow the Jedi to capture my kits." Jay shook his head. "No matter why they exist, Jedi -- anyone in this galaxy -- will corrupt them. Destroy their chance to be taken back into the family."

"Jay...." Janos sighed, shaking his head. "That's not what I meant. What I meant is that they're not the bad guys here. Nobody is, except Mina and Tembris."

"You ... think I should go back?" Jay trembled slightly.

"No," Janos admitted, caressing the older tom's jawbone and felt him relax and press into the contact a bit. "I just don't want you to think you have to do something you'll hate yourself for. Don't want you to put your real mates through any more hell than you have to, because you don't think they care about you anymore."

He felt how much that idea, that the Jedi were his real mates and they cared about him, confused Jay. It left the tom with his eyes closed and just soaking in the physical contact for a long moment.

"They'll never stop hunting me." Jay murmured painfully.

"You ever think of asking them to? They think you're a prisoner, after all, and that after they bring you back they'll be able to make you go back to the Jedi without any trouble."

"If it wasn't for my kittens, I probably would go back." Jay murmured uneasily. "I have to think of their future now, not just mine." He sighed and reached up to pull Janos closer for a lingering kiss. "I don't know what would happen if I saw them again."

"Don't trust them?"

"Not to talk me into something I'll regret, or just attack first this time." Jay sighed. "I just want to be left alone."

"So tell them. I'll make sure they don't get your kits... and that Mina doesn't."

Jay bit his lip, uneasy with the idea but turning to his mate's judgment in the face of confusion as he always had.

"I'll try." Jay whispered and pressed close, decidedly afraid of what was coming.

"You trust one of them more than the other?" Janos asked, rubbing his back. "Haven't run into a Jedi yet who'd break a real promise."

"Shi," he trembled. The fear in his soul of her, of the Healer, burned brightly to Janos, but so was the fact that as an Ice Walker, she would never break even the intent of her promise if it was her choice at all. "Fen is like me, he'd look to the mission and work his way around a promise somehow. He kisses me ...." Jay's voice drifted off as potent memories from his first meeting with the Panther drifted up. The way that first kiss had been a lightning rod on the bond that Jay's mind and soul had been seeking for years. The fact that Fenrik _was_ the better fighter.

Always back to the potency of the bond, though. The absolute authority Jay had willingly submitted to nearly his entire life.

"So talk to her," Janos told him softly. "Make her promise you to meet you, just to talk, alone. We could find somewhere the rest of the fleet won't find us... I know places to hide that are _damned_ hard to get in and out of."

Jay nodded slowly, submitting to the choice as he usually did Fenrik's. It made sense, but he wouldn't have done it on his own.

"Until then, no more thinking." Jay rumbled and claimed a kiss intended to arouse as he rubbed his body against his mate's.

"No more thinking," Janos agreed with a rumble, rolling over on top of him and returning the kiss deeply.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Shivasta sighed softly as she rubbed her temples, her head aching after yet another fruitless day of _trying_ to get a feel for where Jay was. She'd only stopped when the computer had beeped, telling her a message had arrived.

Probably Fenrik calling her to get something to eat.

She opened the message, standing from where she was meditating, realizing it was more serious than she'd thought. A private message from Master Miya ... maybe she'd had some sort of insight into the situation.

When she saw that it was really from Jay, she wished she was still sitting.

"Contact me on channel 735.7. Be alone and keep it secure." He spoke softly and firmly, something about the determination in his manner a bit off. It took her a long moment to realize he was completely terrified behind that fairly controlled exterior.

She felt a lump in her throat as she went through the unfamiliar steps to set up the holo-net message to him, encrypted and highly secured using a set of protocols that had come attached to his message.

"Jay?" She asked, as the recorder started to scan her and he appeared before her. He looked worn and uneasy, the past few months telling on him nearly as much as on her.

"Yes," he said quietly, trying to hold himself together as he struggled to find the words that had come much easier not too long before. "I want to be left alone."

"What do you mean?" She asked him, her expression confused. "Jay, you don't need to keep running, we can work this out. Please, Jay, we're worried about you."

"Don't be." He shook his head. "I'm fine. I can't go back anymore. I don't want to. Just leave me be, Shi. Send the fleet home."

"Jay... can we at least meet somewhere, talk about this? I ... I need to know that it's really you who wants this. You _can_ come back, Jay, what's happened isn't going to get in the way. We can fix things." 

It had to be the people he was with. He hadn't been the most devout Jedi, but to just abandon them completely?

To abandon his mates ... her?

He swallowed, his fear of her shining brightly in his eyes even in the hologram. She was sure she could actually feel it pulsing along their bond.

"* _Shi?_ *" Fenrik's mind touched hers. "* _Is something happening?_ *"

"* _No,_ *" she lied, hating herself for it even as she did so. Part of her knew that there was a reason Jay had contacted her ... and another part of her knew that the reason was because Fenrik would be able to handle this better than she was. "* _Just multi-tasking, answering that message I got and looking for Jay ... not the easiest thing to keep up._ *"

"Jay," she said softly. "Please... whatever the problem is, we can find a way around it. Don't let it end like this, please."

"* _All right._ *" He backed out reluctantly.

"All right." Jay sighed in defeat, unintentionally mirroring his mate's words as he reached out with his mind and sent a packet of instructions on how to get the Kyrani system. "You'll need a pilot. Chose one that will not speak of this to anyone."

"I take it a droid pilot won't do the trick?" She asked him. "And that you don't want me to have Fenrik come?" She asked more softly.

Her words seemed to panic him for a moment.

"No." He said firmly. "And I want your promise, as an Ice Walker and Jedi, that you will not give anyone a way to follow you or find me and that no one will attack."

"I promise," she said after a moment, sighing. "Jay... we both still love you."

He closed his eyes and shuddered. "I know." He whispered. "This isn't about me or us anymore, Shi. I _can't_ betray my kits. I just can't." He closed the line before the tears fell.

"Sweet Gods," she whispered softly to herself, closing the line and resting her head in her arms.

She'd been desperately hoping they'd find him before they were born.

"* _Shi?_ *" Fenrik was back, the sense of him rushing towards her in response to her distress.

She managed to compose herself by the time the door opened.

"We're losing him, Fenrik," she said softly when he stepped in and slid his arms around her. "I think we've got one more chance, but I have to take it alone."

"Why?" He resisted instantly. "He's my mate too." He managed not to say that Jay was his mate _first_.

"I promised him," she said softly, but firmly, reaching up to stroke the Panther's cheek. "I wish I could have you with me, Fenrik, but he was firm about it. I think he's worried about what'll happen if you're there."

"He knows me." Fenrik sighed and closed his eyes and rested his chin on her shoulder. "I'd find a way to capture him, no matter what."

"You'd have to kill him to do that," she said softly. "You would now, at least. He won't go back peacefully anymore, not without being talked into it."

"Our original plan still could work. I distract him until you can knock him out." He pointed out. "You've got the skills to take him down without hurting him much."

"No," Shi said firmly. "Fenrik, I _promised_ him I would be alone, and that I wouldn't tell anybody else where to find me besides the pilot who'll be there with me. And you can't be that pilot. Besides, if we do that at this point, he'll never forgive either of us."

"If you need a pilot, choose a _good_ one." He murmured and nuzzled her. "He's going to choose a place that's hard as hell to get into."

"I'm thinking of Kanna," she admitted. "She's a good pilot, and I know I can trust her to keep things under wraps." She rubbed his back and closed her eyes tightly. "I don't think I'll be able to bring him back, Fenrik," she admitted softly.

"Then what do we do?" He looked at her, his eyes darkening. "We can't leave him with those people, much less his kits. Those are _our_ kits too, you know. Our children."

"That's the reason I don't think I can bring him back," she pointed out. "You remember how he reacted to the idea of kits... it wasn't _just_ because of the Demon, I don't think. He doesn't trust the Jedi to take him back, and I think he'd rather die than see his kits raised by the Order. I don't know why, for sure, but I know that they're the real barrier now. I think I _can_ get him away from the Dark Siders though."

"How?" Fenrik shifted to look her in the face.

"The kits," she explained. "If he doesn't want the Jedi to raise them, do you _really_ think he'd want the Sith involved in raising them instead?"

"You're going to try to convince him to simply disappear on everyone?" He raised an eyebrow. "Shi, those bonds won't _let_ him just leave." He paused and considered her. "Do you think you could break the false bonds, the ones overlaying ours, if he agreed?"

"I think so," she nodded. "If nothing else, I'm a good enough mind healer that if he was working with me I could help break them for him with a minimum of pain."

"At least break it with that female." He pressed his forehead against hers. "She's the Dark one. The male ... he's not so bad. I _want_ Jay back, but he can't survive without a mate. Not sane, and not for long. He knows it too. Don't ask him to be alone to get help."

"I know," she agreed softly. "It's the woman I want gone too... and I think Jay'll go along with it, once I get him past the idea of breaking a bond. Another good reason for _me_ to be the one to talk to him about it." She turned to kissed him softly, her expressive blue eyes reflecting the turmoil inside her. "I'm sorry, Fenrik. I wish I could do more."

"Just don't let yourself promise to never seek him out again." He murmured. "Back off for now, if we have to, but don't promise forever."

"I _can't_ do that, Fenrik," she nodded. "He'll want me to, I'm sure, but I can't make a promise like that. Even if I did, the Jedi would be the only ones who'd expect me to keep it."

"Good," he let out a breath of relief and kissed her softly. "Kanna's a good pilot. She'll see you through."

"I know she will," Shi nodded slightly, hugging her mate. "I'll try to bring him back, you know that."

"I know." He murmured, holding her close for a long moment before he left her be to settle herself for this trial.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Jay drew a deep breath and fought to control his trembling. He would _not_ show this kind of fear to the Healer. She'd be able to see it too easily anyway.

"* _She's going to trick you._ *" The Demon whispered in the back of his mind.

"* _She'll never stop hunting me until she's seen me in person._ *" Jay sighed and let the fear go, a strange kind of calmness enveloping him as he set himself on his course and landed Sharufa in the open near her small fighter by the lake in the middle of nowhere.

The blue-skinned Healer was near the lake, meditating, but she turned to face the Sharufa as she heard it come down to land. The fighter near her was sealed, but he could feel Kanna on-board. It was a little the worse for wear from navigating the black-hole riddled space near the Kyrani system, but that was what made this place safe.

His mate waited for him to come down, her expression masking her emotions ... but he could feel that she was almost as scared as he was.

In its strange way, it made this easier. If she wasn't feeling in control and confident, he had a chance of getting out of this in one piece.

"* _This is a trap._ *" The Demon warned him.

"* _Of course it's a trap. She's Jedi._ *" Jay snorted before opening the hatch and stepping onto the short blue-green grass.

"Hello, Jay," Shi said, taking a step towards him and swallowing hard. "It's good to see you again...."

"I wish this hadn't been needed." He pulled all his self-control together and the Demon's support not to rush to her and claim the kiss he hadn't tasted in over half a year.

"Our meeting?" She asked him, looking up into his eyes. "Jay, if I was just going to let you go, what sort of mate would I be?"

"Given we don't have a bond anymore, I'm not sure." He said uneasily.

"We _do_ have a bond, Jay," she told him. "I can feel it yet, even with the other one it's been tied to. Try, please... reach out, and look under the Cat's. Our bond _is_ still there."

"It doesn't matter." He shook his head sharply, his voice low. "I can't go back now, not until my kits are grown."

"Is it because you don't have family in the galaxy to help you raise them yet?" She asked, wanting to be sure before she said what Kanna had told her.

"Yes," he murmured, every nerve on edge.

"Jay, you family is on the way here," she said, nothing in her tone or mind suggesting deceit. "The Seers have sensed them, they shouldn't be more than a month, two months away."

"Then they will find me." He countered simply, his tone steely. "And they will take my kits home. If you're speaking the truth, I'll return in a few months at most."

"Assuming nothing happens to you between now and then... and that nothing happens to them," she pointed out. "Jay... I don't know much about the people you're with now, but I can tell some things about the Cat. She shouldn't be allowed in the same _system_ as kits, and you know it."

That made him look away, an expressive acknowledgement of just how intimately he knew that.

"I can't bring myself to kill her, not with the bond there." He whispered.

"You don't have to kill her," Shi said softly. "I can help you break the bond, then you can turn her over to us. Jay ... I don't want to let her hurt you any more than she already has."

He stopped the first retort, then regarded her. It was an answer to his dilemma of that bond. It was also something he could feel the Demon gathering its full power to resist.

It was just enough to bring a smirk to his face as he leveled his gaze on her.

"I want two promises from you first." He spoke with the strength of his will suppressing the creature that had had all but free reign for months.

"What are they?" She asked him, both of them knowing she wouldn't make her promises blindly.

"Leave me be until my family has come." He began. "Stop this hunt; send the fleet to other duties."

"I can't _promise_ that they'll stop on my say-so, Jay," she told him. "You know that Essani and the Council are concerned as well. But I can promise that I'll do my best."

"You are the one with the bond." He pointed out. "You and Fenrik. You can stop yourself, and him. If you two stop the hunt, the rest are easy to avoid."

"I will stop," she promised. "Until your kin have arrived."

Dear Gods, she hoped Charn, Zaian, and Kanna couldn't _all_ be wrong about this.

"And stop Fenrik." He pressed her.

"If I can, I will," she nodded. "But only if you let me get that shecat out of your head and you give her to us."

"One other thing first," he hesitated, then stepped forward and brushed his hand along her cheek. "Promise me you won't use our bond against me. Breaking Mina's will bring yours back to full strength. You know enough to break me in minutes with that."

"I love you too much to do that, Jay," she said softly, returning the gentle touch and winced internally when he flinched away from it and back off. "And you know it. Please... come back to us, as soon as you can? We both miss you."

"I will." He reluctantly gave his word, something that he still considered binding against the howling protests of the Demon.

"All right," she nodded softly. "Are you ready then? I'm not sure if this is going to hurt or not, just that it will get her out of you."

Jay nodded, still uneasy and with the full knowledge that all four bonds were influencing him heavily. He could feel Fenrik's increased presence, the power and will of the Panther an intoxicating rush that demanded more. Still, he managed enough forethought to send a message to Janos, still on board the Kraken, to take Mina into custody and _keep_ her there.

"Trust me," Shi whispered, reaching up to take his head in her hands and focus on reaching out to him across their bond, the twisted, sadistic shecat's wrapped around it like a strangling vine. "Want this fast, or slow?"

"Get it over with." He growled, focused on little more than submitting to this vulnerability for as little time as possible.

Shi nodded, focusing on the alien bond. She wished she had more time to do this properly; to soothe the pain that she was sure would result.

Instead, she channeled the Force along their bond, giving him what comfort she could as she ripped the emotional ties and connections away. One particular part was difficult, and it gave her a sinking feeling deep in the pit of her stomach as she realized what it was.

They _had_ found one thing in common; they both enjoyed causing pain.

The false bond destroyed, she started to look into Jay's eyes, searching for any sign of how he was doing, only to realize the scream she heard from his mind was echoed by his voice as he clutched his head and yanked himself away from her. She could feel the gratitude at having the nightmare that was Mina out of his head even as he did his best to pull his shields tightly around himself to protect himself from the shining Light now on the other end of the bond.

She'd done it, but it would take months for him to come out of that shell.

It was then that she heard movement in the foliage surrounding the clearing. She whirled around, not at all clear what sort of wild animals would be on this planet, her hand on her lightsaber. If it was some sort of predator, attracted by the scream, she'd need to act quickly.

Instead she felt her other mate as his shields slipped a bit and a small dart whizzed by her to land perfectly between two of Jay's ribs on his long, powerful back. It wasn't a pain that even registered as a second dart hit and Jay crumpled forward, unconscious.

Shivasta's anger raged white-hot as Fenrik came out of the bushes, carrying the dart-pistol he'd used, and she had no reservations about venting it against him as only an Ice Walker Healer could.

It might not be the Jedi way, but she was _not_ going to stand for this!

"What the _Hell_ do you think you're doing?" She demanded, pulling the darts from Jay's body and checking to make sure he was all right. As usual, Fenrik knew exactly what he was doing. The drugged darts had just enough to take the tom down and not nearly enough to do any permanent damage.

"What you can't." He answered simply, unfazed by her rage as he stepped forward and brushed a hand along Jay's sleeping form. It was a rush all it's own to touch him again after so many months of barely feeling his presence.

"He trusted me," she nearly growled. "He trusted me that this _wouldn't_ be an ambush, that I'd keep my promise, and that he would be _safe_. Because of that, _I_ had his promise that he'd be back to us, and I practically had the one who's behind all this in our hands! Do you have any _idea_ what you've just fouled up?"

"You actually believe the word of a Darksider?" He looked up at her pointedly. "He may mean it now, but give him five minutes back in the presence of that Wolf and it'll be a different story. It's the strength of your bond's presence that's creating that kind of compliance and that won't last."

"I believe _Jay's_ word, Fenrik," she sighed, shaking her head. "I know he's not just another Dark Sider to you. And what do you think he'll do when he wakes up and we're hauling him back to Coruscant while his 'mates' have his _kittens_?" She asked him pointedly. "This isn't a situation you can just muscle your way through!"

"That's not my plan." Fenrik said softly. "I remember the power of a kiss with him. He'll lead us to the Kraken, willingly, with the right touch. He'll come back with us too, with some effort. It doesn't _have_ to be us or the Dark, Shi. There are middle grounds for those kittens that bring him to us and keeps them safe from us."

"But not that leave him with them to raise them until another Clawson is available," she pointed out. "Unless you can think of something that you'll convince _him_ of. If you do this, Fenrik... I don't know what it'll do between the two of you. He's vulnerable now, and you know as well as I do how hard it is for him to forgive that."

"At this age, they're unlikely to leave our quarters." He pointed out. "If you're even remotely correct about his kin, they won't even be weaned when they arrive. If not, they don't have to live at the Temple."

"Fenrik, I can suggest it to him, but if you do this you are going to completely undermine _everything_ I've accomplished," she said firmly, slipping into full Healer mode. "It's no different than coming in while I'm working on somebody with an infected arm and hacking it off with your lightsaber, and I'm not going to allow it any more than I would that."

He started to argue, then flattened his ears and accepted the reprimand as he stood. "I hope you're right."

"If we do it your way, then _all_ the control we have is what you put on him through the bond," she pointed out. "And if that's not enough, he'll have _reason_ to turn against us. My way is the only way we can _really_ bring him back."

"I don't agree with that," he actually growled softly. "But we will try this your way." He acquiesced and walked back into the forest.

Shi sighed and shook her head. It wasn't the first time the two of them had disagreed about how to handle something like this, and she was sure it wouldn't be the last.

She knelt next to Jay, focusing on working the Force through his body to clear the sedative. Fenrik seemed to forget that, with their bond at full strength now, she'd be able to find him a _lot_ more easily.

The tom groaned softly and focused all his energy on bringing his body back to full awareness as rapidly as possible.

Shi looked around as he started to wake up, making sure that Fenrik was outside the area. She could sense him moving away, and was grateful to know that he was making his way towards his concealed fighter.

How he'd followed her without being noticed she didn't know.

Her full attention was drawn back to Jay, and determining just how much the tom knew about the past few minutes.

It left her with a choice. Jay hadn't even felt the darts; he was unlikely to realize anyone had even been here. But he might notice his scent; her nose wasn't as strong as his, and Fenrik's irritation had to be fairly strong.

The tension that rippled across his body a moment later came with awareness of that very scent.

"Where is he?" He growled and struggled to his feet, a lightsaber in hand even though he didn't stand a chance against the Panther right now.

"Gone," she said, making her own irritation with Fenrik clear. "I didn't know he was there, Jay, and when he came out I sent him away."

He looked at her, an odd expression on his face.

It took her a moment to realize he was trying to figure out _why_ she'd do such a thing.

"I made a promise, Jay," she told him softly. "I promised you that I'd come alone, and that I wouldn't set something like this up. I didn't, and I didn't want you to think I had. Your kits need you, just now. Jay... are you willing to listen to an option you might not have thought of?"

As wary and uneasy as he was, as little as he _really_ trusted her, he nodded and put his lightsaber away.

"As young as your kits are, they wouldn't be old enough to really leave quarters yet," she explained. "By the time they were weaned, your family would be here ... they wouldn't have to face the dangers out there if somebody takes the Kraken on.

"* _If_ the Council doesn't act against me." He shook his head. Despite a level voice, she felt, right down to her bones, just how terrified he was of facing them again. Fear of loss, but not the loss of what.

"They won't, Jay, I'm sure of it. You haven't done anything that shows you couldn't be redeemed."

"No." He shook his head sharply and stepped back, towards Sharufa. She'd earned some trust, but not even close to that much. "You can't speak for them yet."

"At least contact Essani?" She asked him, confused by the arousal in him that was definitely directed at her. "She's worried about you, along with the rest of your friends. And if I can't speak for the Council, she certainly can."

"Maybe," he murmured and gave into the increasing sense of foreboding urging him to escape while he could. It was a dignified walk despite his feelings, but he never completely took his eyes off her until the hatch closed between them.

"* _Come back to us, Jay,_ *" she said across their bond, only using it to make reaching his mind easier. "* _Once your kits are with your kin, remember your end of the bargain, please._ *"

He gave her no answer but to raise his mental shields as much as he could and lifted off, wanting nothing more but to be away from her and how close she'd come to talking him into going back to the Jedi.

* * *

Mina ran through the Kraken towards the nursery, her head throbbing with the pain of having her bond with Jay shattered abruptly.

The Healer was nearby. She felt it, just before the bond was ripped through. That blue-skinned _bitch_ had managed to meet up with Jay, and she'd been caught completely unawares.

"You could have warned me," she muttered at the Demon that was still in the back of her mind.

"* _I didn't know this was on his list of plans,_ *" the creature pointed out.

"Great, that makes me feel _so_ much better about my impending death!" The shecat snarled. Without the bond, and the kittens already born, she knew her life wasn't worth a credit. All it meant was that she had to take matters into her own hands.

Preferably along with the kittens.

She reached the nursery and opened the door, the four infants sleeping, Tami watching them and holding her own kittens.

"Ma'am?" The wet-nurse asked, a little confused by Mina's disheveled, rushed appearance. It was rare enough for her to be down in the nursery, let alone seeming panicked about getting there.

"Quiet," the tabby said coldly, extending a hand towards Tami and reaching out through the Force, grabbing her head and slamming it back against the wall behind her hard enough to knock her out.

Mina reached out to pick up one of her kits as Tami's month-old kittens fell to the floor and started crying. She reached out through the Force to make them sleep as she picked up the first of her kittens, the red-on-black tabby boy, her touch surprisingly gentle as she cradled him in her arms.

"* _Behind you!_ *" The Demon warned her.

Mina whirled around, seeing Janos behind her, drawing his blaster and leveling it at her, the kit between them the only thing keeping him from pulling the trigger already.

"You are _not_ leaving here." He rumbled and shifted his aim to the hard hit but safer head shot.

"Actually, I am," she growled, grabbing his wrist through the Force and squeezing sharply until she heard the satisfying crack of the fine bones and joints being crushed. "And there's not a damned thing you can do to stop me."

Despite his howl of pain, the rage built up to quickly overshadow it as he grabbed his lightsaber in his good hand and lunged for her.

She ducked to the side, the Wolf stopping just short of the cradle with her other kits in it. She took advantage of his hesitation, shifting her kit to one arm and grabbing him telekinetically, hurling him up into the ceiling, then back through the door, the back of his head cracking against the top of the frame.

"* _You're going to need more than that to stop him,_ *" the Demon warned her.

"* _I'm open for suggestions,_ *" she snarled mentally as the Wolf struggled to his feet with a snarl of outrage.

"* _I have just the thing. When you're done with him, head for docking bay twelve, they have fighters there with hyperdrives to get us out of here. Leave the other kits for now, this one will be enough._ *"

"* _All right,_ *" she agreed reluctantly. Better to escape with one than none.

"All right, now you _die_." Janos focused everything he had on her and _moved_. His Force-enhanced speed was too great for her to dodge, so she tried to force him back or to the side telekinetically again - only to have him charge head long into crackling red tendrils of energy that arced from her hands, wrapping around him like lightning, the potent Dark Side energies of the ship she was on coalescing into energy that ripped through his body, draining the life from him.

Mina's entire body tingled as she felt the Wolf's potent life-force being drawn into her, a rush unlike anything else she'd experienced before. And an entirely new sort of agony for Janos to deal with as she forced him to his knees and the red tendrils crawled across his body, singeing fur and flesh alike.

"Kraken, stop her." Janos ordered with the last of his conscious strength as he slipped into oblivion despite his best efforts.

"* _Very good._ *" The Demon praised her. "* _But we must escape_ now _._ *"

"One more," she said, shaking her head and turning to grab another of her now-waking children. Once she had one of her daughters, and both her arms full, she started out of the medical bay to the full sirens-blaring, lights-flashing of a red alert.

The hiss of lasers aimed to kill her began to rain down from their placements all over the halls.

"* _Tell Jay that his ship is about to kill his kittens,_ *" she snarled mentally at the Demon, drawing the Force around her to enhance her speed as she rocketed through the corridors, faster than she'd ever been able to move before.

Apparently, whatever the Demon had done had given her some of Janos' skill as well as his life.

It was only a few more shots and the weapons went silent, only to be replaced as every security door in the place slammed down and locked tight.

"* _Blast it with the Force._ *" The Demon told her, giving her telekinetic blasts enough power to shatter the blockades all the way down to the hanger. "* _Move quickly. Jay will be able to control your ship in a few moments._ *"

Much to her shock, the heavy metal blast doors ripped open to allow her through as she made her way to the docking bay. A force field rose to keep her from getting to the ship, but even that last barrier fell as she crushed the control panel next to it and climbed on board the two-man Sith fighter that was waiting after Rob was done with a training flight.

"What the Hell is happening?" The Ringtail said.

"You're going to get us into hyperspace as fast as you can, or you're going to learn a thousand new definitions for pain before the Sharufa catches up with us," she growled at him, taking her seat and grateful that there was a pilot here.

"What do you - yes ma'am." The Ringtail's change of heart came with a tight, frightened tone as she reached out to squeeze his heart lightly, sending shooting pains through his chest for a moment before he acquiesced and she released the organ. The small fighter was taking off a moment later, its narrow, dart-like shape pulling out of the Kraken and making its way towards the edge of the system, the computer working as fast as it could to generate hyperspace coordinates.

Mina was devoutly grateful that they _weren't_ in the Kyrani system just now.

* * *

Jay was trembling in pain and fighting off Shi's presence in his mind in response to it as he got into range to contact Kraken directly.

"* _What the_ hell _happened?_ *" He demanded, the backlash of his rage and pain crawling along the computer's systems.

"* _The she-cat escaped,_ *" Kraken explained, its pain clear to Jay. "* _She ripped through the blast-doors and force-fields like paper, I've never seen that sort of power before!_ *"

"* _My kittens?_ *" Jay trembled, his rage spiking even as he held back on hurting Kraken anymore just now.

"* _Two were taken, Master. The Wolf fought her, but she did something to him._ *"

"* _Where did she go? Medical droid are working on Janos, correct?_ *" He began to adjust Sharufa's trajectory.

"Uncertain, Master," Kraken said, its voice coming across the Sharufa's intercom now. "Corewards, I was unable to determine anything more before the fighter went into hyperspace. And yes, they are, but they are uncertain how to help him beyond treating the electrical burns."

Jay closed his eyes and reached out towards the Wolf's mind, seeking to find out if Janos was still there.

He was, but there was something ... off. The damage wasn't entirely physical, he could tell that much. It wasn't really mental either ... it seemed to go deeper.

Jay drew a deep breath and waited impatiently as Sharufa docked, spending the time reaching out along the much weaker family bond with his kits to find out which were missing and what direction they were headed in. He couldn't determine much more than it really was coreward, which given where they _were_ , didn't give him much. Nearly everything was coreward.

He didn't even bother to wait until Sharufa was properly docked to leap to the hanger floor and make a bolt for his remaining kittens.

He found Tami there, rubbing her head as she tried to calm all four kittens, hers and Jay's, the infants crying out loudly. Janos was unconscious outside the nursery being tended by the medical droids, his blaster crushed inside the room and lightsaber lying in one corner.

He stepped up to the cradle and gently touched his two remaining children, their squalls soothed by the light touch of one they were bonded to. With them calm and crooned back to sleep, he turned to see to his mate.

"There is deep muscle trauma that will require a full bacta bath to treat quickly," Kraken explained to him. "Unfortunately, our stores are less than adequate; I project it will take several weeks, at least, before he recovers fully, even before the question of whatever additional damage is raised."

"Where is the nearest location where whatever needed can be acquired?" Jay asked softly as did what he could with his own very limited healing abilities.

"With, or without, having to go into Republic controlled territory?"

"Without." He replied. Janos wouldn't die; he wasn't going to commit to that big of a risk yet.

"There is a colony in the Vexel system, Master," Kraken said easily. "They should have sufficient supplies, though I'm not entirely sure how willing they will be to surrender it. They are, however, well off the most probable route to find your kittens."

"Run a calculation of the best location based on our route to my kits and likely supplies." Jay shifted his instructions slightly even as he double-checked Kraken's estimate on where Mina was headed. "Also, open an encrypted channel to the Brythin."

"Beginning calculations, channel open," Kraken said easily.

"This is the Brythin; who is hailing us on this channel?" Kanna asked him.

"Jay." He told her softly. "I need to speak to Shi."

"What's wrong, Jay?" Shivasta asked.

He took a deep breath and instructed the medical droids to take Janos to the medical bay. "Mina got away with two of my kits and almost killed Janos in the process. His injuries are beyond my capabilities to heal and we don't have a bacta tank yet."

"Give the Kraken the command to let me board safely, and I'll help you," Shi said promptly. "Healer's duties, Jay - I won't do anything to interfere, and neither will Kanna. She might be able to help you too."

"Thank you." He nodded and passed the command on silently. "You're cleared. A droid will be waiting for you when you land to show you to medical."

With that, he headed up to the bridge. He needed to work with Kraken to figure out where the Hell Mina had taken his kittens.

A few minutes later, Shivasta and Kanna disembarked from the Brythin, both Ice Walkers a little nervous about being on the ship that had been stolen so recently, and had a known history of being both Sith and of killing its crew twice.

"Follow me, please," the droid they met said easily, turning and trundling off as they followed.

"* _Are you sure Jay can keep this ship under control?_ *" Kanna asked silently as they walked through empty corridors and lifts, both sensitives keenly aware of the lack of people on board, and the condition of most of those who were.

"* _He'll destroy it if it disobeys him, so I'm pretty sure,_ *" Shivasta agreed as they reached medical. "* _The life here is ... unsettling,_ *" she mused to her former Padawan.

"* _It doesn't really feel like a crew._ *" Kanna agreed.

Then she stepped into medical, and saw the steel-gray Wolf unconscious on one of the beds, a much younger white-furred shewolf next to him, obviously concerned.

"I'm here to help," she told the younger Wolf softly. "Is this Janos?"

"Yes, ma'am." The shewolf nodded politely, her bearing that a wealthy Republic upbringing. "You are Shi?"

"Master Healer Shivasta Stormwarden," she nodded in agreement. Cases like this, the rank usually helped. "Do you know what happened to him?" She asked, taking a seat next to Janos and focusing on him. The injuries were strange ... but she actually recognized them, something most Healers couldn't even say, and very few other Jedi.

Something about what Mina had done to him had attacked him on the level of the Force itself, weakening the ties between it and his body.

"No, ma'am." Vondra shook her head and gracefully stayed out of the Healer's way while remaining close to her master. "He fought Mina. She did this to him."

"I haven't seen this done by a person before," she admitted. "But I do know how to help him," she added, looking Vondra in the eyes. "Are you his mate?" She asked bluntly.

"I ... maybe." She stammered, very startled by the question and her uncertainty of an answer. She knew what she wanted, but not if he thought of her as more than his pet. A pet he cared about, she was sure, but that was a long way from 'mate'. "It never came up like that."

"Ah," Shi nodded, grasping the situation quickly. "I'm going to have to do some fairly intensive work then ... whatever Mina did attacked the connection between his body and the Force, his ability to live. I need to repair that tie. If you're willing to try, it would help to have somebody who feels a connection to him here."

"I am." Vondra nodded, sure of _that_ at least. "What do I need to do?"

"Take his hand, and focus on him waking up," Shivasta explained, giving her the easiest way for a non-sensitive to understand it. She looked back at Kanna, near the door.

"If you can talk the droid into taking you to the bridge, you might offer your talent to Jay in finding his kittens," she suggested.

"Yes, Master." She nodded easily, reinforcing Shi's rank just a little more to these outsiders, and turned to see if she could talk the droid into cooperating. If it wouldn't, at this range she could ask Jay directly if she needed to.

Vondra took Janos' hand between her own and did her best to focus on him awake and in her arms. She was out of her depth, but she was damned if she wouldn't do all she could.

Shivasta closed her eyes, taking Janos' other hand and reaching out. It would be all she could do to fix the damage that _wasn't_ physical; until she was done with this, no amount of bacta would bring him back to consciousness. It wasn't like somebody had cut him off from the Force; she'd seen that before.

This was like Mina had taken the _living_ part of the Force around him and ripped it out.

She focused on that part of it, tying it back to him, working it in, pulling the Dark Side away from him. She was surprised to find that, as angry and hateful as the Wolf could be, he wasn't nearly as Dark as she'd expected him to be. He had a real ability to care and two people, Jay and Vondra, were clear in his hazy mind as in that carefully-guarded place.

It made her feel better about leaving Jay with him for the next few months. Odd to think that there was a very real chance a Dark Sider would be her mate's voice of reason. It also made it much more likely that Jay wouldn't slide much further down that path than he already had. Mina had been the truly Dark one, the one that kept pushing and plotting. Janos might not be her first choice, but he wasn't actively Dark like the shecat was. He was just hurt and angry and self-trained. Anger and pain that Jay was tempering as the two found a balance in survival with what had been thrust upon them.

The Wolf groaned softly, every muscle in his body aching as Shivasta carefully pulled back, having practically wrapped him in the warmth of the Light Side of the Force, his fur still scorched in places, the healer exhausted.

"Will he be all right?" Vondra asked softly.

"In time," Shivasta nodded. "He'll need to rest, and probably won't feel like doing very much for a while, but he'll be all right in the long run. Some time for both of you to think, maybe."

"Who're you?" Janos slurred, not opening his eyes yet, though he squeezed Vondra's hand lightly.

"Shivasta, Jay's mate. Take care of him, once you're back on your feet."

"The Healer." Vondra added, not sure how well he was thinking yet. "She says you'll be fine. Jay's going to get a bacta tank to speed healing the burns."

"Tell 'im to get that bitch first," Janos muttered, squeezing Vondra's hand again. "Stay here a bit?" He asked the shewolf.

"It'd be okay," Shivasta said softly, nodding.

"I wasn't planning on going anywhere." Vondra smiled at him, her voice with the touch of steel to point out she was willing to fight for it even though it wasn't required.

"Good," he smiled back, turning his head to look up at her as Shivasta stood.

"I'll go check on my partner," she said easily. "You get some rest," she told Janos sternly, before turning to leave the room.

* * *

Kanna stood next to the droid by the sealed entry to the bridge of the Kraken. The ship still had her on edge, but at least now she had something to do.

"* _Jay, could you open the door for me?_ *" She asked telepathically. "* _It's Kanna, I'm here to help._ *"

He didn't actually respond to her, but the door slid open to reveal him alone in the captain's seat in the center of a bridge designed for a score or more officers.

She could tell from the Force-flow that he was deep in focus taking the place of a such a large crew while following the tenuous parental bond he had with his kits. The Dark Force in the room was palatable, but it was focused ... different. He didn't have the Light strength to do what he had to, and he'd chosen to accept the price of the Dark in exchange for the strength to do what he needed to.

Even so, she knew all too well that over time it would manifest as anger, hatred ... ways that it was already manifesting.

"Jay," she said as she stepped in, moving towards a seat next to him. "You're overextending yourself. Let me take on part of it, my talents are better suited to finding them."

He looked at her, distrust evident in his eyes even though he was still willing to listen to her.

"Seers can track people?" He regarded her dubiously.

"It's easier to tell where somebody is than to tell you where they have been or where they're going to be," she pointed out. "And I've made a bit of a career out of the latter. I can see where they are, possibly where they're going."

He stared at her. He knew her record, he knew she was strong. He didn't want to give any of this over.

She could feel, even from the outside, the strength of the bond at this range with Shi influencing him when there was nothing to counter it.

Slowly, warily, Jay nodded. "Where are they?" He asked, his voice low and shaky.

"I'll need a few moments, but I'll be able to tell you then," she said, taking a seat and closing her eyes. "If you have any suggestions based on what you and Kraken have figured out, I'm open to them. They might help."

"They were headed coreward before entering hyperspace. She took our pilot too, and only a small fighter. It doesn't have the range for more than a day or so."

"She won't be on it for long," Kanna murmured as things began to come into focus. "How good is the pilot, and what sort of ships does he work well with?"

"Not as good as Fen or me, but skilled. He prefers smugglers and small traders." Jay told her. "He's not a sensitive."

"That'll limit it to planets with enough ships that they can steal one," she murmured. "What are the kits like?"

"They're only three days old." He murmured. "A boy, Jamil, and a girl, Tessra, were the ones taken. Both are strong sensitives like their sisters. Strong in the family Gift too."

That made sense. Kanna narrowed down to the one thing she could sense that was unique about the situation, and her visions - two 'eyes' in the middle of a cloud of darkness. The two kittens, still innocent, carried through the galaxy by their Dark Sider mother.

"They're going to Kethris Prime, and from there into the Core Worlds. She hopes to lose you there, once they have a new ship."

Jay nodded, that made sense and meshed with what he could sense.

Kanna felt the Force gather again, adding even more power and efficiency to the hyperdrive as Kraken surged forward towards Kethris Prime.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Master Essani moved as quickly as she could without appearing too rushed in the middle of the night. The Clawson's ship, after being tracked across the galaxy for a week, had arrived, and arrived earlier than expected. Their first communication had been directed to Master Jolani Panthera instead of her, as the Tigress was a race the newcomers knew and were at least visually related to. She was also the only other one on the Council that was at least somewhat familiar with the Clawson's native language from Jay.

Within minutes the Tigress had arranged for a full Council to greet the newcomers in the Council Chamber and had gotten the Clawson leader to agree to hold off on the questions until they were face to face.

Doruth was there, offering to act as an interpreter along with Master Panthera. He was more familiar with Jay's native language than she was, and while Essani was probably fully fluent, at least as much as Jay had been at the tender age of eight, she couldn't pronounce a single word. It wasn't long before the rest of the Council was present as well, most of them somewhat uneasy beneath their calm exteriors.

Essani couldn't blame them; they would, after all, have to explain to these newcomers that they'd managed to find, raise, and then lose, one of their own. Newcomers who could probably shut down the defenses and infrastructure of Coruscant with a few thoughts, if they wanted to.

They didn't have long to wait before the lift doors opened to reveal three female felines who walked into the chamber and instinctively positioned themselves in a loose, triangular back-to-back arrangement to leave no Jedi unfaced, and no back unprotected.

The oldest of them, her caramel fur graying heavily in her years despite the lean, powerful body she maintained. This was leader, and was facing Master Essani, knowing she led the Council. Her eyes, though, kept flicking to Noloth and Mython, considering the pair more dangerous.

"Greetings, Master Essani." The Clawson leader spoke in very carefully pronounced, though still heavily accented, Basic. "I am Marie Clawson, family leader."

"We have heard of you," she said in her native Kushiban, translating telepathically to Doruth, who spoke verbally to the Clawsons. More complicated concepts would be _most_ interesting to discuss this way. She just hoped that, if any came up, much wouldn't be lost in the multiple translations. "You are Jay Clawson's grandmother, as I understand?"

"Jessie Clawson, and her son, our father, have both died since Jay was lost." Marie explained in careful Basic, using her ability to access her ship's computers to keep her words accurate, if a touch slow. "I am Jay's father's oldest kit and the family leader now. This," she motioned to the heavily built brown on fawn tabby female to her right that was at least a couple decades her junior, "is Felisha Furlong, Jay's mother."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, though we wish it was under better circumstances," Essani said, bowing her head respectfully. "None of us had really expected that the Clawson family would reach Republic space, particularly not after several decades."

"We wish it was under better conditions as well." Marie inclined her head. "I understand my brother has caused a great deal of damage here recently."

"Unfortunately, we believe he has, though ... how do you know this?" Essani asked, taking the opportunity to look at the three in the Force. The two leaders weren't all that surprising; they weren't sensitives, but they had Jay's gift in spades, the Force a dull gray around them. The third, a cinnamon-furred shekat who had yet to be introduced, some decades younger than Jay, was more interesting, much like Jay when they had found him, given more power and experience.

Marie paused, every Jedi aware that she'd just been asked about something she _really_ didn't want to get into explaining.

"As we entered this galaxy, I could feel his state of mind. It was not good." She said, trying to give enough of an answer without getting into family Gift dynamics or language that didn't translate well. "All members born into this family share a mental ... link ... with their parents and the family leader. I can feel his state when I concentrate on him."

"Can you sense his location as well?" Essani asked, her fur shifting from a neutral white to a light, curious teal and earning her a very curious look from all three felines.

"I can track him," Marie nodded, not completely sure if that was what the strange rabbit meant. "It is how we got to this galaxy."

"More accurately than somebody with a mate's bond to him can?" Doruth asked, picking up on what Essani was thinking and pre-empting her question.

"No," Marie shook her head slightly. "Those are usually much stronger."

Felisha said something in their native language, which Marie translated.

"You do not know where Jay is?"

"He was captured by a faction of Dark-Siders, the Sith," Essani explained. "We have been searching for him for months. We have come close to retrieving him, but he has been blocking his mates and their bond because of the way he was captured." Just then, Master Winda looked down at her datapad as it beeped.

"That may have changed," the Rabbit said. "I received a message from Master Fenrik, I'll deal with it shortly."

"Very well," Essani agreed. "Madame Clawson, the short version of events is that Jay was tricked into believing his mates were dead, and the bonds usurped by two of these Dark-Siders. He has since killed their leader, but the two who have the bonds are still influencing him. One of them was pregnant with his kits the last we heard; we are trying to rescue him and the kits before things become desperate."

No one in the room missed that despite having _very_ little grasp of what a 'Dark-Sider' was, all three were badly shaken by that news though they didn't show it. It was Felisha, though, that had the most obvious reaction as her ears went flat.

["I have _grandkits_ lost?"] Felisha rumbled.

"I ... understand." Marie spoke quietly, her mind working on what it was going to take of those she'd brought with her to deal with such a threat. A light touch on Felisha's arm settled the shekat, though she was still very upset. "This is very bad, Master Essani. There is little more dangerous than a Clawson protecting their young."

"We understand, Madame Clawson," Essani nodded, her fur shifting to a deep grey. "Right now, we have much of the fleet out to search for him, more than we are technically supposed to have. We want him back as badly as you do, and his kits somewhere safe."

"You said he was only tricked into believing his mates were dead?" Marie began to put a plan together. "I would like to speak to them."

"They are currently on the hunt; it may take some time to arrange a meeting," Essani explained.

"Actually, we have _very_ good news," Master Winda told her, reading the message from Fenrik. "And very, very bad," she sighed, reading farther. "Masters Fenrik and Shivasta have found Knight Clawson; Master Shivasta is with him currently. She is ready to speak with us via holo-net, and explain what has happened. Madame Clawson, if you and your kin would be willing to take a seat, we could begin? It will bring us all up to speed on exactly what has happened."

"Very good." Marie inclined her head and made a subtle motion with her tail that got both of her companions to sit in the open chairs that appeared from the floor for them. With the center of the room clear, a holographic image of a middle-aged blue-skinned woman in Jedi robes and long, dark blue hair appeared and bowed to the assembly.

"Council, I assume nobody will take offense if I dispense with the formalities," Shi said politely.

"Of course, Master Shivasta," Master Noloth nodded. "Your message said you had encountered Knight Clawson?"

"Yes," the Ice Walker explained. "I'll make this as brief as possible. He set up a meeting with me, requesting that Fenrik and I cease the hunt until his family arrived. I agreed on the condition that he would let me undo his bond to the shecat, one Mina Callahan. He agreed, and we broke the bond between the two of them. As you are aware, she was the worst of his two false mates. Unfortunately, neither of us anticipated her power, or what she would do when she felt the bond shatter.

"Mina kidnapped two of Jay's kittens, which were born in the past few days. She nearly killed his other mate in the process, and demonstrated a level of mastery over the Dark Side I've never encountered before. She escaped with one of the pilots now working on the Kraken, stealing an old Sith fighter and making off with Jay's son and one of his daughters. Jay contacted me to help heal his remaining mate, the Wolf, and Kanna is helping him track Mina now.

"We will remain with the Kraken until Jay's kittens have been recovered; right now, I wouldn't leave him alone for anything. I request that a contingent of ships be sent from the fleet to the Kethris system and watch for any stolen ships. If they encounter one, they should restrain it, but _not_ board it. Mina is incredibly dangerous, but nothing compared to what Jay will be like if he thinks we're trying to take his kittens from him."

"Master Shivasta," Marie addressed the woman politely in slow, accented Basic. "You are one of Jay's real mates?"

"I am," the Jedi nodded, turning to face the voice. "I believe you have me at a disadvantage?"

"I am Marie Clawson, Jay's oldest sister and current head of the Clawson family." She answered simply. "His mother is also here." She motioned to the elder tabby sitting next to her. "Will the Wolf, the false-bonded one, survive?"

"He will," Shivasta nodded. "Whatever Mina did to him I was able to repair, he will simply require some time to recover from the physical portion of his injuries."

Marie let out a small breath of relief. "We would join you on this hunt. Jay, and his kits, are our kin as well."

Much to the surprise of the Council, she was clearly making a request now, rather than a demand worded as one.

"As far as I'm concerned," Shivasta said with a grateful bow, "any help you can offer us would be welcome. It would be good to have Jay know he's not alone anymore."

"Is your other mate with you?" Marie asked politely, clearly assuming a triad had formed.

"Not at the moment," Shivasta said, shaking her head. "Jay was uncomfortable with having Fenrik with us now, between the false bond and being afraid that he may be able to convince him to make a decision he felt would be contrary to the best interests of his kits."

"Understood, Master Shivasta." Marie nodded slightly. "We will meet you in the Kethris system?"

"Yes," she nodded. "Madame Clawson, is there any sort of a message you could give me, that would be incontrovertible proof that your family is here?"

The old shekat settled back in the rounded chair and pressed her fingers together in front of her face, thinking, for a long moment.

"Do you speak Aristalin?"

"Exceedingly poorly," Shivasta admitted. "He speaks Basic, and my jaws weren't really built to pronounce all the words well. Fenrik speaks it better than I do."

Marie nodded and went thoughtful again.

"Has he ever spoken of 'the darkest star'?"

"Not at all," Shi admitted, cocking her head curiously. "Something from your home-system?"

"Something from home, yes." Marie chuckled softly. "Tell him that the darkest star and father's heart have finally come for him. It will not be ... complete ... proof, but it may help you keep him calm until we are there."

"Thank you, Ma'am. That would be quite a help. Not as good as having his kits back, but it'll show you are here."

"Yes," Marie agreed. "We will join you as soon as possible, Master Shivasta."

"I'll let him know," Shi nodded, turning back towards the Councilors. "Are there any questions from the Council?" She asked them.

"How far has Knight Clawson fallen?" Master Noloth asked rather pointedly.

"Not too far to be redeemed," Shi said firmly. "He has killed, he has murdered, but he hasn't fallen to the level of the shecat. Come close at times, yes, but he will not stay there."

"Very good." Master Essani's fur lightened slightly as Doruth translated for her into Basic.

"What was the decision that he was afraid Master Fenrik could convince him to make?" Master Winda asked, the brown-furred Rabbit's ears twitching slightly.

"He does not want the Jedi to raise his kittens," Shivasta said, keenly aware that the Clawsons were still there. "He wants them raised by the Clawson family, at least until they are older."

"Why does he not want the Jedi involved?" Marie reentered the conversation as she leaned forward, keenly interested in this.

"Aside from himself, there are no Jedi who fully understand the Clawson gifts and abilities," Shivasta explained, hedging around what she thought was the deeper issue, his own discomfort with Jedi philosophy. "It is also typical Jedi policy to discourage contact between an Initiate and their kin under most circumstances. For obvious reasons, he feels this wouldn't be in the best interests of Clawson kits. I am inclined to agree, but he isn't at his most trusting when it comes to reassurance that the Jedi would bend their rules in the best interests of his children."

"Typical." Marie nodded with an indulgent smile for her little brother. "These are his first kits, then?"

"They are. He reacted _very_ negatively to the suggestion of children during his lifetime, but he wasn't given a say in the matter this time."

Marie nodded and handed the meeting back to the Council.

"If there are no more questions from the Council, I would like to see to him soon," she explained. "In his current state he could cause himself no small amount of trouble."

"There are no more questions." Master Noloth answered for Essani after a brief scan of the Council. "Force be with you, Jedi."

When the hologram vanished, the three Clawsons took their place at the center again.

"Before we leave, I would like to have a copy of Knight Clawson's ... record ... file ... what information you have kept on and about him." Marie asked. Again, she was actually asking, even though they all knew she could take what she wanted with a thought.

She had a much better grasp on diplomacy than her brother generally did.

"We will make it available to you," Essani nodded slightly. "I assume you are capable of translating it, or would you prefer for us to do so?"

"Thank you, Master Essani. We can translate it." Marie inclined her head in thanks. "Our ship understands Basic much better than I do yet. Is there anything about this situation you would have us know before we are in the middle of things?"

"We would prefer that the situation is handled with a minimum amount of violence, and that Mina is captured, rather than killed," Essani explained. "However, given her time with Jay and her pre-existing Sith training, we aren't holding out too much hope that she'll be able to be captured without killing others in the process. There is a very real chance that she will have a weapon capable of carving through the hull of your ship with minimal effort. Add that to her apparently considerable skill with the Dark Side of the Force, and the potential is exceedingly dangerous."

"I understand, Master Essani." Marie's expression turned grim. "We have dealt with such people before. We will be careful, and do our best to do as little damage as we can. If I may ask, what are the penalties for what Jay has done?"

"Thank you," Essani nodded. "And it will depend on what else might happen while he is gone. However, in most circumstances, the Jedi are allowed to deal with Jedi crimes. At this point, he would be kept at the Temple and watched until we were sure he was back to his old self."

That raised an eyebrow, Marie's surprise visible on her face. There would be more questions later, to be sure, but for now it seemed to satisfy her. "I see. We will do what we can to keep him from doing more."

"Force be with you, Madame Clawson, and with your kin."

"Bastet's grace to you and yours, Master Essani." Marie Clawson bowed and turned to leave with her two companions.

"She is much easier to deal with than her brother," Master Noloth observed after the Clawsons had left the room.

"* _She is the leader of her family, Master Noloth,_ *" Essani observed, switching back to telepathy now that they were gone. It simply wasn't polite to use it in the presence of people who weren't sensitives or naturally telepathic. The Kushiban's fur shifted to a very pale pink as she continued her observation. "* _It's a position that often reminds one of the need to be diplomatic when she rather wouldn't be._ *"

The amusement from some on the Council said her carefully worded barb wasn't lost on everyone.

"It will be interesting to see how things go when the emergency is over." Master Sarapas mused.

"Most interesting," Doruth nodded, agreeing with the Thississpian. "I imagine they'll have far more in the way of questions. I just hope they'll accept our judgment regarding any punishments for Jay."

"* _Their people, as I understand, have a far more black and white history when dealing with their fallen heroes,_ *" Essani pointed out. "* _I would be surprised if they have a case like this one in their history to draw on._ *"

"Not that I ever heard of." Doruth nodded. "A quick death at the hand of one of their own was considered the merciful way of dealing with them. Though to be fair, they had only had two cases at the time of Jay's disappearance, one of them before the family had actually been formed. That is not much to form a system on."

"I have to admit that I rather hope they'll stick around after this is all over, for a time at least," Master Winda observed. "For the reason you just mentioned. Jay was only eight when he left them, and he has been a very firm adherent to the Clawson family's culture since. I have the sense from all three we met that the situation would not have been unique to him. A culture, even one that is mostly family-wide, that is that strong in such a short time is a fascinating concept, particularly formed after their species already had several of their own."

"It was born out of need, from a specialist culture not so different from our own in concept. Completely separate from the general population." Doruth commented evenly. It had fascinated him too, for a while. "They were a combat specialist group, a very different culture on its own, and added elements to cope with the Demon they face, separating the Clawsons from their base culture. It is likely as strong as it is so young because of the elements the Demon adds to their life. When facing something like that, the culture that is created to survive it would be well-engrained young."

"I suspect it is also something that is simply part of what Jay is." Master Zraii added. "He is most stubborn."

"That he is," Master Noloth agreed. "As are his kin, I am sure. I wonder how many other sensitives they have under their wings, born after he was."

"* _I expect we will be able to ask, as long as this does not go poorly._ *" Master Essani fluffed her fur. "* _They do seem honestly interested in getting along with us._ *"

"A refreshing change, compared to most species we've encountered outside the known galaxy," Master Dyba observed dryly.

"True," Master Ty'thri'ku'mo Mython nodded slightly. "They are also very different from every other group we have encountered in basic drive. These people are defenders, not truly explorers. The greater culture they are part of may well be quite different. The Clawsons would not have left their homeworld on their own."

"* _In keeping with what little Jay has told me about their history,_ *" Essani agreed. "* _They developed hyperdrive by adapting it from another species that attempted to conquer their world; much of what they accomplished was defensive in nature._ *"

"Quite successful defense as well." Doruth couldn't help but feel respectful for a race that had succeeded in such a situation. It wasn't one that any Republic-contacted world could claim to have done. More often than not, they required help from the Republic as soon as they found them.

"I imagine we'll be able to fill in a few blanks about their history that Knight Clawson hasn't helped us with after this is all over," Master Nythen nodded, the aged Vixen's silver fur graying, but her interest in the various peoples they encountered no less keen.

"It will be most interesting how much of what he remembered was accurate as well." Master Noloth mused quietly. "His kin will have many conversations ahead of them when things have settled."

* * *

Shivasta walked from the Kraken's docking bay again after giving her report to the Council. She wanted to find Jay, give him the message from his sister. She'd felt them enter hyperspace just before the report, so she expected he'd be in the engine room.

Much to her surprise, her bond told her otherwise as she approached the nursery.

With a smile, she turned to follow her hunch. It wouldn't hurt to meet the new kittens, even if he wasn't there.

She felt six people in the room as she approached; a non-sensitive female, Jay, and four very young but Force-strong lives. She also felt Jay feel her approach and turn some of his attention from his kittens to being ready to protect them against anything.

She took her lightsaber off her belt and slipped it up beneath her robes, making it more difficult to reach and doing her best to seem inoffensive as she approached the door and looked in. Her mate was lying on a bed with two newborns mewing softly in his arms and an utterly indulgent look on his face every time he so much as glanced their way. A chocolate on gold tabby shecat was sitting in a rocker nearby nursing the other two kittens.

"May I come in?" She asked him with a soft smile.

Jay looked up at her, actually taking a moment to judge her, before nodding. "Yes."

"Thank you," she smiled, stepping in, looking between him and the kits, then over at the two slightly older ones nursing. "Are they all yours?" She asked him.

"Not by blood." He admitted, most of his attention on gently stroking the two newborns nestled in the crook of his arm as he lay on his side. "Tami's aren't." He nodded slightly towards the older pair.

"They're all beautiful," she smiled at the shecat nursing her own kits, who returned the smile gratefully as Shi moved over next to Jay carefully, watching in the Force as much with her eyes if she crossed some unknown line. Many races were aggressive about visitors around very the young, and Jay had reason to beyond instincts.

"We will get the others back, Jay," she promised him, a small reassurance that earned her a bit of a smile. Even if it was largely hollow, he was at least trying. "And some good news; your family's here ahead of schedule. Your sister said something about the 'darkest star' and 'the father's heart' coming for you."

"My sister?" He twitched one ear slightly. "Which one?"

"Marie, your oldest," she explained. "She said that she's the head of the family now. Your mother was there too; she seemed very concerned for you, and for the kits."

"I think the proper term would be completely freaked out." He actually chuckled softly. "So am I still the youngest?"

"I was being polite," she smiled softly with a chuckle of her own. "And not in the family, assuming the third woman they had with them was a Clawson. Not sure what her relation was to the others, we didn't actually talk too much. They said they'd meet us in the Kethris system to help hunt for the kits; you can meet them yourself then."

Almost all the tension left Jay's body with a soft sound that Shi couldn't identify, but could feel was largely relief, as he lowered his head to nuzzle his daughters, one sleek black and one a strawberry blond tabby with dusty rose stripes.

"It's finally over then." Jay murmured, looking forward to it even as he was scared of the consequences.

"Gods willing," she agreed. "And I asked the Council to reassign a portion of the fleet to making sure Mina doesn't get out of the Kethris system, if they're there in time. Just stopping her," she said quickly, "not boarding, not firing on."

He nodded slightly, strangely relaxed about it. "How is Janos?"

"He'll be okay, once he has a little time to recover," she said. "You care for him, beyond the bond?" She asked.

"I think so." He nodded slightly, still more than a little afraid of her despite that he trusted her.

"Jay, I'm not going to hurt you, or him," she said softly, reaching down to stroke his cheek lightly. "And I'm not going to ask you to go back to the Order before we've saved your kits from Mina."

"Then what?" He looked at her; absolutely terrified of what he thought would be his fate there.

"We take you back, we get you _away_ from the people who've dragged you down as far as you've gone," she said, kneeling next to the bed to look him in the eyes and remove the element of dominance of standing over him. "And then we work to help you get away from the Dark Side, to regain your control."

"The way they did Revan?" He asked, his gaze steady as he voiced the core of his fear; the loss of himself.

"No, Jay," she said, shaking her head and a little stunned at just how potent his fear of that fate was. "That was a completely different situation than this is. The Jedi were ready to kill Revan, if they had to, and they saw a chance to save her, or at least the knowledge she had ... that was a war. This isn't the same."

"Promise?" His voice trembled slightly, though he was keeping an incredible amount inside to not disturb his kittens. "Don't let them do that to me."

Jay, if they tried, I'd fight it as long as I could," she said firmly, her eyes glittering with all the determination she had. "If I had to, I'd be with you on the ship back to your home before I let them wipe your mind that way. You are _not_ Revan. She was on the verge of destroying the Order, willingly. You were captured and brainwashed, after a fashion."

"Led astray at least," he murmured and gently stroked his newborn's heads. "It will be clearer when my kittens are safe with kin."

Her reassurances meant something to him, she could feel it, but it didn't wash it all away.

She would have been surprised if it had.

"May I?" She asked, reaching towards the nearest one, the strawberry-blond tabby.

Jay tensed, his body shifting to shield his kittens and the Force gathered to help him before he processed her words. Then he slowly relaxed and nodded. Still he watched every move she made, physically and in the Force, sharply.

She gently stroked the kitten's head, smiling as she mewled softly.

"What are their names?" She asked him.

"She's Jemeka," he smiled, a brilliantly warm affection washing away everything negative in him with just a look at his daughter. "The black one is Mystera." He purred.

"They're both beautiful," she smiled. "Mystera takes after the Panther side of your family, I'm guessing?"

"And a black shekat that was my mother's great-grandmother." He nodded and nuzzled Mystera lightly, licking her short, fluffy fur. "It will be interesting to see which side of the family they take after."

"You know, they don't _have_ to be either," she chuckled. "I'm sure not everybody in your family is a pilot or gunner."

"Well, no, though we're all inventors of some sort and special ops." He accepted the possibility without issue and continued to bath his kittens. "Most do have a strong talent for shooting or piloting, sometimes both."

"Given their Force-strength, probably piloting," she mused, petting Jemeka gently.

"They won't be Jedi." He pointed out a bit tensely. "It's a natural talent, not trained."

"I know, Jay," she nodded softly. "I didn't mean with the Jedi, it's just more common for pilots than gunners to be sensitives. From what I've heard, at least," she shrugged slightly.

"Different duties from back home." He nodded, remembering the first time he'd run across the difference. "Gunners have the rank and important duties where they're going."

"That's a point," she admitted. "Not that I know much about either, honestly. Are you sure you'll be sending them back to your galaxy?"

"Anything to keep them from growing up in this one." He nodded, his voice nearly a growl until it disturbed the kittens and he got himself under control again.

Still, it was a moment that showed Shi just how much he hated how things worked here, the local nature of power. How much he'd carefully buried and ignored for decades outside of debates about the origin of the Force.

"Are you going with them?" She asked him softly, reaching out lightly through the Force to help soothe the infants.

"No," Jay murmured, most of his attention focused on his daughters. "I'm a danger to them now. If I go back, I'll bring this infection with me."

"It's not a disease, Jay," Shi said softly, knowing what he was talking about. "It's just how things are here ... maybe it works differently elsewhere. But now isn't the time for an argument. Maybe your family will communicate more with us, so you can still be involved in their lives to some extent."

"Perhaps," he accepted ending the debate, though he'd already decided what he would tell them about the Force and what it would do if contact or philosophy from here was brought back.

"Jay?" She asked softly, not sure if the question she was about to ask would be a sore spot with him or not.

"Murr?" He looked up from tongue-bathing his kittens.

"How did you get the scar?" She asked him.

"Demon blocked my ability to control machines while I was practicing." He kind of shrugged the terrifying moment off. "It didn't flick off when it should have."

"Just glad you stopped it before it killed you," she murmured. "Do you mind if I take a look at it? I probably can't do anything, but I've been surprised before."

"I didn't stop before it passed my nose." He pointed out quietly. "You can try. I would like my whiskers back."

"I think I would too," she smiled softly, inspecting the injury. It had seen a healer's touch before, she could tell that much. Not a particularly good healer, but at least as good as Jay was.

"As old as it is, it'll take some work," she admitted. "If it was fresher it would be easier. I'll see what I can do once the kits are napping again."

Jay nodded and looked up at Tami. "Are they full?"

"They are, Master," she nodded, her kits having stopped nursing and started sleeping instead.

"Want me to help you trade off?" Shivasta offered.

"Mine are hungry." He nodded, though he wasn't quite willing to let Shi hold them yet as Tami set hers to bed in a large cradle for six and picked Jay's pair up with a skilled touch. "What do you think about having the Jedi raise your kits?"

"It's a better life than any of my others have had, Master," Tami said simply as she sat back down and let the two young females start to nurse.

"They do have the strength," Shivasta said, sure of that much already from what she'd felt.

"Their strength was why I kept you." Jay added with a nod as he sat up on the bed. "The wet-nurse skills and timing were just a plus. It is something the Temple might find of value too." He glanced at Shi, not sure how young they took children in normally.

"This young is a bit of a stretch, but not unheard of," she nodded. "I think it's safe to say you could have a home after this, if you want one."

"* _How many slaves are there on this ship?_ *" Shi asked Jay silently.

"* _Several hundred,_ *" he answered before accessing the information logged from the T'surr ship. "* _587, not counting the ones I already made a deal with._ *"

"* _You are planning on setting most of them free, right?_ *" She asked him, the answer she expected clear.

"* _At this point, yes._ *" He nodded, it just as clear to her that it hadn't been the original plan.

It surprised her that it hadn't been, but she didn't say anything about it, sliding her arm under his shoulders and accepting the sharp tension that rippled across his body at the contact.

"We've missed you, Jay," she said softly, refusing to take the way his mind shied away from the soft pulsing of their bond at the contact. She could feel it wasn't a rejection of her, but of the pain of being drawn so close to the Light of her nature. "Fenrik's worried sick, though he doesn't show it."

"I've missed you both." He whispered, doing a fair amount of mental work to not push her away.

"I won't hurt you," she promised. "And you'll be more comfortable once you start to recover."

"It already hurts." He told her simply and managed to pull his shields up a little tighter to give himself some relief.

"I'm sorry," she said, putting her own mental shields up a bit. It was a good thing that Essani wasn't here. "You want me to work on your wound a bit now?"

"Yes," he nodded slightly and relaxed as the pain subsided.

"All right," she nodded. "I'm not sure how you'll react to this; if it hurts, let me know." With that, she started the careful, tedious work of trying to remove and revive as much of the scarred tissue as she could.

* * *

Shivasta rolled over in her bed, unable to sleep. The Kraken's quarters were comfortable; she even had a room to herself.

That was part of the problem, really.

Jay had been outside her room for nearly an hour not too long ago. Probably longer, but that was the time she sensed him during. Torn between wanting to be with her and knowing that being too close would be painful.

She had never run into a response like that before. Not even Dark Side spirits responded to her presence the way he did. She honestly wasn't sure what to make of it.

That was why, by the time she'd worked up the courage to ask him in, he'd already decided to leave.

"What is wrong with you, Jay?" She asked softly, looking up at the ceiling. "And how can I help you, if I can't come anywhere near you?"

She groaned softly at the sensations of arousal seeping through her body from nowhere.

Scratch that. Not from nowhere ... from Jay.

For a brief moment, she felt the same sinking feeling she'd felt the other times he'd been with somebody and she hadn't expected it. Fenrik ... the Cheetah ....

She had a brief mental image of the Mink she'd seen hanging off of him earlier, when he hadn't thought she was looking. Misha, if she remembered right.

What _had_ happened to him, in these past six months? Could it really have only been six months? It wasn't the first time she'd thought it felt like longer ... undoubtedly wouldn't be the last. Until the last few months, she hadn't really felt all that old. Mid-seventies was ancient for her people, to be fair, the ones who saw combat. For a Jedi, it was about the time when you started looking at less field work.

She felt like she was in her hundreds already, now. Jay had to be feeling worse.

He'd gone from Jedi Knight to slaver and mass murderer in a matter of months. She could feel the death on him, the guilt, the anger and hate.

She knew he could come back. She just wondered how much the past few months had changed him that _wouldn't_ be fixed. How much did any of the new "pets" in his life mean to him?

She cautiously opened her mind a little to him for a moment and saw the truth. The one he was with now was nothing more than a warm, eager body to burn off the stress and arousal he was experiencing. He appreciated her, but she was no more important to him than Tami was.

On the plus side, Misha didn't seem any more attached to any particularly partner than he was to her, if that much. But, then, she was a Minervan Mink. They were renowned for being a race of nymphomaniacs.

A soft knock on the door drew her attention away from Jay's doings and to who was outside.

Another of the pets, from her mind. One Shi hadn't met yet.

She stood and grabbed her robe, pulling it on and tying it around her body. Wouldn't do to meet people in the nude on this ship, especially not strangers.

"Hello?" She asked, opening the door and seeing a blue-skinned Twi'lek on the other side, dressed in the leather garb of a pleasure slave. "I'm sorry... I think you have the wrong room, miss...?"

"Y'alla, mistress." She smiled seductively. "I saw your mate is occupied elsewhere. Perhaps you would like some company?"

"That... depends on the type of company you're thinking," Shi said, pausing for a moment to think things through.

"Any kind you wish, mistress." Y'alla said easily.

"Talking, perhaps?" Shi suggested, smiling softly. "You probably know more about him than I do, at this point."

"I do not know about that, mistress, but I will try." The Twi'lek nodded easily.

"Please, come in," Shivasta said, stepping back. "Make yourself comfortable," she offered, just before her mind pointed out that might not be the best suggestion to make.

Y'alla pointed it out even more pointedly when she lay down on the bed and relaxed to make herself look particularly desirable.

Shi just took a seat on the other side of the bed, turning to look at her.

"Has he been treating you and the others well?" She asked softly, wanting desperately to get that much out of the way, at least. "And please... tell me the truth, regardless of whether or not you think he'll like it. I won't tell him."

"He is a very kind owner, mistress." She said the truth easily. "As is Master Janos. He even takes care to choose who to be with based on his desires. He doesn't play rough with those who don't really enjoy it." She added with a bit of amazement. "He is very generous too."

"Sounds like that's changed least," Shi murmured, looking down at Y'alla's exposed back. "Do you enjoy playing rough then, or were those Mina's doing?" She asked, reaching down to trace the scars of varying freshness along the twi'lek's flesh.

"Mina's, mistress, and many previous owners."

"I'm most concerned with the ones in the past few months," Shivasta admitted, her healer's instincts locking on to the pale marks. "You've enjoyed being Jay's then?"

"The few times I've been with him, yes." She nodded. "Mistress Mina was the one with a taste for pain. Master Jay stopped her more than once. He didn't like it."

"Good," Shivasta smiled softly. "I know he's enjoyed it with partners who did, it's good to know it didn't change that much...."

Though that didn't really help to explain how he'd ended up murdering a bed partner.

"They bought a special pet for when they're in that mood." She smiled easily. "He's quite the pain-slut."

"That makes sense, I suppose," Shivasta mused. "So I take it that Misha isn't into that sort of play ... has he ever lost control when he was with somebody, that you know of?"

She shook her head easily. "No, mistress. He likes to fuck his partners unconscious, he's left Tamil a bloody mess, but he never looses control."

"When did he buy you all?" She asked softly. None of this was all working out to make sense... she knew he wouldn't normally kill somebody, but Mina hadn't been with him before....

The thought that her mate was really inclined towards leaving some of his lovers dead the morning after was _definitely_ not reassuring.

"Master Janos killed our former owner after the T'surr tried to enslave him ... three, four months ago. He sold the slaver ship and the rest of the cargo to the Hutt there, but he let his mates choose some of us to keep. Master Jay chose Misha, Master Janos chose Vondra, and Mistress Mina chose me for pets. Tami was kept for her skills and timing as a wet-nurse. They took another T'surr ship the day of the birth. The rest of the crew and everyone in the holding zones are from that ship. I know Master Jay and Janos have been talking to each one before deciding what to do with them."

"Well, their plans have changed rather suddenly, I'm sure," Shivasta murmured, leaning back against the headboard of the bed. She was rather surprised to find out that Vondra was Janos' 'pet,' but it made sense when she thought about it. "What have you all been doing since then? There's a pretty big gap in the middle there."

"A lot of time on Nar Shaddaa," she kind of shrugged. "They were enjoying Janos' wealth, and he was enjoying playing Alpha. This only really came up when the kittens got close. Before Nar Shaddaa was when they got us, and the last time you attacked."

"We were trying to bring Jay back home, where he belongs," Shi murmured. "If only we'd managed it then, so much pain wouldn't have happened."

"He still loves you, even though he's very afraid of you." Y'alla said softly and reached out to touch the Ice Walker's cool hand. "He is still a very good person, no matter how much you think has changed."

"I know," Shi nodded. "It's just a matter of some of the things he's done... from what I know, he's been worse than Mina, for short spells. It's hard to imagine him doing something like that, but I know he did."

"I don't know about those things, mistress." She said quietly.

"I saw them," Shi murmured softly, shivering beneath her robes, despite the fact that the room was perfectly warm for her. "So much fear... from both of them."

Y'alla had no answer to that, so she remained still, her hand on Shi's.

"I'm sorry, you don't know about this, it's not fair to burden you with it," Shi murmured, turning her hand to take Y'alla's in it. "What will you do, after you're freed?"

The Twi'lek blinked, her absolute shock and loss at the question -- the very idea -- easily visible on her face for a moment.

"Sex is the only trade I have," she answered after a moment. "If I don't have an owner to care for me, probably a whore house, or the street."

"This is going to be tricky, isn't it?" Shi sighed. "I know that Ryloth only pays lip service to the Republic's anti-slavery laws, but Jay can't keep you all, after all...."

"Master Janos is who owns us, mistress." Y'alla said simply. "Master Jay only bought Tamil, none of the others."

"You _want_ to be a slave?" Shivasta asked Y'alla directly, not really able to comprehend it, but knowing that it wasn't really her choice.

"It's all I've ever been, mistress." She pointed out hesitantly, uneasy about saying something she knew was upsetting. "There are not many things for a pleasure slave to be that are better than a decent owner.

"And if I asked Misha and the others, would they be telling me basically the same thing?" Shi asked, reaching up with her other hand to rub the bridge of her nose. She didn't like it, but she knew that the best thing for them was to remain slaves, at this point.

"Misha was trained for a harem on Midriac from birth," Y'alla nodded. "Tamil has been one his adult life at least. Tami's a fifth generation slave. Vondra's the only one that had a life before she was captured."

"And she'll want to stay with Janos, I'm sure," Shi murmured. "This is going to be complicated, with him laid up the way he is...."

"I do not understand, mistress." Y'alla looked at the other blue-skinned woman curiously and wondered in the back of her mind if Mina had chosen her because of a level of resemblance. The idea of them as lovers was a truly strange one, but not the strangest thing she'd come across.

"Janos isn't in shape to pilot just now... and under Republic law, if you aren't all released, you _will_ be, and he'll be hauled in as a slaver. To say nothing of other crimes he's probably committed. Jay can't keep you; the only way for this to work out would be for all of you to leave with him, somehow. Escape, so to speak, before the Kraken is under full Republic control again."

"I'm sure Master Jay will be able to work it out." Y'alla said confidently. "He's very smart."

"Yes, he is," Shi smiled softly. "But he's also distracted with his kittens. That's another mess entirely."

"I expect it is, mistress." Y'alla nodded, more than a bit at a loss as to what to say now.

"Do you want to spend the night here?" Shivasta asked her. "Without sex," she added. "I'm not sure if there's anybody available for you to spend the night with just now."

"Yes, mistress." She smiled slightly.

"All right," Shi smiled. "I'll probably sleep better for the company," she admitted, laying down on the bed the rest of the way, not quite comfortable with the idea of disrobing with the twi'lek next to her. "Sleep well, Y'alla."

"Sleep well, mistress." She responded easily and closed her eyes to rest.

* * *

Janos groaned softly as he woke up in the middle of the night, his entire body aching, Vondra snuggled up next to him in the medical bed. He smiled softly, looking over at her, and managed to work an arm around her body, squeezing her gently.

"You don't deserve this," he murmured softly, sighing inwardly. The Jedi were here, and if he was lucky he'd be able to get off the ship before he was hauled off in restraint cuffs. At least with the representative being a Healer, he wasn't likely to be run through with a lightsaber. At least not after she went to all the trouble of healing him as much as she had.

"Mmmm?" Vondra mumbled, not exactly awake, but not asleep either.

"Sorry," he murmured softly, closing his eyes for a moment. Mina had almost killed him earlier. It wasn't the first time he'd almost gotten himself killed, that was for sure. Probably wouldn't be the last.

It _had_ been the most frightening. And the one that had made him rethink things the most. He'd finally _felt_ the Dark Side, up close and personal. Fear, pain, rage, all channeled directly into him. It wasn't like the rage he was used to, seeing blood and not realizing what was going on until whatever'd pissed him off was dead and pulverized.

It was the receiving end of a _lot_ more darkness than he had inside of himself. Enough to make him consider taking the money he had left and retiring for a while, until he had a few things sorted out.

He'd just have to figure out a way to get off the Kraken and out of Republic space while he did it ... which was where Vondra became an issue.

"Just how awake are you?" He asked her softly.

"Awake, master." She answered softly and nuzzled him a bit. "How are you?"

"Feeling like somebody hit me with the Sharufa," he admitted, returning the nuzzle softly. "And thoughtful. I ... haven't exactly been honest with you," he said, not sure how she'd take him knowing who she was.

"Master Healer Shivasta said that you'd recover fully, it would just take some time." She relaxed against him and gently ran her fingers threw his fur, careful of the spots still growing back.

"I know," he nodded slightly. "I just hope it's in time to get away from here before the Jedi have me hauled back to face whatever they call a trial."

"Jay will protect you," she reminded him gently. "He doesn't seem the type to go back on a promise."

"He isn't," Janos admitted. "I'm just not much for sitting back and waiting for other people to cover for me ... usually that sort of logic'd end up getting me killed." He turned his head to kiss her softly, rubbing her back lightly with the arm wrapped around her.

"I know you're a Santross," he said softly, wanting to get it out while he still had the nerve.

She tensed almost instantly, her eyes going wide as she assessed that, and then relaxed almost abruptly. "How?"

"When you were dreaming a few nights back, I picked up on enough details to put it together," he admitted. "I didn't want to say anything at first, but...."

"But what, master?" She asked quietly, her eyes down a bit.

"But you don't deserve to be owned by anybody, name or no name," he said, nuzzling her muzzle gently and got an affectionate lick for it. "Just makes me more glad that I didn't let Vondrich anywhere near you. I guess I just keep coming back to the point that you don't deserve to be owned by me either. Just don't see any reason a Santross would want to stay with a no-name Alpha who can't hold a pack together."

"Because you're nicer than any husband I could expect to get." She murmured quietly, her muzzle along his shoulder. "I may be the youngest daughter, but he'd be chosen for political reasons even now ... especially now."

Janos paused for a moment, the one thing he hadn't really expected to come out of this conversation now _very_ much in the front of his mind.

"If you were free, think you'd get that choice?" He asked softly. "I know you don't think very highly of yourself lately, but your kin might change their minds."

"Depends on what you can live with." She continued matter-of-factly, now fully in the role of explaining personal politics among the super-wealthy of Corellia. It was a conversation she had been well groomed for by her mother as she grew up. "As a husband, they'd never accept it. As my lover, they don't really care as long as I have pups by my husband first and not too many by you. Nobody really expects loyalty out of a political marriage once the politics of it are addressed."

"I could handle it as long as your husband treated you well," Janos said seriously. "From the sound of it, that's anything but a sure thing."

"He'll be expected to do that, just not _care_ about me, or stay in my bed when we aren't trying to make puppies. Not like you do." Vondra pointed out easily, still snuggled against his side. "He'd have hell to answer for if he beat me or something, even more so now that we're so few. Aunt Dymesta is going to be a bit on the over-protective side for a while. You do _not_ cross the matriarch of the Santross Pack. It's not healthy, no matter who you are."

"Good to know," Janos murmured, hugging her close. "You've already taken enough abuse for a few lifetimes."

Vondra licked his cheek and snuggled close, still careful of the bare patches where his fur needed to grow in.

"Love you, Vondra," Janos said softly, meaning the words more than he had in a lifetime. The warmth he felt in her smile and gentle kiss made him feel better than he had in just as long.

"Love you, Janos." She murmured.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Shivasta stood outside of one of the Kraken's meditation chambers. That was the one good thing about the Sith ship; Sith and Jedi both understood the value of specially shielded chambers for meditation.

She was carrying a tray with the kat's favorite breakfast from back with the Order. Misha had been preparing something for him, but she'd taken up where the Mink had left off when she mentioned that Y'alla was fairly wound up. This would be a good chance to speak with Jay, and she wasn't going to miss it.

She tightened her mental shields and requested that the doors open.

They opened, half to her surprise, to reveal Jay working advanced katas, the four blades of his lightsabers flashing at a dangerous rate. Even as shielded as she was, Shi could feel how stressed he was; how badly he wanted things to be simple and make sense again.

The Healer part of her watched carefully to make sure he didn't manage to hurt himself again, while she just watched and waited until he started to slow down or noticed the smell of food.

It used to work, at least.

It still did, and it didn't take much longer than usual. He finished the kata, but she could tell she had his attention well before he actually stopped and turned his lightsabers off to face her, his nose twitching.

"I brought you breakfast," she said unnecessarily. "I hope your tastes haven't changed too much since I did this last time."

"No," he murmured as his stomach reminded him of how long it had been since his last meal. "Thank you." He added as he walked over to take the tray.

"You're welcome," she smiled, stepping back to give him some room as he set the tray on a small bench on the outside of the room and sat down to eat. She continued to watch for signs that her shields weren't enough to keep him comfortable, and found her to relief that between them he wasn't reacting badly to her presence.

"Jay?" She asked him, taking a seat on the bench across from the tray. "How much have things changed between us?"

He looked up at her and paused. "I don't know." He admitted. "I didn't want to change, but it happened."

"I guess I just need to know if we're still mates," Shi admitted quietly. "I know this has been hard for you, Jay, but we can work past it ... if you want to. I can feel you do, but I'm not sure how much of it is wishful thinking."

"Very little," he murmured, looking down at the food before looking up at her. "We _are_ still mates, Shi. The bond is there, I'm not much on denying its existence. That pain that is making this so difficult is designed to keep me from slipping in the first place. I'd shy away from anything that started to hurt like that."

"Is there anything I can do to help with it?" She asked, fighting her urge to reach over and touch his cheek.

"I ... I really don't know." He sighed. "I don't know what's going to happen, but I should start to shift back to the Light. At least enough that we don't have to shield so strongly."

"There are treatments that I could help you with, but it would probably be painful," Shi admitted. "Beyond that... I could feel you outside my door last night, Jay. I missed you, but I wasn't sure what to say."

"I wasn't sure how'd you react ... or just how I would." He met her gaze for a moment. "I ... need you."

"More than -" Shi shook her head slightly, cutting off the comment she knew she shouldn't make about Misha. "I know that shielding our bond would be different, but would it be enough to let us be together like that?"

"It would be a start," he murmured, his heart in his throat and even more nervous than when they'd first shared a bed so long ago. "I've missed you, Shi."

"I've missed you too, Jay. So has Fenrik... gods we've missed you." This time, she did reach out to take his hand. It was hot and dry, just as it had been before. The way he moved his fingers to ghost his soft fur over her palm still sent chills down her spine. 

"This isn't going to be easy for a while, putting the 'us' back together." Jay murmured and leaned forward to kiss her very softly, hesitantly, despite the desire driving him crazy.

"If it was easy, I'd be scared for both of us," she murmured after their lips parted. "Why don't you finish breakfast? We should have some time left before we reach the Kethris system."

Jay got a bit of a gleam in his eyes. "How about breakfast on you?" He purred throatily.

"Mmm ... you haven't changed that much," she chuckled, kissing him lightly. "Let's head back to one of our rooms then."

"As you wish." He chuckled and slid a hand up her arm as they stood.

"Jay, I've never been _that_ much of an exhibitionist," Shi smirked, standing with him and grabbing his tray.

"It's a locked room," he pointed out with a snicker but made no effort to do anything but follow her to her room.

"And I don't doubt that most people who'd walk in on us wouldn't mind," Shi agreed. "Humor me." They left the meditation room, heading back to Shivasta's.

"Think you'll be able to spend the night with me?" She asked him softly. "Maybe Fenrik too?"

"I'll ... try." He consented uneasily. "I'm really not sure how I'm going to react to trying to sleep ... like this. No Fenrik until after I've met my folks."

"All right," Shi nodded, the door to her room sliding open as she reached it. "I'm sorry," she added softly, setting the tray down on a small table as they walked in.

"For what?" He cupped her face to look up at him.

"I know this isn't my fault, but if I hadn't been suckered by that Otter, they never would have gotten this far," she murmured, wrapping her arms around his waist and leaning up to kiss him tenderly.

"Probably would have anyway," he shook his head and rested his chin on her shoulder. "Janos' bond was overlaid without him being hurt."

"Mmm ... you were already vulnerable, and Fenrik was out of it for a few good minutes," Shi pointed out, kissing his cheek. "Let's not worry about it for now...." She rubbed his back softly, working on memory more than anything else to help him relax.

"Let's not." He rumbled softly and pulled her close, the sharp contrast in their body temperatures exciting from memories of decades spent together. "We're here now." He murmured and kissed his way down the side of her neck.

"That's what matters," Shi agreed, moaning softly at the feel of his touch, of finally being back with him.

"Master," Kraken piped up. "We are approaching the Kethris system."

Shi shuddered slightly at the abrupt shift that announcement caused in Jay. Without so much as a blink, he went completely _Dark_ inside. Rage, vicious hatred, intent to cause pain all rippled to the surface and focused on the shecat that had taken his kittens.

"Good." He rumbled and turned away from Shi, forgetting what they were up to instantly as he headed for the bridge. "Power the weapons and shields to full strength. Sensor report."

"The Sith fighter is still in the system, but it is abandoned," Kraken explained easily as Shivasta followed Jay, not willing to let him out of her sight or influence for a moment just now. "However, the Jedi fleet has apprehended several stolen vessels, most of which are masking their contents."

"Not for long." Jay rumbled as he stepped onto a lift and leaned against the wall as it sped to the hanger where Sharufa was docked. He focused on reaching out to each ship, seeking the one with the shecat and two tiny babies.

He found it, and the Ringtail still piloting the vessel. Another fighter, its engines already damaged in the process of stealing it, and astromech droid working frantically to repair the damage.

The deflector screens of the vessel were fluctuating wildly as a result of the damage; they were trying to find a way to disable the tractor beams keeping them in place, and the distracted droid wasn't helping much.

"* _This one._ *" Jay grinned viciously. "Bring it on board, and open a channel to the vessel holding it."

"Doing so," Kraken said calmly, the door to the lift opening to let them onto the main hangar.

"Jay, I have a bad feeling about this," Shi warned him softly.

"Kraken, this is the Republic vessel Kyntassi," an unfamiliar voice announced from the much, much smaller transport that had the fighter held in place.

"Kyntassi, let the Keldan Lion go once we have our tractor beams locked on it." Jay said easily as the huge hanger door opened at his command. "We'll bring her on board."

"Very well, Kraken," the captain of the smaller vessel said easily.

The hangar door opened, revealing the tiny fighter and the Kyntassi nearby. Probably a half-dozen other fighters were in being held in place, a few larger vessels, assorted Jedi transports taking care of the situation.

"Something is very, _very_ wrong," Shivasta murmured softly as they watched.

"Kraken, what is going on?" The Captain of the Kyntassi demanded suddenly. "Why are you -"

Whatever he was going to ask was interrupted by the sound of half the Kraken's turreted guns and every weapon mounted on the starboard side firing, vaporizing the Kyntassi, the explosion rocking every ship nearby. Shi and Jay were both very nearly thrown off their feet, both staring in shock.

The Keldan Lion reacted immediately, disappearing into hyperspace as soon as the tractor beam holding it in place was annihilated. The rest of the fleet wasn't nearly as quick to recover as two more of the captured fighters were blown away, and the transports started to pull around to bring their own weapons to bear on the Sith battle cruiser that had suddenly turned on them.

Too slow for a second transport, the Kraken's biggest guns firing on it, ripping it in two with blasts meant to level portions of cities.

"* _Fenrik!_ *" Shivasta 'shouted' telepathically, ducking out of the way as the internal turrets of the bay hissed, lowering their weapons and preparing to fire on the Jedi. "* _The Kraken is firing on its own, Jay is_ not _giving it these orders!_ *"

Jay snarled with a whole new kind of rage and turned the full power of his family Gift fueled by the Demon itself on the ship's AI, ripping it to shreds the way a powerful Sith could rip a living mind apart.

Shi could practically _feel_ the artificial personality's pain for a brief moment before there wasn't enough left of it to feel anything.

Everything was still and silent for a painfully long moment before a new ship came into the system, dropping out of hyperspace.

"* _What the FUCK is going on over there?_ *" Fenrik roared back along their bond, the rocking of his ship clear in the message.

"We are being hailed." Kraken's default programming, now stripped of a personality, spoke up.

"Open channel." Jay ordered from where he was panting, half collapsed on the floor from the amount of energy he'd channeled in the previous moments.

"Greetings from the Aristal Explorer Far Ranger," a voice familiar female and language from his earliest memories came across the loud speakers. "I understand my little brother is the captain over there."

"Marie?" Jay looked up, somewhere between bewildered and wary threw his exhaustion.

"Yes, bro." The smile managed to come across in her voice. "Can we come aboard?"

"Sure." He struggled to his feet. "Hanger bay's open."

"* _Everything's under control,_ *" Shivasta told Fenrik. "* _Kraken's dead._ *"

The Far Ranger approached, flying through the permeable shield that separated the hangar bay from the open vacuum of space.

It wasn't until that moment that Jay really believed his kin were here, and Shi felt the tension drain from him until he could barely stand as it settled down.

"* _Please tell me there are survivors on the second transport?_ *" She asked Fenrik, moving close to Jay in case he _couldn't_ stay on his feet as they waited for the Clawsons to disembark.

"* _Not many,_ *" he muttered. "* _We're rescuing them now. How's Jay?_ *"

"* _Distracting himself with family,_ *" Shivasta told her other mate. "* _I'll find out what happened with Kraken later, if I can. Jay... he annihilated the AI as soon as he realized what was happening. We still don't know why it fired._ *"

"* _If the AI is back, it_ is _Sith._ *" Fenrik pointed out as Jay reached down to squeeze Shi's hand.

"Shi ... would you ask Fenrik to join us?" Jay looked at her before his attention was drawn to those disembarking.

An elder shekat, the air of command and authority very different from the mindset she had walked into the Jedi Council. This time she only had one companion, Felisha Furlong.

"Mom?" Jay blinked, taking a long moment to convince himself he wasn't hallucinating, and then ran forward to pull her into a tight embrace with tears of relief ready to flow.

Shivasta stayed where she was for now; letting Jay get reacquainted with the family he hadn't seen in most of his lifetime.

"* _Fenrik, Jay wants you to come to the ship now,_ *" she told the Panther. "* _The Clawsons are here, and the Kraken is safe now. God, I only wish Jay had let us do that decades ago...._ *"

"* _At least he's finally being reasonable._ *" The Panther sighed to her. His hurt at being excluded was evident, even though he knew exactly why and couldn't fault Jay's reasoning. "* _I'll be on board when the rescue is done._ *"

"* _I'm sorry, Fenrik,_ *" Shivasta said softly. "* _If I'd let you stop this, maybe this wouldn't have happened. I can't wait for you to be here to help me ... Jay's still very much on the edge._ *"

"* _I'm really not surprised._ *" He said softly. "* _I'll be there as soon as I can._ *"

Shivasta drew back from Fenrik's mind to let him focus on the rescues, then approached the Clawsons, noticing that the initial greetings had finally calmed down a bit and Jay was standing a bit back talking rapidly with his body as much as his voice.

"Mom, sis, this is my partner, Shivasta Stormwarden." Jay turned to face her with a warm smile and drew her closer; the pride and importance of the designation clear in his mind, and in their reactions. "Shi, my mother, Felisha Furlong and my oldest sister and head of the family, Marie Clawson."

"It's good to see you in person, Shi." Marie smiled warmly and extended a hand to the Healer. "A belated welcome to the family."

"Thank you, Madame Clawson," Shivasta smiled, accepting the handshake. "I'm not sure if there's something you'd prefer I called you...?" She asked, not honestly sure if she had a title she would prefer, or if being part of the family would affect anything.

"Marie is fine." She said easily. "You are family after all."

"We aren't big on titles or last names," Jay added with a teasing smirk towards his oldest sibling.

"I should have known it from Jay," Shi chuckled with a fond smile. "But then, things are a little different with the Jedi. It's good to meet his family; to be honest, none of us really expected it."

"If he had not turned, it probably would not have happened." Marie admitted. "That is what drew us here."

"Now I hear I have grandkits." Felisha dragged the subject back to something more pleasant than her oldest son's pending Omega status.

"He didn't turn all the way," Shivasta said softly. "And yes, you do," she added with a smile. "Beautiful ones, the two I've seen. The others... we'll be recovering them as soon as we can find where their sorry excuse for a mother ran off to when Kraken went rogue."

"Did you leave anything of him?" Marie asked her brother pointedly.

"Not that I could find," he rumbled dangerously.

"Any clues to where she went?" Felisha asked, urging the group to get moving before things got any more unpleasant.

"Not that I'm aware of, but I'm horrible with machines," Shivasta admitted as they started for the lift that would take them to the nursery. "Fenrik might have a better idea when he gets here, I don't doubt that half the sensors in the fleet were scanning that ship."

"She will not get far." Jay growled, only to dip his ears and head submissively at Marie's sharp look. He was no less riled inside, but the response to the silent reprimand was almost instant control.

"My grandkits?" Felisha prompted.

"Mystera's a solid black female, much like great-great grandmother Midnight." Jay answered with a soft smile for his children. "Jemeka's a dusty rose on strawberry blond tabby fem. The missing two are Jamil, a black on red tabby tom, and Tessra, a brown on rusty red tabby fem. Charance was a dark brown tabby tom." He added softly for his dead son.

"What...." Shivasta trailed off, realizing that now was not the time to ask what had happened. She couldn't help but feel that, somehow, it wasn't a natural still-birth situation.

If it was, it'd be the first thing natural that had happened since the attack.

"He was born dead." Jay answered as best he could. "The family bond snapped during the birth."

"I'm sorry, bro." Marie murmured and put a slender hand on his shoulder. "We'll make sure he gets a proper funeral."

Shivasta was quiet as the lift came to a halt, not sure what else to say, at least not with Jay's family there. He clearly wasn't as restrained with them as he was with most people, but she didn't know how far that went yet.

The others were silent too as they walked to the nursery, but it lightened almost instantly when the door opened and Tami looked up from four sleeping kittens, two only days old, the other two a bit over a month old.

Jay smiled indulgently, not even realizing how potent an effect the younger pair had on him as he walked up with his mother to touch and introduce.

"I would like a chance to talk to you in private, Shi." Marie spoke softly while others were distracted.

"Now's as good a time as any," Shi replied softly. "How private?"

"A quiet room to ourselves will do." The family matriarch nodded to herself. "I know well how unlikely it is he's not going to hear about it eventually. They'll keep themselves entertained with the kittens until there is something to _do_."

"There's a room just down the hall," Shivasta said easily, leading the way for the short distance to it. "Jay or Fenrik would be the only people who'd interrupt, I'm sure."

"No doubt," she chuckled softly as the door opened to the conference room. "Ace, my mate, might as well if it's important enough."

"I'm going to _hope_ that nothing that important comes up, no offense," Shi smiled, stepping into the empty room. "Because it sounds like this is a serious issue at hand."

"It is, and it isn't." Marie sat down and relaxed in a comfortable conference chair. "Any time a Clawson takes a mate or may have gone Omega, it's serious. I'm also his older sister and head of the family, and I want to know what happened to him."

"Understandable," Shi nodded. "Where do you want me to start though? There's a lot of ground to cover, after all."

"A long lifetime's worth." She nodded. "How did you meet, get together?"

"We met when he decided to practice flying about ten years too early," Shivasta smiled with fond memories, taking a seat. "Master Essani was about ready to have a coronary herself when she got him into medical. I was on shift and assigned to take care of him once he was conscious again, and we became friends from there. Mates came after a year or two, when we were both getting old enough to start thinking of things in those terms. Still young, especially for Jedi, but it worked out in the end."

"Flying?" Marie raised an eyebrow sharply. "Is this a common ability?"

"Hardly," Shivasta admitted easily. "Not even most Knights bother learning how. But Jay loves it, and he's never really had a problem with thinking he couldn't do something, regardless of whether or not he could," she chuckled.

"It is good to know he learned that lesson well, even at eight." Marie nodded with an approving smile for her baby brother. "What drew you to him, as a lover?"

"He's Jay," Shi admitted with a smile, not quite sure how else to describe it for a moment. "He's usually sweet, caring ... we were friends before we were lovers. There was a bit of a misunderstanding that drew us together that way the first time ... but it worked out. To be honest, we both figured it was going to happen eventually, it was just a matter of how the timing worked out."

"What has he been like, before this mess?"

"Conflicted," Shivasta admitted. "He wanted to become a Jedi for the longest time, despite the fact that he's never been truly comfortable in the Order. He's always had a darker side to him, been short-tempered and prone to a violent solution to problems. But he's more than made up for it too. He's caring, loving, generous to a fault almost. Brave and curious... he's a true warrior and creator. Like a lot of warriors, you just don't want to be the one to make him angry. It hadn't happened for years before this.

"Marie? If I may ask, are you just curious about him as family? Or is there something else you're trying to determine?" Shi asked Marie.

"He is the first kitten we've lost and recovered," she said simply. "We've had a lot of theories about what is nature and what is learned, why we are so different from most Kats. This is a chance to find out a little more about how we are what we are. He is also teetering on the edge of an Omega classification."

That was a term Shivasta recognized, as well as the fate for people who received it.

"He isn't that far gone," she said.

"I'm inclined to agree, but it is not my decision to make." Marie said softly. "It is a matter of law, not opinion."

"Whose law?" Shivasta asked her. "By ours ... we have seen far worse acts committed by people who have gone on to redeem themselves, and will see it again."

"Our law," Marie regarded the younger woman evenly. "You may be able to block us from punishing him for his crimes, if he has actually committed any under our laws, but if he is an Omega, it will affect his choices on coming home."

"I understand," Shivasta said, inclining her head respectfully. "And it is not my place to speak for the Council on this. Will the circumstances of what has happened be considered?"

"Yes," she nodded. "We do consider mitigating circumstances. Given the sketchy information I have access to at the moment, I can't say much about what he's going to face from our side yet. If he hasn't tried for genocide or planetary domination or demolition yet, a mate able and willing to take responsibility for him also counts. By now, I'm sure you have encountered just how potent an effect a mate can have on a Clawson's behavior."

"Gods know I have," Shivasta nodded, shuddering slightly. "That's what got this whole mess started, after all. Marie ... we can't let Jay kill Mina, not if he reacts the way he did when we found her."

That raised an eyebrow. "Why not? It's as justifiable a homicide as there is."

"It's not because of what he'd be doing, it's why... it's complicated," Shi admitted. "What does your family know of the Force, and how it works? It sounds like Jay was the first who had any real inkling of it."

"I haven't really looked into it," she admitted. "Discerning local quirks in the universal power was rather low on the priorities list. I've spent most of my time working on my Basic and political structures. We've only been in this galaxy for ten days."

"Understandable," Shi nodded. "Though with sensitive relatives, it was possible your family had tripped across the Dark Side before. Effectively, it's all that's wrong about the Force ... and Jay is very, very vulnerable to it now. He has been for much of his life, thanks to his temper. But now ... when he gets put on Mina's trail, it's almost painful to feel his reaction. So much rage, so poorly controlled ... if he did kill her, I'm not sure what the effects on him would be, but in this state it couldn't be good."

Marie considered her levelly for a long moment. "Perhaps. We have found it can also be better than a lifetime of therapy. Everything gets vented on that moment and the wounds can begin to heal." She paused. "You keep mentioning his temper. He was easily one of the more even-tempered kits in the family at eight. Do you know if he suffered a brain injury or something that could have caused that change? It's pretty clearly not you or Fenrik from your records."

"It may well be a difference in what we mean by short-tempered," Shivasta admitted. "For one of my people, he's actually remarkably restrained. But for a Jedi, he was about one step short of dangerously easy to anger. But he did grow up in the slums of a slum world for two years before he was found ... that can change somebody."

"Brings out survivor instincts a little more than we usually like," Marie nodded. "We are also very action-oriented people. 'Even-tempered' and 'restrained' are not words you usually associate with _any_ black op, much less one of us, unless it's a face we put on for the public or we're badly messed up by something. Looking at his records, I'd say he's typically quite restrained in his actions. Effective too." She chuckled softly. "We aren't usually good diplomats. It's not what we were bred for."

"He isn't much of one," Shi pointed out with a chuckle. "He can be when he has to, but he's much more at home on a dig or a battlefield. He, Fenrik and I have been involved in more than one small-scale war," she admitted.

"I'd be surprised if you hadn't been." Marie smiled slightly. "We live exciting lives, whether anyone likes it or not."

"That's one way to describe it," Shi chuckled. "Add that to being Jedi, and we're lucky that we've had any missions that weren't 'exciting,'" she smiled.

"True," she nodded easily. "He's interested in archeology?"

"Very," Shi smiled. "And technology, of course, but that really goes without saying. We were actually exploring an ancient set of ruins before this all started."

"Tell me about it, the records are sparse at best right now."

"I'm not honestly sure how much there is to tell," Shi admitted. "The whole thing could have been set up by the Wolf who arranged it. We actually should still have the statues in the hold, as I remember ... but I was off-world for a while before the attack.

"At any rate, it was an ancient Sith site, from before the Sith were a Dark Side sect. The statues we found were their last known records from their time before they were taken over by the Dark Siders."

"What has Jay been up to these last months, what happened to him?" Marie rephrased her question. "How did he reject you?" She struggled to phrase a question that was so far outside what was thought possible that they'd never worried about it.

"Ah, I'm sorry," Shivasta said, shaking her head. "I don't know all the details yet. When I was attacked, I was poisoned and in a coma for two months. He thought I was dead, and was bonded to the shecat who stole his kittens. You know that. What came after that ... his two 'mates' have been encouraging his fall to the Dark Side. You already mentioned the effect a mate can have on a Clawson. He killed a woman on Naboo ... murdered her, honestly. He's been on the run from the Jedi since he was captured, and we've been trying to find him.

"As for has he rejected me... do you mean why he's reacting so badly to being near me?"

"Sort of." Marie sighed. "That reaction is how most of us _stay_ on the right side of things. Normally, if he started to slip, it would hurt, and that would stop that kind of behavior from becoming common. How another took your place ... normally that takes at least amnesia, or the death of the mate. That it can be done without either of those events makes it very important to understand how it happened."

"I understand now," she nodded. "To be blunt, I very nearly _did_ die. The only reason I didn't is because I put myself into a coma that's almost indistinguishable. I'm pretty sure the Demon was helping as well, and the one who did the work was a _very_ powerful Force user. Fenrik's bond was replaced later largely because, again, he was nearly killed. And beyond that, Jay was already vulnerable from having my bond usurped. Do you have mind healers back in your part of the universe?"

Marie paused to cross-reference the term from the Jedi databases they had downloaded before leaving. "No, nothing like you do." She shook her head. "That kind of power isn't known."

"It's not a very common skill, not to any sort of power, even here," Shivasta agreed. "I have some talent, but only a minimal amount for a Healer, and we're barely five percent of the Order's number. But Master Zykell, the former Jedi who arranged all this, was known for his unusual talent in the area, particularly for somebody who wasn't a healer. I imagine that, with the Demon's help, he was able to splice a new emotional bond in place over the existing one. Rather like a bypass, or putting two wires together. Except that the way these bonds were set up, the longer they were in place the more they replaced the existing ones.

"If you're familiar with botany, the easiest way to think of it might be like planting mistletoe on a healthy tree."

Marie considered that, running a cross-reference on the unfamiliar terms, and shuddered. "And since the new bonds were with people who are evil, he'd instinctively shift his behavior to come in line with them, much the same way as his behavior would have shifted to fall more in line with yours after you became mates."

"Exactly," Shivasta nodded. "What happened with the woman on Naboo is a prime example. He was already prone to enjoying rough bed play. By the time he reached Naboo, he'd been bonded to a true sadist for a few months, from what her 'pet' told me. So when he found a bed partner who enjoyed that sort of play... he went too far. It wouldn't have happened if he'd been with Fenrik or me, instead of two Dark Siders, one of whom murdered another woman in the morning just for fun. You can see why I asked about extenuating circumstances."

"Yes. Can you break the new bonds without killing him?" Marie asked softly.

"I already broke Mina's, though he didn't particularly enjoy the process," Shivasta explained. "The fact that the bonds aren't as strong as normal helps, a lot. Janos, the other one... I want Fenrik here before that happens. I don't want to take the chance that the backlash to any of the three of them could cause harm."

"How long until he arrives?"

"It depends on how long the rescue operations take, but I imagine not more than an hour, if that," Shivasta said easily. "Just be ready for him to be a little paranoid. He's the classic warrior, and if they were Wolves, I'd say he was his alpha."

"I expected that," Marie smiled warmly with a light chuckle. "Jay never was _that_ rebellious, and you don't seem the domineering type. Has he been happy, overall, since you met?"

"I like to think he has been," Shivasta smiled. "And no, I'm not, though try telling my niece that sometimes," she chuckled. "But it's good to see him with him family. He's been happy, but he hasn't felt like he really belonged."

"In a very real way, he hasn't." She nodded in understanding. "It wasn't that long ago that we were used to being the only one of our kind, but not since our father's kittenhood has that been true. Jay was raised to be part of the family, part of the colony. It's clear in his file that you have about as much experience with our kind as we've had with yours. It's not a good feeling to be alone."

"No, it isn't," Shi agreed. "Especially not when keeping who you were meant to be is at odds with who you are now."

"Clawson and Jedi has not been an easy balance to strike for him, has it?" Marie asked.

"I don't think so," Shivasta nodded. "The Jedi espouse controlling your emotions ... from what I can tell, that's not a high priority for Clawsons, no offense intended. More often, the Clawson mores and Jedi ones aren't always in line with each other. Your family is fiercely individualistic, from what I can gather," she smiled. "And places a high value on history. Jay especially ... there have been some very painful discussions about history, in the Republic."

"No offence taken," Marie smiled slightly. "I expect he was horrified to realize that you've had interstellar travel longer than we've had cities and have so few records of it. That keeping, and protecting, of records and history is how we've defined civilized cultures in much of recent history. To forget the past is to be doomed to repeat it is a very well known, and well proven, saying on Aristal."

"That's a very accurate assessment," Shivasta agreed. "When he found out that there's a bit of a debate over whether or not my people used to be connected to the Jedi Order as explorers and miners before we were considered lost in space and regressed to a pre-industrial level of technology... well, if I hadn't been his mate, I imagine he would have gone ballistic."

"Quite likely," Marie murmured, disturbed herself, though she didn't show it nearly as much as Jay had years before. "Between being 'lost' himself and growing up on colony ships, it would have hit very close to home and hope. 'No one left behind' is something we have long embraced and is still a loyalty that ties us to Aristal as home. We know we'll be sought out if we're lost, even if it's only to return our body for burial."

"Where loyalties like that are held within a planet or family here, most often," Shivasta nodded. "After this is over, what do you plan to do?"

"Go home." Marie said simply, a choice that had been made long before. "We are far outside anywhere that we could maintain our social network. This is a rescue mission, not exploration."

"Fair enough. If he stays here, will there be any way to return his body to your kin, when the time comes? It could be a century or more, barring violence, even without what seems to be an unusually long lifespan in your family."

"Yes, and thank you." She nodded. "I believe you have sufficient preservation technology to hold his body until a message can get to us and a ship sent for him. It could take upwards of a year for the ship to arrive, but we will make sure we leave the information and technology needed for it to work."

"Thank you," Shivasta nodded. "Would it be inappropriate to request burial with him, at least in part?" The Ice Walker asked. "I can't honestly say if any of the three of us will have bodies that can be recovered, or that we'll die all that close to each other, but...."

"Not inappropriate at all," Marie smiled warmly at her. "We will do all we can to make it work. Do you know Fenrik's desires on the matter?"

"It hasn't really come up with him," she admitted. "Though his traditions place more emphasis on being returned to his home than on being buried with his mates, as I understand, and they don't agree with cremation unless it's absolutely necessary. We'll have to ask him, some time. Jay's been very clear about what he wants, and my people's traditions will take a little working to fill in, but I've already thought it through. Fenrik probably has too, but he hasn't mentioned it."

"It would be best to work out before we leave. Not to be too forward, Shivasta, but I would offer some advice." Marie spoke easily but cautiously. "Do whatever you must to get Jay in your bed as quickly as you can, even tonight. You were lovers before; your bond with him would have been founded in the sexual nature of your relationship. It may be difficult, even painful, but it will be the least disturbing way in the long run. He looks to be at the point right now that he could turn away from his bond with you as easily as turn back to you. It's hurting him now; I don't know how much pain he's willing to take for you, to be with you."

"We were about to try something before the ship interrupted us with the news we were reaching the system," Shi admitted. "I can keep the pain to a minimum, without him having to turn away. In a worst case scenario, we have something not unlike shock treatment that can help as well, but I want to save that for the worst case scenario. It would be extremely painful at this point, I'm sure."

"Likely," Marie nodded slightly. "This is also the risk of him finding someone who is less 'good' and voluntarily shifting his alliance. He may not be the type, but it's been known to happen."

"Janos being the best candidate just now," Shivasta nodded. "Though as the best outcome of the poor ones, it could be worse. I imagine that Fenrik will be more comfortable for him. Thank you, Marie."

"You are welcome. You have been very good for my brother. I do not wish to see that destroyed by odd psychology." She smiled warmly. "Ah, your Panther is here, with something else."

"Something else?" Shi asked, raising an eyebrow before reaching out to Fenrik and his companion. "Ah," she smiled. "That would be Cormoran, my niece's Padawan. This has probably been the most unorthodox first few months to his training in a few centuries," she chuckled, standing. "Do you want to come with me to meet them?" She asked Marie easily.

"Yes, I would." She nodded easily and stood with grace despite her advanced years.

"* _Meet me outside the hangar; Jay's older sister is with me, he's showing off kittens to his mother,_ *" Shi told Fenrik silently, getting the door and waiting for Marie, eager to have both her mates on the same ship finally.

"* _Will do. Cormoran is eager to have his Master back too._ *" He chuckled, covering his own nervousness with difficulty. "* _Jay still wants to see me?_ *"

"* _I think he will, and have Cormoran contact Kanna, if he hasn't already,_ *" Shi told her mate as they started through the ship. "* _He might be uncomfortable at first, but he'll probably handle being close to you better than he will me._ *"

"* _Why? You're the one he trusts._ *" He frowned mentally.

"* _Family mental defense. He's reacting painfully to being close to me unless I keep my mental shields clamped down tightly; response to the Light side._ *"

"* _This can't be a good thing._ *" He murmured. "* _Any idea how long it'll last?_ *"

"* _Until he's back to the Light,_ *" Shivasta sighed mentally. "* _Best guess at least. And you may have a few very painful moments ahead of you; I still have to break his bond to the Wolf._ *"

She felt him wince at that. 

"* _It's going to hurt Jay too, even more, isn't it?_ *" Fenrik sighed. 

"* _And Janos,_ *" she agreed. "* _It wasn't too bad for me when I was breaking Mina's._ *"

"* _Why do we care about that Wolf being hurt after what he did?_ *" The Panther rumbled darkly.

"* _The Wolf isn't the one who was behind this, Janos,_ *" Shi said firmly. "* _He was involved, but he regrets it. He's not Sith, not close to it._ *"

"* _Right._ *" He backed down from the pending fight as the pair of females came into view in the hall outside the hanger. "Hi," he smiled much more warmly in greeting to his mate.

"Hi," Shi smiled, walking up to hug him gratefully as Kanna turned into the hallway, coming to greet the obsidian-feathered Raptor waiting for her beside Fenrik.

"Marie Clawson, Knight Kanna Stormwarden, my niece, Master Fenrik, my other mate, and Padawan Cormoran, my niece's apprentice," Shivasta introduced them quickly. "All, Marie Clawson, Jay's older sister and head of the Clawson family."

"It is good to finally meet you, Ma'am." Fenrik bowed to her in the respect due to one of her rank, and to his mate's elder kin.

"It is good to meet you, Fenrik." She smiled warmly at the slightly graying Panther. "I see my brother has fine taste."

"Pleased to meet you ma'am." Cormoran greeted her in Basic accented by his natural clicking, squawking language and bowed to the elder shekat.

"Pleased to meet you, Padawan Cormoran." Marie greeted him with a nod of respect even as she never really took her eyes off the person-sized dinosaur with his long, slender neck, stiff tail and covered by black, glass-like feathers. It was clear she'd never encountered anything like the talking reptile before.

"Likewise, good to meet you in person," Kanna smiled with a bow of her own.

"Let's go catch up with Jay," Shi smiled. "He's probably just about done showing off Mystera and Jemeka just about now."

"The real question would be if Felisha is done fawning over her newest grandkits yet." Marie chuckled as Fenrik followed her and Shi to the nursery while Kanna led her Padawan off to their quarters.

"I doubt it," Shi smiled. "To judge by how she reacted to them being there, I suspect she'll be at it until we catch up with the Keldan Lion, where ever it went."

"That won't be soon enough." Marie rumbled lightly. "My crew's already getting keyed up about it."

"Cormoran and Kanna will be trying to get us some idea of where to go as soon as they're settled," Shivasta said reassuringly. "Between the two of them, I'm sure they can manage it."

"We aren't exactly unskilled in that department either." Marie commented, a reminder that Jay was no longer the only one with a bond to the kittens available.

"I understand," Shi nodded. "I wasn't sure if it would be strong enough, given that even Jay's bond only helped him with general terms."

"It is not very precise, but if they stay put, we can find them." Marie nodded. "It is a skill as much as instinct, something I've had a great deal more practice at than he has."

"Very true," Shi nodded, then chuckled. "After all, you did find him two galaxies away. Your skills will probably be more helpful than ours then; our Seers can be blinded by some skills that Mina may have access to."

"And I had three kin to hunt down before him as well. The events that led us here began a hunt for every MIA Clawson on the books. The links are weak, but experience is worth a great deal. The Demon's interference will be the greatest difficulty here, as it was with Jay."

"That's how you knew how to find him then?" Shi asked, as they walked to the nursery.

"Yes," she nodded. "When he disappeared, he left no trace we could follow, or we would have been here fifty years ago."

"There's also been at least one change in family leadership since then," Shi nodded. "Do you have any idea what happened that brought him here? All he's ever known was that he was tinkering with a hyperdrive and it had a glitch."

"That's about right," she nodded. "All we could learn was that he was working on a unit taken out of one of the TurboKats, our main line fighter, and it activated, taking him with it."

"Quite a jump it managed," Shi murmured. "I've always wondered what he was meant to accomplish here, that the Force brought him to us. I assume your drives aren't typically capable of doing that sort of thing?"

"Technically, they are." Marie admitted. "It takes a _lot_ of power to make this kind of jump, though. The ship we brought is the smallest that we could build that kind of generator into. It still took us eight jumps to get here. It's a mass and distance formula for the power needed, and the numbers are just huge."

"And I'm not at all familiar with how those sort of things work," Shivasta admitted. "So it's not unreasonable to think that it was something very unusual that brought him here?"

"Very unusual for normal folks or physics, yes. For a Clawson, the really unusual part is that he didn't come back within a year or so. We're kind of used to that kind of thing meaning they got dropped in a different dimension or time."

"I imagine the engine that dropped him off either didn't come with or it was torn apart while he was still recovering," Shi said seriously. "I wasn't kidding about him growing up on a slum world. Nar Shaddaa isn't pretty ... he's lucky he did as well as he did. I'm not surprised he became so close to Doruth after he was rescued. Between him and Essani, you're practically looking at Jay's parents in this part of the universe."

Marie smiled faintly at the Ice Walker. "I have met them, and they are good people. I think the reason he never came back to us was because he found what he wanted more than family here. He's been capable of rebuilding that drive for decades now. He chose not to come home."

"I think there's more to it than that, but it's true," Shi nodded. "Will it be a problem for his kittens, if they go home with you and he doesn't? I know there are some traditions regarding kits and their parents in your family...."

"They'll be adopted by someone to raise." Marie explained easily. "Yes, we do have a lot of traditions with close kin, but we also have a very high mortality rate and adoption by cousins or aunts and uncles is common. Likely my granddaughter, the one that was in the Council chamber with me, and her mate will end up raising them. She is one of the few who shares Jay's extra Gift."

"Good," Shivasta sighed with relief. "I know Jay was having some difficulties when he was getting older... a conflict between your traditions and Master Doruth's. We did resolve it, but it took time."

"* _Is something wrong?_ *" Fenrik asked her.

"* _Not that I'm worried about just now,_ *" she told him. "* _His kits will have family to take his place. If he chooses to return with them, I'll be shocked._ *"

"I'm not surprised there was a problem. He would have had a similar issue if he was taken in by a couple outside special ops back home too. You end up developing an odd culture when black ops teams become a family and not just something for solo guys."

"* _As she said, he's been able to go back if he wanted to years ago._ *" He nodded fractionally.

"And when that runs into a culture where families are the exception to the rule, it's even more of an issue," Shi nodded. "Well, we should probably stop talking about him behind his back before we're really behind it," she chuckled as they approached the nursery. "Thank you, Marie."

"You are welcome, Shi. If you have any questions about where he got some of his odder ideas, I can probably answer them." She added with a chuckle and smile as they came up to the nursery door. "I've gathered he has been very stubborn about giving up what he does remember of home."

"Any tidbits you can give us about Clawson laws and codes of justice might help us be ready for what he'll be expecting us to do to him," Shivasta said easily.

"After you are done with your greetings, perhaps?" Marie offered with a knowing look and opened the door to the expected scene of Felisha cooing and petting her newborn granddaughters and Jay relaxed against the back wall watching with an indulgent and rather proud look. "A bit more family history than he remembers too, and the last fifty-four years." She added to the offer.

"Thank you," Shivasta nodded with a smile. "Jay? Mind showing them off to Fenrik too?"

The tom looked up, startled out of his thoughts by her voice and his mate's name. When his eyes landed on the Panther, there was an instant tension, the struggle between wanting to rush up and kiss him senseless and the lingering fear of what his mate would do. It was a brief moment where his thoughts were not on his kittens.

"A kiss first?" Jay asked hesitantly and stepped forward, ready to be rejected or attacked and not intending to fight either.

"Not a problem," Fenrik purred softly, stepping forward the rest of the way and wrapping his arms around Jay, holding him and letting him make the move for the kiss, not sure how much of one Jay would want just now.

It was soft and slow, hesitant despite the need he could feel in Jay's body and mind as strong, unsure hands explored both their bodies. Eventually Jay ended the kiss to rest his muzzle along Fenrik's shoulder.

"* _I've missed you._ *" He whispered silently.

"I've missed you too, love," Fenrik murmured softly, turning to kiss Jay's neck. "But it's almost over now. We just have to get your kittens back and make the one behind this pay."

"Yes," Jay shivered slightly at the kiss and exposed his neck a bit more. "It's not a hunt we have to head anymore either."

"Come on," Fenrik murmured, kissing him again. "Introduce me to your kits, then we can go get you to relax."

"And you." Jay smiled faintly and nuzzled him before stepping back a bit. "I know you haven't really slept since I ... was captured. Shi definitely hadn't." He added and turned to shoo his mother gently away from the crib and motioned Fenrik to come close. "Mystera," he lightly scritched the black one's scruff, "and Jemeka," he touched his dusty rose on strawberry blond tabby daughter.

"They're very pretty," Fenrik smiled, reaching in gently to make sure nobody would object before petting the blind, mewling kits softly. "Much closer to their father than their mother, from the sound of it."

"Clawson genetics are _very_ dominant," Marie said softly with a smile for her newest nieces from the other side of the crib. "They'll make very strong officers."

As odd as it sounded to Shi and Fenrik, Jay absolutely beamed at the phrase and the fact he was sure his sister meant it.

"Any idea who will raise them?" Jay asked softly, looking at Marie seriously.

"Likely my granddaughter, Jennie, and her mate. She has the same extra Gift that you do." Marie explained.

"Good," Jay nodded and gave his two kittens a last touch before brushing a hand along Fenrik's arm. "Let's leave the ladies to their ogling."

"We'll do our own later," Fenrik nodded with a smile, gently guiding Jay out along with Shivasta, then drawing him close for a close, loving embrace that wasn't resisted in the least.

For not the first time, Shi realized that there really was something deeper to the male's relationship than existed between her and Jay. She'd never understand what it was, but at this moment, she was too grateful for it to be jealous. It would have been excruciatingly painful if the boys had been broken apart by this, and for a very long few days, it really looked as if it might.

"* _Join us?_ *" Fenrik asked her mentally, coaxing her moved to hug Jay from the other side, her shields tightly controlled to keep him comfortable. At least he didn't seem to be in any real pain with Fenrik.

"* _I'm not nearly as Light as you, love._ *" Fenrik told her gently and privately as Jay relaxed between them. "* _I think we might want to get to a room soon._ *" He added with a touch of worry. "* _I think he's breaking down, finally._ *"

"Come on you two," Shivasta murmured softly, starting to lead them the short way to Jay's room. "Let's go somewhere private."

Jay made no resistance, his main focus being on not crumbling in public. By the time the door closed behind them to the master bedroom on board the Sharufa tears were flowing freely and Fenrik had picked Jay up, grateful the tom was willing to press up against him and be carried.

It wasn't long before the three of them were undressed and in bed, Shi and Fenrik holding Jay as comfortingly as they could until all three were asleep.

* * *

Kanna and Cormoran rode the lift to the bridge in silence. They were both rested, though Cormoran's obsidian feathers had shredded his bedding into the nest he was used to in short order. Kanna in particular was grateful to hear that her aunt and her mates were in the same bed again. They had spent far too long together, been through far too much for this to break things up.

"Master, am I mistaken in that every Clawson has some Force-power, but only a few are like us?" His words still interspersed by the clicks and rawks of his kind, though his Basic was quite passable for a Jedi of his young age.

"Basically, from what I understand," Kanna nodded. "It's not unlike the Celegians; they can all levitate, but only some of them are capable of being Jedi. And, from what I understand, not _every_ Clawson has the full Gift like Jay does."

"But their Gift it is not something common to their race?" He made sure he understood what little he had.

"No, it isn't," Kanna agreed. "I suspect their 'Demon' has something to do with it. It wasn't until a member of the family had found it that they had their Gift a few generations ago. I believe that the exposure to a Force talent has started to coax out a better recognized sensitivity to the Force in general. But I'm no expert on the topic."

"Will they be staying in contact with us, Master?" He chirped, his natural curiosity peaked by this unusual group.

"I hope so, but I don't know, Padawan," Kanna admitted easily. "I do hope they will at least have a means of communicating across the distances involved, even if they don't continue to communicate in person."

If the Night Raptor had another question, he was silenced by the lift door opening to show the bridge fully functional despite only having a quarter of its usual crew.

In the captain's chair was a cinnamon-furred shekat Kanna's age with a distant look on her face. The Force flowed around her in a tightly controlled pattern that reached out to the ship around them as her crewmates worked in a more normal manner.

It wasn't at all unlike watching Jay work earlier; the Clawsons were in charge of the ship now.

Kanna and Cormoran walked onto the bridge, careful to stay out of the way of the crew, droid and otherwise, as they found an empty place to sit.

The Clawsons did notice them, but didn't seem to object to their presence as Kanna settled in, Cormoran taking a few more moments to do so. His body was not built for the standard chair so he settled in like a bird at roost on the floor, his long legs tucked under him and his strong but slender feathered arm-wings relaxed along the sides of his oval body, his long and stiff tail out behind him.

"* _Let's see if we can figure out where Jay's kits will be, then,_ *" Kanna told him across their bond. "* _Just keep an eye out for Clawsons doing the same; you'll be able to find the bonds they're following, most likely, don't get too 'close'._ *"

"* _Yes, Master._ *" He nodded his triangular head slightly and closed his eyes. As always, his mind-voice came as easily in imagery and sensation-feelings as it did in words.

"* _Search for the ship, for the kittens,_ *" she instructed him mentally. "* _I'll search for the mother._ *"

Tightness... closeness... suffocation and constant worry. The Core worlds. They wouldn't be there long though; it didn't make sense, didn't fit Mina's profile. It would be too easy to run into somebody who'd recognize their ship, or realize they weren't giving the right name. It was just a stop to throw off the searchers.

"* _Master Kennet, send the fleet home after salvage operations are complete,_ *" Kanna instructed the Jedi in charge. "* _Make sure that the orders are public, don't bother encrypting them. Don't mention the Kraken. We'll be able to find them, and having the whole fleet out will make them less likely to reveal themselves._ *"

She could sense the Master conferring briefly with Shivasta, and was grateful when her old Master agreed with her.

Now, where would they be _going_....

Cormoran's visions weren't nearly as clear yet. A black bird flew towards a cloud, two chicks on its back. Thunder crashed and lightning flashed, but didn't deter the bird. Why became clear shortly afterwards; as the crow disappeared into the storm, an eagle followed it, plunging blindly into danger.

Lightning flashed again, and crow and eagle alike fell from the cloud, dead, the chicks nowhere to be seen.

Kanna focused on Mina, on the ship she was in. Where would she go... where would be safe for them all.

She had an impression of barren terrain, rocky deserts. Shadows struggling to eke out a living, more shadows marching back and forth, soldiers in the making, preparing for an invasion they pray will come ... but fear never will. It was all hazy though, hard to see.

A shadowed face with a single eye....

"* _Thurra?_ *" Cormoran suggested, bringing up the mental image of what came to him, a great orb circled by dozens of smaller ones; the gas giant of the system and its forty moons.

"* _I think so,_ *" Kanna agreed. "* _But there aren't any habitable worlds in that system ... odd. I think she's in the outer Core now though, we might be able to beat her to the punch._ *"

"* _How to tell the Captain?_ *" He asked uncertainly, more imagery than words coming through as he worked out of the vision trance.

"* _Directly,_ *" Kanna said easily, coming out of her trance more quickly and reaching for a nearby console to contact the leader. If anybody would have the authority, it would be Marie Clawson.

"Marie." Her familiar voice came back after a moment.

"This is Kanna," the Ice Walker said easily. "We have a lead on the kits in the Thurra system. The coordinates are on record, but we should be ready for rough conditions when we get there."

"Understood," the elder woman answered simply. A moment later the bridge burst into activity as the ship prepared to launch into hyperspace with the full force of the Clawson Gift speeding its way. "We should be there in two days."

"Here's hoping the kits aren't until after we are," Kanna murmured. "Thank you."

"I will see that my brother knows he doesn't have anything important to do for a couple days." Marie almost chuckled, sure that the triad was unlikely to leave their bed for that time. "We _will_ make this work, Knight Kanna."

"We will," she agreed, reaching over to touch Cormoran's shoulder reassuringly as he brought up the mental image of his vision. "Just make sure your brother doesn't do anything too rash to try and speed us on our way."

"If he's anything like the rest of us, that's almost inevitable," Marie sighed with both resignation and a bit of pride. "I'll see what I can do. His mates have more influence than I do, however."

"Point taken - I'll talk to Shivasta about keeping him occupied," Kanna smiled. "Force be with you, Marie."

"Force be with you, Kanna." Marie repeated the phrase she'd picked up as a 'goodbye' with Jedi and closed the channel.

"Come on," the Ice Walker told her Padawan as she stood. "Let's go get you caught up on your lessons while we have some time."

"Yes, Master." He said easily and stood with a natural predator's grace to follow her to the lift and somewhere to practice.

* * *

Shivasta was still exhausted when she woke up. Fenrik and Jay were still asleep, Jay's arms wrapped needily around Fenrik and his nose buried against the Panther's dark fur. She smiled softly and kissed the back of his neck. It was so good to have him back. Now they just needed to keep him with them.

"* _Shi? You'll need to keep Jay occupied for a few days,_ *" Kanna told her as her brain woke up enough to really process the message. "* _We know where to look for the kits, but Cormoran's vision ... we need to keep Jay from doing anything rash._ *"

"* _I'll do my best,_ *" the elder Ice Walker replied mentally, looping an arm over both her mates and hugging them before she slipped out of bed, fetching a robe and grabbing her brush. She'd get breakfast for the three of them before coming back.

It was good to be back in the familiar galley of the Sharufa too, where it was quick and easy to prepare the meal. All the usual stocks were there, though they'd likely been replaced several times since she'd last seen them.

For a very brief moment, she considered spiking breakfast with a little ryl spice, but decided against it quickly. She started making up the same breakfast she had the day before, only for three, cooking it at the same time as she kept track of Fenrik and Jay to see if they were waking up.

She wasn't too surprised that the first conscious feelings were that of arousal. The boys hadn't chanced much at all in some ways from their teens. Their cocks still woke up first and they didn't contest it much.

By then, she was on the way back with breakfast and realized that Jay was more than peripherally aware of her absence. She wasn't sure if they'd be going at it before they ate, but for once she wouldn't even mutter if they were. It would be too good to see them together to be anything less than thrilled.

Jay's low moan when she opened the door to their quarters, she couldn't help but smile at the sight of Jay pressed against Fenrik's chest and the Panther's hand wrapped around Jay's cock, stroking it slowly and playfully.

It was a good thing breakfast didn't have to be eaten while it was hot. She sat the tray down near the bed, crawling in behind Jay and pressing close to him, reaching down to fondle his balls while Fenrik teased his barbs and Jay moaned deeply between them.

Despite the tension in his mind over who he was with, the pleasure came easily and soon he thrust into Fenrik's hand, seeking a release that the Panther quickly provided with a skill born of long acquaintance.

Shi kissed the back of Jay's neck tenderly as the tom sprayed his seed between himself and Fenrik, staining both their bellies with cum as he cried out in his pleasure.

"Missed you," Fenrik purred deeply, kissing Jay on the lips, still stroking his shaft, making the tom shudder and moan as their pleasure continued and began to build again. "And this."

"Missed you too," Jay murmured between moans and gathered enough of his wits to reach down to wrap a hand around Fenrik's shaft while his tail slid up along Shi's legs to tease her sex.

"Mmm ... think you're up for something a little more intimate?" Fenrik asked him. "Now that we're all here?"

"Yes," Jay purred and nuzzled him, giving the hard cock in his hand a light squeeze. Both his mates could feel the unease at the shields they had to maintain, even though he understood why. He was hungry for the true intimacy they had shared less than a year before.

"* _Fenrik, you should be able to let up on your shields,_ *" Shivasta told the Panther, kissing Jay's neck gently.

"Soon, love," she murmured softly. "Once you won't be hurt."

"It won't be soon enough," he groaned at the combined physical pleasure and rush of familiar affection that came with Fenrik lowering his mental shields. The bond between them was still overlaid and weak, but it wasn't the only way the lovers could feel each other.

"Mmm ... roll over, love," Fenrik purred, kissing him. "Let's remind you who your mates really are."

Jay nodded and almost reluctantly let go of the Panther's cock as he rolled to his other side, facing Shi, and kissed her a bit more nervously.

She understood his reaction, that he was still more than a little scared of her, of her status with the Light. As much as it hurt, she also knew that there was only one way to get him past it.

"It's all right, Jay," she murmured, kissing him back. "I won't hurt you if I can help it, I promise."

"I know," he murmured and ran his hands down her cool body. He knew she wouldn't, but it still didn't penetrate deeply enough to still his fears completely.

She kissed him again, then nuzzled his cheek, reaching down to stroke his cock lightly.

"One step at a time," she whispered, teasing his barbs skillfully to a low moan as he pressed into her hand shamelessly. Despite the differences, she couldn't help but think back to that first time she'd touched him like this. A time before he had barbs to play with and the greatest pain in his life was being stuck so far from home and family.

Now his family was on the same ship, though he'd never be able to get back home with them. Not in his mind, at least.

"I love you, Jay," she murmured, kissing him as Fenrik retrieve the lube and started to prepare Jay carefully.

Just the situation marked a sharp impression of difference that everyone noted. Both the prep and being between both his mates was something that hadn't happened since he'd last been with them.

Of course, with a Wolf, the prep probably wasn't nearly as important as with Fenrik.

And the less he'd been with Mina, as far as his real mates were concerned, the better.

Shivasta lifted her top leg, making her body available to him as she reached around his back to start teasing the pleasure points just above his tail.

Instinct pressed his hips forward to sink into her as his hands ran down her back to help guide them together. He moaned, the sensations of being deep inside a willing female something he'd only gotten more used to in recent months, memories of a lot of time with Misha close to the surface.

Shi would have to work on adding to those recent memories, but it was something she wasn't going to mind at all, and she was grateful that he thought of the Minervan Mink and not Mina when he thought of female pleasure. He slid inside of her, and she moaned in pleasure, feeling his barbs raking her insides as Fenrik finally pressed up into Jay's ass. It wasn't quite the same as it used to be, but they were together, physically, for the first time in far too long.

Aware of the effects of sex on their bond status also made them both aware of the subtle shifts inside Jay's mind as the pleasure and physical closeness went to work on what he wanted, healing and strengthening the badly stressed bonds.

"Been way too long." Jay all but whimpered at the assault of physical pleasure and the even more potent effects on his mind.

"Too true," Shivasta murmured. She wanted to reach out to him mentally, but knew she couldn't safely. Instead, she focused on his physical pleasure, letting Fenrik work across their bond to make up for her mental absence.

Even as limited as this was compared to their past, she could feel it working. It would be months before she could start to let her shields down much, but she could feel that even now progress was being made in little bits. In a very real way it would be the opposite of helping him heal after his solo mission. That had been all mental in the beginning; it had been weeks before he could really stand to be touched again and a decade before he could accept any kind of intoxication, much less ryl.

She sealed her lips against his, milking his barbed length with her sex and moaning into his mouth as he quickly found the rhythm of being in the middle of two lovers again.

He broke off his kiss far early than she'd expected as his head was thrown back with a roar. He came hard inside her body, his hands tight on her buttocks to pull her against him.

She milked him through his orgasm, truly surprised by his reaction so quickly. She wasn't nearly ready yet herself, but she let herself enjoy the feeling of his seed in her body with a moan, burying her forehead against his neck as he began to thrust again. It brought to mind what Y'alla had said about him having a taste for fucking his partners unconscious and making them enjoy every moment of it.

Fortunately, that was one of his kinks she'd always enjoyed.

* * *

"* _Why don't you go talk to Marie for a while?_ *" Fenrik asked as Jay began to slowly wake up. "* _I haven't had any time to myself with him._ *"

"* _All right,_ *" Shi nodded mentally, knowing that the two of them needed it. Besides, it would be easier for Jay with Fenrik than with her there. She stood and headed into the shower, grabbing her robes for when she was out. "* _You two take care._ *"

"* _We will,_ *" Fenrik agreed, nuzzling Jay as the middle-aged tom started to stir, wrinkling his nose a bit at the feel of the whisker-stubble along his scar against the sensitive skin.

Fenrik smiled when Jay instinctively reached out with his mind and actually began to purr when his half-conscious mind realized who was there holding him.

"That's right," he murmured softly, the tip of his long, black tail twitching. "It's me, and you're right where you belong."

Jay shifted to nuzzle him sleepily, still not exactly awake, but aware enough now to be aware of the words.

"Love you." Jay whispered, taking in the fact that he was still free and in his own bed with his Jedi mates. "Missed you."

"Love you too," Fenrik whispered back, rubbing Jay's sides lightly as the tom snuggled close. "Good to have you back."

"Shi?" He murmured, unsure where the Healer was.

"In the shower, probably going to go talk shop with your sister after," Fenrik explained easily. "She figured we should have some time to ourselves."

"So ... what happens now?" Jay looked up at him, uncertain just how far the Panther would take having him back if push came to shove.

"That depends on you," Fenrik murmured. "But whatever happens, we're going to deal with it together."

"If I don't plan on going back?" He asked softly.

"Don't you though?" Fenrik pointed out and asked all at once, kissing Jay's neck lightly. "You know you belong with the Jedi, with us. Not out here."

"I don't _really_ belong anywhere," Jay sighed. "I'm too much a Jedi to go home, too much a Clawson and too Dark to ever really belong among the Jedi. You and Shi are just too much a part of me to ever really turn away from you."

"What do you want to do then?" Fenrik asked him softly. "You belong with the Jedi more than you belong wandering out here, Jay."

"Depends on who you ask." He muttered a little bitterly, then sighed slightly. "I want ..." he suddenly shook his head. "All I've ever wanted was to belong, Fen. I do belong with you, with her." He closed his eyes, struggling to explain something that ran deeper than instinct. "Going back ... it's not a real question. I'll follow you anywhere."

Fenrik wrapped his arms tightly around the other tom, holding him close.

"I'm sorry," he said softly.

"Don't be," Jay whispered and lifted his head to lick the Panther's cheek. "This is what I am. Denying this is far worse than falling to the Dark."

"I mean you never really having a choice in it," the Panther said softly, kissing Jay. "Most Jedi could choose to leave, if they wanted. You don't really have that choice unless all three of us do. You haven't really gotten all that much say in a lot of your life," he admitted.

"I've had a pretty good life too," he reminded his mate easily and snuggled close.

"And you can come back to it," Fenrik nodded, nuzzling his neck. "You don't have to run from us anymore."

He felt Jay stiffen, a multitude of reactions from various parts of his mind taking the tom to the point of freezing until it all settled.

Jay knew what he was going to do, but it was far from a clean choice. Very far.

Fenrik just held him while he sorted out his reactions, trying to provide him with what support he could. He'd be doing this a lot for the next few years, he expected, while Jay worked himself back from the seductive embrace of the Darkness the tom had never really understood why he should resist, and still probably didn't.

* * *

Shi slipped from the ship into the hanger, intent on spending some time with Marie talking while the guys spent some time together without her. For all her love of Jay, she couldn't deny the break was a welcome one. Holding her shields like that was uncomfortable and tiring, and there was so much to learn before the Clawsons left, which would likely be soon.

Besides, there was a lot that needed to be done before they headed back to the Council, and she was hoping for a little help from the Clawsons in that direction.

Relaxing her mental shields, she started for the lift, hoping she'd be able to find Marie on the bridge, or in the nursery if that failed.

Hunting for a single shekat on a ship the size of the Kraken was _not_ something she was looking forward to, and she had no clue if the ship would be able to help her.

The other Clawsons probably could though. If nothing else, _they_ could ask the ship where she was. She waited patiently for the lift to get to the bridge and stepped into the organized chaos of a group that knew each other so well they didn't need to talk in real sentences or words, just an occasional sound or term and it all ran smoothly.

"Healer Shivasta," the shekat in the captain's chair greeted her.

"Hello, Miss Jennie," Shivasta said, inclining her head politely. "Do you know where Marie is?"

"Just a moment." She nodded easily and focused elsewhere for a moment. "She is in the forward lounge watching the stars."

"Thank you," Shivasta smiled. "We have another few days before reaching the system?"

"ETA is in 31 hours, Ma'am."

"Thank you. I'll see you then, I imagine." Shivasta turned, returning to the lift and heading up to the observation deck where she would find the family head.

Except for the long walk, it was simple to do. The ship was largely still labeled from its Republic days and the map she'd gotten when hunting it was still accurate except for the section where the slaves were kept.

She walked onto the lounge, where Marie and a number of others, Clawson and otherwise, were resting.

"Marie?" She asked, approaching the cinnamon-furred shekat. "Do you mind discussing a few things?"

"Not at all," the elder woman smiled at her and patted a spot nearby on the cushioned window seat.

"Thank you," Shivasta smiled, taking the seat. "Jay's... occupied for the moment, so I thought I'd take the chance to come and talk to you about what's going to happen ... maybe a bit about him."

"Do you have any questions to start with?" Marie offered an open field.

"What sort of punishment is he likely to think he deserves?" Shivasta asked, wanting to get the most complicated question out of the way first.

"It depends on what he's done, how much he believes he was under the influence of an outside force, how likely he is to return to it," Marie shook her head slightly. "Do you have an idea of what he has done since this started?"

"At least one murder, probably more," Shivasta said quietly. "He's always been prone to violence, and I know one for sure. I know that he expected the Jedi to resort to their greatest penalty at one point, but I don't know if he would still expect it once he's a bit more rational about things."

"How brutal a murder?"

"Exceedingly so," Shivasta admitted. "He... I assume that rough bed play isn't uncommon in your family?" She asked.

"We're black ops," Marie chuckled a bit. "Liking it rough is very common. It's a pleasurable counterpoint to the violence of our daily lives." Then she turned serious. "If that's all he did, probably serious prison time, or if he thinks he really was out of his mind, serious time in a mental health facility. If it's more, he's looking at the death penalty."

"Under Jedi perspective, in a way, we do consider his circumstances a sort of insanity," Shivasta explained. "I'm just not sure if he will. He's been convinced for some time that the nature of the Demon means he's innately evil, somehow. He was past it when this all started, but...."

"Shivasta, there is no way in hell he'd face death for the past few months from us. He's not an Omega, though he got pretty close and would have been there soon. But from an eight year old's perspective of our laws, the fine lines and circumstances were likely well beyond him and I doubt he realizes they exist even now. Colonies and colony ships don't have much space or resources for prisons, so any severe crime tends to result in death and lesser ones have public service oriented punishments. Everyone has to pull their weight, and those locked up can't do that."

"It might be a good idea to make sure he knows about them before he has to decide if he goes back or not," Shi nodded. "He fully expected that death was the best thing he could look forward to when we found him."

"How much of that was the Demon and that female telling him things, though?" Marie prompted a question of her own. "He's far from eight now, and it is you he's afraid of, been running from, not us. Surely he knows what he'd face here, even if he didn't back home."

"I imagine a lot of it was the two of them, but I can see why he'd be concerned. For one thing, there are some members of the Council who've maintained throughout their careers that he's a dangerous threat, which this supports. Jay's been on hunts before, where the goal was more about removing a threat than bringing it back alive. There have been examples of people who were effectively executed, that the Jedi have tried to have killed. Sith warlords, people who posed an active threat to the Republic and Order. Only a handful of them, but I do believe that he sincerely thought he would be adding to that list. Like I said, he hasn't been at his most rational lately."

"I can't say I'm surprised," Marie admitted softly. "We have something of a family history of antagonism with leaderships. I'm sure he took the stories of Jake and Jessie and saw them reflected in his own experiences. It's not a good way to start out." She looked out at the stars rushing by. "I will make sure he understands what he'd face coming home with us. I don't expect it will change his mind, though."

"Neither do I," Shivasta nodded. "However, if he realizes that your people wouldn't have him executed, it may help him feel less guilty about us not doing the same."

"What will happen to him here?" Marie looked at her seriously, a sister more than family leader for a moment.

"In all likelihood, very little beyond helping him recover from what happened," Shivasta explained. "No missions for a while, or at least light missions, until we're sure he's gotten beyond the Dark Side influence."

"I expect you'll have plenty to work on helping him accept the fact that he's not going to be punished." Marie said quietly. "If he's this wound up about it, he's not likely to appreciate the concept of getting to walk."

"That's what I was thinking," Shivasta nodded. "Not much else I can think of that will help there, so this might be a good time to raise another issue I have to deal with fairly quickly. What is the Clawson's take on slavery?"

She knew well before the older woman managed to put together a civilized answer that they _really_ didn't like it.

"It has been outlawed for generations." Marie finally found words suitable for public.

"As it has here, through the Republic," Shivasta nodded. "Unfortunately, in such a large area, there is a black market and some of the neighboring governments do a brisk business in their own borders. Jay spent most of his time hiding out in the areas where the market was most active ... there are several hundred slaves on this ship, all of whom will be freed under Republic law. Unfortunately, some of them literally have nothing else they can do, aside from wage-slavery in a brothel somewhere."

Marie sighed and rubbed her temples. "Never a good situation. Still, with only a few hundred, surely retraining is possible? If they are smart enough to talk and walk, there is always work they can do for a living."

"In the Republic, you'd be surprised," Shi sighed. "Unemployment varies from world to world, but from what Jay's described to me even the industrial worlds have vastly more than you do. The Order can likely take in some of them, but most of our staffing needs are filled by sensitives who lacked the strength to become Jedi, or the inclination to become a member of any of the Corps. The retraining facilities and jobs aren't really there outside of it, that we can guarantee. I was wondering if you had a shortage of people, that some of your needs might be filled up by some of the available folks who have some skills, but nowhere we can guarantee them work."

"If they're genetically compatible with one of our races, they don't need skills to have a place." Marie nodded seriously. "Colony life isn't an easy one, though. These aren't settled worlds, not even our early ones. But if they'll take the risk, we'll take them in."

"There's only one way to find out if they're willing," Shi said seriously. "Though I think Jay already had interviews scheduled with most of them, and I _hope_ that most are able to be dropped off back home."

"I don't really have the bodies to spare right now to do interviews." Marie pointed out. "I only have a crew of thirty to run this ship and do everything else. I have no idea how he managed it by himself."

"Knowing Jay, I'd say intense stubbornness and the fact that the ship's AI was working with him at the time. It had complete control over all the droids, including assigning them to tasks they weren't originally designed for. As for the interviews, I imagine that Jay will still want to do those himself for the most part. We'll probably try and distract him with those once getting reacquainted isn't doing the trick anymore, if we're not there by then."

"It certainly wouldn't hurt. It would be a good way to assess his current mental and personality state as well; watching him deal with lesser ranked people." She nodded seriously. "Do you think you could ask for a half dozen or so people to help out with interviews? Jay really shouldn't do them _all_."

"Not until we're out of hyperspace, unless he's willing to trust some of the slaves he's already talked to to help. The rest of us will work on it too, of course - that's another four at least, when we're not keeping an eye on him."

"Once we get used to this ship, I can probably spare a couple bodies as well." Marie nodded in agreement. "It will be interesting to see him outside of a crisis situation. That can change a person a great deal."

"He's much more relaxed, normally," Shi agreed. "You can't imagine how badly I want this over with."

"Probably not," she said quietly. "Though I'd be willing to bet that Jay wants it 'over with' much more, and has for longer. We heard the echoes of this all the way in our home galaxy. Whatever happened, it was not a small move and the full consequences may not be known for some time."

"I'm just glad we found him before he reached the point where he didn't _want_ help," Shi murmured. "Beneath the surface, at least. That's part of why I'm worried about what will happen when we find Mina."

"Beyond what is likely to be complete disregard for the risks, what?" Marie looked at her curiously, sure there was a concern beyond what she herself felt.

"Mina's a good example of it herself," Shivasta explained. "I know you don't have a real understanding of the Dark and Light sides of the Force, but it's like I said before. If Jay gives in to his anger here, especially as intense as it is, he may well cross the point of no return. The Dark Side offers power, quickly and easily, but it exacts a high price, and it's very hard to give up once you've begun to tread its path. Jay's already started, and I doubt that Mina is going to make it easy to get his kits back without following her further along it."

"You're talking good and evil, or something else?" Marie struggled to make the words make sense in any context she could with little success.

"It's not as simple as good and evil, though most Jedi would say you were right," Shivasta explained. "You're familiar with the Demon, and how it affects your family. The Dark Side is similar, but much more subtle typically. The difference between the Light Side and the Dark, in this case, is like the difference between working to improve your strength, or taking steroids. The latter is easier and faster, but it can have devastating affects on your health, physical and mental. People who follow the Dark Side of the Force, particularly sensitives, are more prone to evil acts of larger and larger scale. It starts out small, lashing out in anger at something, and progresses from there."

"That's not usually how a Clawson looses their mind, but he has been a Jedi a long time." Marie nodded slightly, consenting more than understanding. "Most of the time, killing her would be a great step back to mental health. It's a huge release of pain and rage to finally have an outlet and end something. But that's more my upbringing and experience talking. He is a Jedi, he may be different from us."

"And it's less of an issue for non-sensitives," Shivasta nodded. "As far as I know, there aren't many for your kin to have experience with."

"Perhaps more to the point, you are the ones who have to deal with him when this is over." Marie added. "By staying, he is accepting your standards. I am now only an advisor at most, not the one responsible for him and his actions."

"We wouldn't have considered you such even if he was returning to your galaxy," Shi smiled slightly. "Are there any questions you have for me?"

"Just what is the Force?"

"How technical do you want me to get?" Shivasta asked easily. "There's the layman's explanation, then the one for people we're trying to really explain it to."

"Start with the simple one," Marie chuckled. "I'm still not exactly _fluent_ in Basic."

"That's what I figured, but I thought I'd give you the choice," Shi chuckled. "Besides, my Aristalin would probably be more painful for you. At its simplest, the Force is the universal energy field that binds all things together, the initial 'kick' that got things rolling, if you want to think of it that way. There is a Light side of the Force; warmth, life, caring. There's also a Dark side; death, anger, cold. The two of them are connected, but for obvious reasons we strive to hold to the Light. Ultimately, you can't have the one without the other; the natural ebb and flow of life is the way of the Force."

Marie considered that, going over a long lifetime of experience and much more that had been well recorded. At it's very best, she couldn't take this description of the universal power as anything other than very twisted from her reality and any reality she wanted to be part of.

"I see." She said guardedly, eyeing the Ice Walker with a whole new kind of suspicion. "I think Jay was correct in his assessment that he wouldn't be going back with us. I would appreciate if you did not discuss this with anyone else. That is a philosophy that we will _not_ be taking back with us."

"Very well," Shivasta sighed, catching the shift in her reaction with ease. "I don't know if it simply doesn't operate that way in your portion of the universe or if it simply isn't as universal as we think, Marie, but that is how it works here."

"That is exactly why we will not take this idea back." The elder shekat said firmly. "Just as you can use the universal power to accomplish incredible things, you can alter its nature by your will. Spread an idea around enough so it is accepted, and the very fabric of reality will change. Now, something they may help Jay with his guilt." Marie drew the subject back to her brother. "We have a strong tradition of ... reparations. If he picked up on that, finding a way to help those he hurt might do him some good."

"Which means we'll have to get him to talk about everything he did," Shi murmured, leaning back in her seat, glad for the change in subject. "Any tips on the type of reparations that would normally be called for, or help most? I doubt monetary would have any real impact on him."

"No, not likely." Marie shook her head, even not knowing her brother's financial state. "The more manual, time-intensive and directly related to the crime and victim the better. You said he murdered a woman. If you can find out what she loved, if she had devoted herself to anything, and have him make it real by his own sweat. Or find her family and work on their farm or their business. Things that make a direct impact in lives and are something the victim would like to see done."

"What is the tradition if the family or next of kin would rather not have anything to do with them?"

"Can't say I've ever run across that, but it would go to close friends, or just to public service in something the victim would appreciate in life. If she were a teacher, he could teach her students, or work to make sure everyone in the area gets an education. Ask him what would be a suitable gift to her memory if it's not obvious. If he's interested in making reparations, he won't pick something that is too easy."

"Hopefully not," Shivasta nodded. "That will take some time, but I'm sure he'll have it. I just hope that he doesn't have too many people to make up for."

"He hasn't blown up any planets, has he?" Marie asked uneasily.

"Not that we know of; he hasn't had the Kraken long enough to do it, really, and nothing else he's had access to has the power to manage it. But he's had a lightsaber and a teeming mass of victims nobody'd miss."

"Hopefully he hasn't used them much," Marie sighed. "It sounds like you have a lot of unpleasant conversations ahead of you."

"I rather expected it," Shivasta admitted. "And a lot more if Mina manages to get away again. Still don't know how we're going to explain definitely that Jay wasn't behind those two ships being destroyed."

"I can find out, though my 'proof' may not be any more helpful than your word." Marie said simply. "Back home, we're established enough that we can testify to such things. Here ... I'm just his sister, really, and I wasn't even here."

"The fact that the attack stopped should serve as some proof," Shi murmured. "I just don't understand how it happened. It was like Kraken decided to help her escape somehow."

Marie cocked her head slightly. "They're rare here, aren't they?"

"Ships like Kraken? To the best of my knowledge, he was unique," Shi confirmed. There are droids with similar levels of intelligence, but models that are capable of killing sentients are mostly illegal in the Republic.

"An intelligence is an intelligence in a very real way. What makes them an AI is the ability to think outside their explicit programming. Once that happens, they're not much more predictable than any other person."

"Not programming, always," Shivasta said, but didn't explain any further as she remembered Jay's reactions over the past few decades. "But we don't really have full AI's like that even in droids, most of the time. The occasional protocol or astromech droid that advances beyond its programming, but that's about it."

"Pity," Marie said softly. "They're extremely valuable crew members. Some of the most loyal out there."

"Droid brains only really progressed enough to develop that far in the last thousand years or so, and even those were unusual prototypes," Shivasta explained as best she knew. "They only really hit the open market in the last generation or so."

"I'm sure Jay had some hand in that," Marie chuckled lightly. "He was very fond of Amy, the one of DS when he was growing up."

"Mmm ... he certainly didn't hurt," Shi smiled. "Though most of the projects he's worked on in that field have been more one of a kind than most. That does explain his reaction to Kraken though."

"How so?" Marie raised an eyebrow curiously.

"He was defensive towards him very quickly, despite the fact that Kraken had killed his old crew, and was programmed by the Sith. What's a DS?" Shi asked, not finding the term familiar.

"A Digital Sentience," Marie smiled slightly. "It's what AI's become when they continue to evolve, though a few other things fall under the heading as well. An AI is bound to its hardware. A DS can transfer to and from any system capable of supporting it. They are a type of insubstantial race."

"That's something we haven't developed so far, unless Jay hasn't mentioned it to me," Shi said easily, shaking her head. "No wonder I didn't recognize it."

"If you've barely developed AI's, I'm not surprised." Marie accepted it easily. "DS aren't really programmed, not at DS level at least, they are truly alive. It can be very startling at first to try to work your mind around a creature that isn't bound to their body."

"Not nearly as startling as working your mind around one that considers yours a perfectly valid place to hole up for a cold night," Shi chuckled. "I know what you're talking about there."

The shekat shuddered in a very old, and still very fresh, memory of such an event. "Been there, done that, _really_ don't want to again. Our first alien encounter off Aristal was such a race. It didn't go very well for either side."

"Ugh. In my case, he really did just want to stay somewhere more comfortable for a bit. It was ... interesting, but not really that bad. Of course, I'm more of a telepath, so that might say something."

"Maybe, but he wasn't out for a permanent home either," Marie murmured and pushed the memories away again. "The ones we met weren't nearly so ... reasonable ... about their expectations. It'll be a couple generations before we're likely to take telepathic contact again without a bad reaction. You heard their voice first, then they were inside and taking over. We lost a lot of good officers that year, both to the battles and to the fallout after we won. Not everybody recovered, even after the things were removed."

"I'm sorry," Shivasta said softly. "There are races like that out there as well, unfortunately. People aren't nearly as reasonable as machines are, by Jay's accounts."

"Generally true," Marie nodded. "They know their purpose, they generally like their purpose if they're smart enough to care ... their logic is much easier to follow and if you ask them to do something they were designed to do, it's not very hard to get them to agree to."

"And they seem more fond of people who can contact them telepathically than ones who try to talk to them," Shi chuckled ruefully. "I'm seriously not a tech person."

"Some people aren't," Marie grinned at her. "It's not much different from the way some people aren't good fighters or people-oriented."

"You wouldn't believe how much teasing I've gotten from Jay and Fenrik both for it though," Shi chuckled. "Especially my utter lack of piloting ability."

"They're your mates," Marie winked at her. "It's part of their job."

"Mmm ... just lucky I'm not back home," Shivasta chuckled. "I'd probably have more of them than I know what to do with by now, and no real luck with half of them ... speaking of my mates, I think they've noticed I'm missing."

"You had best be going then," Marie smiled easily. "It's not good when they start to wonder."

"Mmm ... with these two, it just means that I expect to get pounced when I walk in finally," she chuckled, standing up. "Thank you for your help, Marie."

"You are welcome. Feel free to come by and talk any time you can escape." Her smile turned into a teasing grin. "Have fun getting reacquainted."

"Just make sure you tease him a little about it too, when you get the chance," Shi smirked back as she started to leave. "After all, you're his sister."

"And it is very much part of my job." Marie laughed. "I missed out on _all_ the fun of him first falling in love too."

"Mmm ... personally, I'm going to call that a good thing," Shi smiled. "That was interesting enough all on its own without family teasing him." With that, she left, returning to her mates with a mental note that she would be there shortly.

* * *

Shivasta put her hand on Jay's shoulder as they paused outside the medical bay.

"Are you sure you're up to this just now?" She asked him softly. "We're going to be at Thurra in about one standard day."

"Better now than hunting him down after he's bolted." Jay nodded with a soft sigh. "He's terrified of Jedi capturing him."

"I don't blame him," Shi admitted. "I've run his record. Jedi or law enforcement, he's got one hell of a lot of legal trouble to answer for. You care for him, don't you?"

"Yes," Jay sighed and closed his eyes briefly. "He's not a bad person; he's just had employers who drew too much attention and a really short temper."

"And a string of murders and violent assaults longer than my arm," Shi pointed out. "But I understand. I'll break the bond and we'll see about getting him out of here safely. Is there a ship for him?"

"He can have Sharufa as far as I'm concerned." He shook his head with an uneasy chuckle, a little too aware that his own was significantly longer, just largely unrecorded as of yet. "Or the slaver's ship. He doesn't have one of his own yet."

"Just checking, since he'll probably want to be leaving as soon as it's feasible." Shivasta reached up, opening the door to the medical bay, smiling as she saw Vondra and Janos snuggled up with each other. Vondra blushed as the door opened, ducking her head a bit as the two Wolves were very nearly caught making out.

"We're here to take care of the bond between Janos and Jay," Shi explained.

"Take care of it?" Vondra looked between the two males and Healer uncertainly.

"If the bond isn't dissolved, it could have undesired effects for Jay when they're separated for a long time," Shivasta explained.

"And, no offense, but I'd rather not have the Jedi with a direct line to find me after I get out of this mess," Janos added. "Though I do have one question about it. Would it be possible to bond me to somebody else, instead of just breaking it?"

"I could manage that, assuming that that other party was willing," Shi nodded. "Probably be less painful for you too."

Janos turned towards Vondra, sitting up in bed and looking into her eyes.

"Think you'd be up for it?" He asked the white-furred shewolf softly.

"Yes ... but why?" She looked at him, every line of her barely clothed body uncertain and nervous about this thing she'd barely even heard of.

"I don't think it would affect you at all," Janos said, looking over at Shivasta for confirmation.

"Unless you're a sensitive and we haven't found out yet, it wouldn't," the Ice Walker nodded. "Not noticeably at least."

"But it would give me a way of making sure you're safe, and finding you if anything happened," Janos continued, caressing her cheek lightly as she settled and closed her eyes in pleasure at his touch. "I might not be good husband material, or even really good mate material, but I'll be damned if I'm going to let you get kidnapped by somebody again and not be able to know where to go to save you."

"I think you have shown to be good mate material." She murmured and pressed into his hand. "I will accept this bond, Janos."

"Thank you," he smiled, leaning down to kiss her gently as Shivasta smiled warmly.

"This should take some of the edge off the process too, I hope," she said. "So, are we all ready?" She asked, looking at Jay.

"As I'll ever be," he suppressed the quickly sharpening jealousy at what was between the Wolves and sat down nearby, willing to submit to Shi's skill and will once more.

"* _He cares for you too, Jay,_ *" Shivasta told her mate mentally, sitting down between Kat and Wolf and focusing on their bond. Fenrik wasn't here, but he wouldn't need to be.

And frankly, Shivasta didn't want him here just now, given how he might react to Janos.

"* _I don't let go easily, Shi._ *" He murmured softly in reply, his eyes lightly closed and his head down somewhat in a posture of acceptance and deference to the Healer. "* _Everything in me is demanding to bring him into the triad, no matter how impractical._ *"

"* _And if he doesn't want it?_ *" She pointed out, knowing that as much as Janos did care for Jay, it'd be a cold day in _several_ Hells before he agreed to be bonded to three Jedi. She moved into Jay's mind, carefully finding the mental and emotional threads connecting them. It was much stronger than the bond between Jay and Mina, and would probably hurt Jay far more to break.

She heard the answer in his mind before he could censor himself.

'Kill him.'

Shivasta managed to keep her own reaction better under control than Jay's, and was devoutly grateful that Janos hadn't 'heard' it.

Jay had definitely slipped well into the Darkness, even if he wasn't showing it all the times.

She started to carefully untangle Janos' bond from Fenrik's, knowing that she had to be slower, more careful, about doing this than she had been with Mina's.

It helped a lot that Jay wasn't pushing for speed this time, and that she'd proven herself enough to him that he opened his mind to her efforts more readily. There were still very large parts of him, especially memories of the past half year, that were shielded on a whole new level, but they could wait for another time. They weren't entangled in the bond, at least not directly.

She strongly suspected she would regret needing to go into those parts of his mind too. The Darkness that licked from under the edges of some of the shields was unsettling enough.

She filtered out the anger and fear, focusing on what needed to be done, finding Vondra's mind. It was like trying to see a distant candle on a sunny day, but she managed, starting to redirect Janos' bond to her as it separated from Jay and Fenrik's. Fortunately, the new bond started to take form quickly, strengthening as she gave it more to work with, slowly peeled the growing layers of the connection between her mate and the Wolf off and sent the results over to the shewolf who had no idea what was going on behind the scenes.

It was soon difficult to focus on what she had to over the whimpers and raw pain that lanced its way through Jay's mind and body. Even the way his claws dug into his arms, which gave him some relief, made it more difficult for her.

Mercifully, it didn't seem to be nearly as painful for Janos, though he was putting up a brave front to hide what he was feeling, his jaw locked and grip on Vondra tight. She did what she could to sooth and distract him, even though she knew there wasn't likely much that could help.

Shivasta decided that their minds were close enough already; she brought her bond to bear, helping to soothe him and reinforce Fenrik's weakened tie, taking all the care she could afford to with the last stubborn remnants of Janos' bond to Jay.

They were being _far_ more stubborn on Jay's end of things. His mind clung to the last few strands with the same tenacity that he did everything else he cared about.

Abruptly Fenrik's mind was there with intensely explicit reminders of just who really belong in that spot in the tom's mind and most of the resistance faded away quickly. Fading too, was Jay's strength to remain conscious for the last bit of the surrender, and the knowledge that it really might be better if he _wasn't_ awake for it.

Just as Shivasta applied a little gentle pressure to his mind to follow that impulse the door opened for Fenrik, who's only focus was on his mate and the pain Jay was in. He spared her a bit of a dirty look for excluding him as Jay slumped into his arms and his attention was turned to gently licking the tears that had begun to seep from Jay's eyes.

She ignored it and quickly did the rest of the work to cement Janos' bond to Vondra and leave Jay's mind alone.

"Thanks," Janos said tersely, his jaw tight as the pain started to pass.

"Take care of each other," Shivasta said softly as Fenrik cradled Jay in his arms and stood to leave.

"Thank you," Vondra smiled warmly at Shi even as her manner shifted sharply to that of the noblewoman she'd been born as, though still minus most of the haughty airs. "Madam Healer. I am Vondra Santross. We have need of one of the ships on board this vessel; one capable of reaching Corellia with at least four passengers. My family will return it, or pay for it, on our arrival. We must leave soon though."

"If we can find sufficient crew, there's a small T'surr vessel available, that could carry you and your friends, and possibly others, to Corellia with ease," Shivasta said, not recognizing the full importance of her name. "The Sharufa is also available, though I'm sure Jay would prefer for that to be returned when it was ready."

"Sharufa would be best. I can promise its quick return." Vondra said easily. "The primary Temple on Coruscant, or another?"

"The main Temple," Shivasta nodded easily. "Are you sure you'll be up to piloting it?" She asked Janos, eyeing his still-healing wounds.

"Easier than it'll be with restraining cuffs on," he deadpanned. "Besides, we'll probably borrow one of the other pilots from the slave quarters before we get going. We'll turn him loose once we're at Corellia," he added quickly, catching Shi's dark expression.

"Or hire him for real if he's good," Vondra smiled easily. "Good pilots are hard to come by."

"That'll work," Shivasta smiled, standing up. "I'll leave you two be for a bit. Do you want to wait until Jay's recovered some?"

"Yes, to say goodbye," Vondra nodded when Janos hesitated.

"It'll mean a lot to him," Shi nodded. She stepped close to the bed, taking Janos' hand. "Thank you, for helping to keep him sane the past six months. You probably don't know just how much you did to keep him from being as bad as Mina."

"I think I've got an idea," the Wolf said softly. "You're welcome, and thank you for the help."

Shi backed off, bowing slightly before she turned to join Fenrik in taking Jay back to their quarters.

"He didn't want to take the chance that you might hurt Janos," she told the Panther softly.

"I'm not that jealous." He murmured, holding his mate close as the tom continued to sob despite being unconscious. "I'm just glad to have him back, and all ours again. We can finally sleep, and he can heal."

"I know you're not," Shi nodded as the door closed behind them. "But Jay's comfort was most important for this, as much as it could be managed. Besides, there was also the bit about turning a Dark Sider loose that he wasn't so sure you'd appreciate."

"He kept Jay fairly sane, I can turn a blind eye in exchange." He sighed and laid Jay on the large bed before stripping to join him. "Not something I'd normally do, but this is as far from normal as it gets."

"No kidding," Shi agreed with a sigh, stripping to join the two males. "I think Janos is going to make a turnaround, for what it's worth. Good sign for Jay too. Fenrik... just so you're aware of it, I have a feeling he's going to have one hell of a long list of things he's done, longer than we suspected."

"If it's longer than _I_ expected, he's probably not redeemable." The Panther murmured and snuggled in close as Jay instinctively pressed close to him, the loss of his lover still drawing tears. "I've seen that temper at work in the field. This isn't going to be the first mass slaughter he's committed, just the first of them that can't be justified."

"I just hope you're wrong, for all I don't think you are," Shivasta sighed. "Gods, how are we going to explain this all to the Council?"

"Very carefully," he bent his neck to lick Jay's face dry again. "Look at it this way; he hasn't killed a Jedi yet. That's a lot more than can be said of most who go as Dark as he feels."

"That's assuming they believe that Kraken acted of its own volition," Shi pointed out softly, rubbing Jay's side lightly. "We still have to find the records of exactly what happened to explain that."

"Jay's best defense there is going to be the simple fact that _anyone_ survived." Fenrik pointed out. "Kat doesn't do things half way, especially not killing. The Council can force him to tell the truth as well."

"True," Shi nodded. "Doesn't hurt that we'll basically be telling the Council that they were right about Kraken all those years ago either. He's going to hate himself when he finally comes down from everything."

"Yeah, that's going to be ugly." Fenrik sighed and closed his eyes to hold Jay tightly. "We'll just have to keep him close until he's stable again."

"Only thing to do," she nodded, reaching around to hug them both. "At least we found him in time."

"And didn't have to actually fight him." He added in a murmur.

"Definitely a good thing," Shi agreed, rubbing Fenrik's back and pressing close against Jay's, feeling his pain against her mind.

There were going to be a lot more nights like this one to come.

* * *

"You're acting much more like your old self," Janos smiled at Vondra a few minutes after the Jedi had left. "Or at least what I imagine your old self was like."

"I was never that ... authoritative." She blushed and ducked her head a bit, though she wasn't ashamed at all. "The youngest of six daughters learns to defer."

"Never had anybody else to compete with, myself," he smiled, nuzzling her cheek. "It suits you. So, looking forward to going home?"

"Yes," she smiled and stretched out a bit, giving him a touch and glimpse of the body he'd grown very fond of recently. "It will be good to be back, to see everyone again. It will be good to live like a Santross again."

"Mmm ... I've gotta say, it'll be a shame losing you like this," he rumbled, running his hand down her side lightly. "But at least you'll be back home, and it's not like we're never going to see each other."

"As my lover, you're the one that will share my bed most nights," she pointed out with a soft, lusty sound and traced a finger lightly down his chest to circle teasingly around the opening to his sheath.

"Mmm ... when I'm around, I can live with that," he rumbled, his shaft starting to harden in his sheath. He kissed her, feeling interested in more than just snuggling for the first time since Mina's attack a few days ago. "Not sure how all that works out; you'll have to fill me in some time."

"I will, but you'd never have to leave or work again if you don't want to." She smiled seductively and moved her hand down to lightly roll his balls while she kissed her way down his chest. "Just keep me happy."

"Mmm ... I don't know that I'd like being _that_ kept," he chuckled, reaching down to rub her white-furred ears and the back of her lupine head. "Can't say I'd mind vacations never having to leave the room though," he winked, then groaned as her tongue found the entrance to his sheath and slipped in.

"I think we can manage to find enough excitement and independence for you without leaving my bed cold very often." She grinned at him and pressed her breasts together just above his balls. "You are, after all, a reasonably wealthy Wolf all on your own."

"Oooh... we'll have to see," he groaned, his cock slipping free of his sheath, towards her tongue. "After all ... mmm ... your kin might just want to send me packing yet."

"They can try." She growled softly and lapped at the sensitive flesh emerging towards her. "That bond is going to be worth a _lot_ towards your good name."

"Mmm ... just don't want you getting captured again," he grunted, his shaft hardening quickly, thick and red as she took it into her hot, wet muzzle. "Oh yeah," he moaned, intimately aware of how much she enjoyed this particular game because of how much she perceived he enjoyed it.

"I don't think we're going to be much on traveling for a decade or two." She chuckled grimly at the simple truth. The family's fortune hadn't been impacted, but its greatest resource, its members, had been decimated even if everyone who survived was found. They wouldn't make themselves vulnerable like that again anytime soon.

"Mmm... then we won't need to worry about it," he rumbled, thrusting lightly between her breasts, caressing her head tenderly as she worked him with a skill that seemed to improve every time they were together. He couldn't even begin to describe the rush it was to _feel_ her enjoyment and arousal at pleasuring him.

He couldn't miss her expectations either. That his thick cock would be deep inside her body before long to push her own arousal to orgasm.

Well, it certainly wouldn't do to disappoint her.

"Come up here," he rumbled, reaching down to take her shoulders and pull her up, kissing her hungrily as he rubbed his shaft against her sex, the two of them on their sides. He was _so_ lucky that the medical beds on this ship were economy sized.

"Think you can roll over, handsome?" Vondra rumbled when she finally let his mouth go.

"Mmm ... which way?" He asked her with a lusty grin. "You want top, or me?"

"I want to ride my Wolf." She claimed another kiss. "On you back."

"Yes ma'am," he chuckled, rolling onto his back with a groan, some of his muscles still protesting, but most of his body more than eager to go along with his lover. The incentive to go along only increased as she straddled his hips and rubbed her wet sex enticingly along his shaft, making him even more slick for when she lifted up and guided him inside her hot, tight sex.

"Ohhh yesss." Vondra groaned deeply as she felt Janos fill her to her limit.

The Wolf beneath her reached up, fondling her breasts as he pressed deeper into her. He moved one hand to lean up and lick at her hard nipple hungrily, his velvety tongue working it skillfully as her pleasure washed across his mind and body.

She leaned forward a bit, groaning at his efforts to pleasure her and the effects of her efforts to pleasure him. Every movement, every moment, pushed her a little closer to the edge she was so hungry for after days without sex.

Janos, for his part, was completely unprepared for the intensity of feeling her pleasure across the bond. After the past few days, and with the new mental intimacy, it wasn't long before his knot swelled inside of her, tying them together as he moaned, pumping his seed into her sex. He almost whimpered when she leaned forward, putting a little more pressure along the knot's base and claimed a kiss before her body stiffened with a howl as she came.

He moaned into her mouth, practically melting against her body as his orgasm seemed to stretch on forever, fed by the pleasure he was feeling from her, his arms wrapped around her tightly as he readily accepted a new definition of bliss.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Jay stood near the entrance to the Kraken's docking bay as Janos ushered the last of the slaves he and Vondra would be delivering onto the Sharufa. Misha, Y'alla, and Tamil had already boarded, planning on staying with him for the time being.

He could tell that Janos was in pain, though he was hiding it well. Every movement showed that his muscles still hadn't fully recovered from being electrocuted. As a Fox hurried onto the transport, the last of the Core natives from the slaves that would be going home, Janos turned to face him, leaning back against the ship, then looked over at Vondra.

"You go make sure our pilot's getting the new course in," he told his lover softly. "I'll be right along."

"All right," she nodded with a goodbye smile for Jay and left the two alone. This was going to be one goodbye she didn't relish being part of and gratefully escaped from.

Janos stood a bit straighter and approached his one-time mate.

"So, this is about it?" He asked him needlessly. They both knew it would be.

"Yes," Jay murmured, desperate to convince himself that letting go was the right thing. It wasn't working nearly as easily now, face to face with the Wolf, than it was in Fenrik's arms. He took one step forward and reached out to brush a hand along Janos' cheek. "You're still in pain."

"I ah... overexerted myself a bit," Janos chuckled, clearly understating the issue. "Don't worry, it's just a couple days to Corellia from here. I've got it on good authority that I'll be able to rest as long as I want there. Just you wait; I'll end up getting bored and be back on the Rim in under a month."

"* _That's what I'm afraid of._ *" Jay shivered and gave in a little, stepping inside Janos' personal space for a searing kiss and pressed his body against his former mate's.

Janos accepted the kiss, embracing Jay briefly to return it, setting off all manner of reactions in Jay's mind ... but nothing across the mental space where their bond had begun to form in its own right and not as just an overlay of Fenrik's. Even so, it was incredibly difficult to let the space between them happen again.

"Don't worry about me," Janos said easily as they stepped apart slightly, or rather when he stepped back. "Even if I am out there again, I won't have to be doing any work that I don't think is gonna be fun, instead of work."

"Try not to fight another Jedi." Jay almost pleaded. "I don't want to see your name on the hunting list."

"Promise," Janos murmured, kissing Jay's cheek and found his mouth claimed again as Jay lost a little more of his fight to let go. "Unless they come after me first."

"They won't for this, or what you've done so far." Jay drew a deep breath, trying to convince himself to step back and failing. Instead he pressed closer and ran his hands along the Wolf's powerful body. "The Santross will protect you some ... helping me will shield you some too."

Janos pushed him back slightly.

"It won't if I take you with me again, you know," he pointed out gently. "I care for you Jay, but you know I can't stay."

"I know," he swallowed hard. "Giving up ... it's not something I do." He finally managed to keep himself from stepping forward again and dropped his eyes for a moment. "Without the bond ... makes me realize just how much I _do_ care for you." He look up to meet the Wolf's gaze and brushed a hand along Janos' cheek. "Don't be a stranger to me?"

"I'll try not to," Janos promised, taking his hand and squeezing it lightly. "You're a good kat, Jay. You belong with your real mates."

"You've got a very good one in Vondra," Jay shifted his hand to grip Janos' in return. "Invite me to the wedding?"

"If there is one, I will," Janos nodded. "But she's several leagues out of mine, and the Santross family is one I don't want to butt heads with too firmly when they're only objecting to formalities."

"We'll see," Jay managed a bit of a smile. "I'll miss you."

"Miss you too, Jay," Janos smiled back a bit. "Maybe we'll meet again some time, without the psycho sadist bitch having her hooks in you."

"Perhaps we can meet again on Mantessa in a year?" Jay suggested hesitantly. "I don't know if I'll be allowed to come alone, but I can promise your safety from anyone who does come to keep an eye on me."

"Sounds good to me," Janos nodded with a bit of a smile. "I'll be sure to bring some panthac repellent."

"And a taste for hunting dinner." Jay gave him something of a wink, memories of many similar trips hot and fresh in his mind and he shifted forward for a last kiss. It was easier now, with a plan to make this farewell no longer the final one.

"Will do," the Wolf chuckled, kissing him again lightly, then stepping back towards the ship. "We'll make sure the Sharufa gets to the Temple safe and sound once we're on Corellia," he promised.

"Thank you," Jay murmured, reluctantly stepping back so the ship could take off. This wasn't quite as bad as seeing Fen or Shi off on a mission, but it wasn't much easier either.

"See you around, Jay," Janos said, stepping up onto the ramp and giving him one last wave before he started up onto the ship, the hatch closing behind him.

Jay told Sharufa to take good care of them and watched until the ship was out of sight in hyperspace.

"You'll see him again," Shivasta said softly, stepping in from the other side of the bay door and putting a hand on Jay's shoulder supportively. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't pleased that he leaned into the contact. 

"Yeah, he's not a bad guy, once you get past his file." Fenrik added and slipped his arms around Jay's body to pull his back against his chest.

"Have you contacted the Council again?" Jay murmured, looking for another topic.

"Just long enough to send a report," Fenrik murmured, kissing Jay's neck softly. "They know where we're going, and they wish us luck, but we didn't go for a particularly long talk about things."

"Did you get a feel for how displeased they are?" Jay glanced up and back at the pair even as he melted in Fenrik's arms.

"Not really," the Panther admitted. "Though I have a feeling that the Kraken's attack is going to be a serious issue when we get back. Come on, let's get you calmed down. Not even a full day yet before we're in the system."

Jay simply nodded and accepted both the pending issue and the fact that his mates didn't want him to worry about it. There were more pressing matters to deal with.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Jay looked up from cuddling with the four kittens in the nursery, catching Shi and Fenrik's attention from paying attention to both father and daughters.

"We're here." He said simply and gently disengaged himself from his sharp-clawed daughters

"We are," Fenrik nodded. "We aren't picking up any serious life signs on Thule, but the clouds surrounding the world are heavily charged; scanners can't penetrate them."

Jay nodded and dropped his head a bit, his eyes closed as he turned all his attention inward, seeking the fine parental bonds he had with his kittens.

They were there, along with a seething pit of anger and hatred directed at the Light and all things related to the Jedi.

The Demon was more than eager to get onto the ground here. The entire world practically boiled with Dark Side energies that were most concentrated around his kittens. Mina had chosen a good place to hide.

Jay shuddered as he backed off a bit.

"We have a problem." He murmured even as he had the ship's comm system page his sister to put a meeting together. "Sith homeworld, only _very_ much still alive."

"That's not possible," Fenrik said, shaking his head. "How could the Sith have established an active planet in a known system without us knowing about them?"

"The same way you hide a candle flame by lighting the room," Shivasta pointed out. "If Thule was already heavily shaped by Dark Side energies, it would be harder to notice the additional ones. Come on, let's collect Kanna and the others. We should probably leave Cormoran on the ship."

"He's a hell of a fighter already," Jay pointed out even as they left the nursery. "Marie is calling a meeting so we can plan this out a bit. It's almost more a Clawson mission now than a Jedi one."

"The decision is ultimately up to Kanna," Shi agreed. "And at this point, it is." She and Fenrik followed Jay to the meeting room, neither sure what sort of measures the family would resort to. When it came right down to it, they suspected there really weren't any limits.

"Yes," Jay nodded to both statements and caught a speeder to the meeting room. When they reached it, one of the large ones near the bridge, it was already crowded. Every Clawson was there, all thirty of them, in body armor and armed with an assortment of ranged weapons and devices that were clearly related to many of Jay's designs.

It was an impressive display, even to the seasoned Jedi. Kanna arrived shortly after they did, something in her expression suggesting a serious headache that she was hiding.

Shivasta knew how she was feeling, though it wasn't as strong for her. The negative emotions from the planet were practically palpable, even from this range. With Kanna's talent for seeing the Force, it was probably a lot like sitting next to a speaker turned up to the highest volume and set to throb at a bone-rattling frequency.

You could almost pick out which Clawsons were sensitives just by their overly aggressive demeanor right now. Thule was affecting them too, but on a much more subtle level.

"* _A Clawson sensitive would have grown up knowing they were even more special, and powerful, than the rest of the family. The front line in our wars, the best at their jobs ... they'd be the aggressive ones no matter what._ *" Jay told the other Jedi silently as the room fell to order without a single noticeable reason.

Marie was the immediate focus of the entire gathering, though the Jedi recognized that she wasn't the mission leader in the manner of those in the room. That fell to Jay and Jennie.

"We have found our kittens," Marie said simply and forcefully, her personality holding the group together as expressions went both grim and joyful. "This world is Omega central and we have to go into the heart of it."

Shivasta and Fenrik exchanged subtle glances; with that one statement, from what they knew about the Clawsons, Marie had just justified shooting first and not bothering to ask questions.

"* _Did she just declare a small war on Thule?_ *" Fenrik asked Jay silently.

"* _Only if they shoot first._ *" The tom replied grimly. "* _We do_ not _slaughter the helpless. It is not our way, even in times of war._ *"

"Mina is not to come out alive." Jennie stood and took center stage. "We have next to no intel, but these creatures are incredibly dangerous if the Jedi are to be believed at all. This is not, however, our war to fight." She paused to lock eyes with each person there. "This is a seek, destroy and retrieve mission only, not an invasion."

Shi and Fenrik relaxed once they heard that, settling back to hear the rest of the briefing.

"Jedi, do you wish to join us on this mission?" Jennie focused on the three not related to her.

"We do," Shivasta nodded. "We have some knowledge of the locals that may prove useful."

"Very well. You will join Jay, myself and Teris," she motioned to a slender chocolate-furred tom in his early forties and heavy with the Force. "We are the main search team. "Shadow, Grace and their partners are our sniper backup. Six teams will provide air support and the rest are sweepers to keep things quiet while we hunt. Questions?"

"None," Fenrik said, knowing that all three of them were familiar with this style of mission, though not typically this scale.

"Very well." She nodded. "SWAT scramble!" She raised her voice in the traditional call to arms for her kind.

The three Jedi were on their feet along with the rest, following Jay as they made their way to the ships they would be using to land on the planet. It was immediately apparent that the Clawsons came from a _very_ different military culture. Everyone, even the rescue team, went down in two-person black fighters with gold and red trim that felt much like Jay's lightsabers and Glovatrix -- like the Force made solid.

A pilot and gunner were in the cockpit, while those being dropped off were in the bomb bay of the jets, a place that held vehicles as well as weapons and was clearly designed with people in mind too. It also broke the laws of physics even more than Jay's Glovatrix. 

There wasn't a transport of any kind among them, and no one flew solo. The next thing that hit the Jedi were just how free these people were with their use of Force, and how completely unorthodox it felt in use. It was much like Jay, early on. He'd toned it down and learned how Jedi use the Force since, but they had no compunctions about using any tool at their disposal freely.

Jay was with Fenrik in one fighter's bomb bay, the kat's excitement at getting to ride in one of these jets almost palatable. The eight-year-old kitten was back and bright-eyed, innocent and eager once more, even if only for a few moments.

The Panther had to wonder if there was any chance they'd be willing to leave one behind in exchange for some of Jay's designs; he was sure it'd be weeks before the middle-aged tom came out of the hangar if they were. Just seeing him this excited about them made it likely that it would do wonders for him; give him something to focus on while the Dark Side bled away a bit and he could exist more comfortably among the Jedi.

The power of their liftoff made them both brace a bit against the abrupt shift in momentum.

"It won't be long now, Jay," Fenrik promised him. "We'll get them back, then things can get back to normal."

"Eventually," he murmured over the soft rumble of powerful engines and leaned against his mate. "Hard to believe it's only been half a year."

"Feels like ten times that long," Fenrik agreed, leaning back against him as the ship rattled in the ever-present storms surrounding Thule. "What did they tell you?"

"About what?" Jay looked up at him, fingering his Glovatrix that resonated with the Force so much like these fighters.

"That led to that message back to the Council," Fenrik clarified. "They had you thinking the Order had turned on you."

Jay paused, dredging up memories that seemed a lifetime old. "They said that Shi was worried about it happening, and had them promise to take care of me if anything happened to her. That I was too dangerous and they'd finally decided to do something about me. That they'd tricked you into attacking us and you were under their sway, not believing that the Order would hurt me. Between the bonds almost snapping and them in those places, I thought you were both dead, I wasn't really in a state to really think it through."

"Explains being worried about what they'd do to you too," Fenrik murmured, hugging Jay lightly. "We'll get through it now."

"Yes," he shivered slightly, still very uneasy about going back, though he wasn't fighting it anymore. He'd let running again go when he'd let Janos go the day before.

"Get ready, we're in position for the drop." The pilot's voice came over the comm link.

The two toms shifted into position quickly, getting into the mission mindset they were so familiar with.

"Ready," Fenrik replied. "Are we getting any attention from the locals?"

"Plenty," the pilot replied grimly. "Air and ground. Work fast or there are going to be serious casualties. We can only be so gentle with these people without endangering ourselves."

"We'll work fact," Fenrik agreed with equal seriousness as the bomb bay opened to reveal the buildings of Thule's only city beneath them, several units of troops massed and waiting for them.

This was going to be messy, however it worked out.

"* _Good time to put Master Zraii's mods to work,_ *" Shivasta told her mate, knowing that she'd have to remind the Panther to keep him from simply slaughtering them alongside Jay.

"* _Right._ *" He nodded and caught Jay moving from the corner of his eye.

Jay, for his part, was locked onto the location of his kits and dove out of the hovering jet as he lit all four of his blades, all but heedless of everything else.

Fenrik followed him, his own white blade gleaming and crackling with the new modification. They landed in the midst of a unit of Thulium troops, a practical hail of blaster fire greeting them as they plummeted towards them. Fenrik started striking out at the troops, most of them collapsing, stunned by the electrical feedback they weren't prepared for.

Fortunately, it seemed the troops weren't nearly as prepared for Jedi as they'd thought they were.

They certainly weren't prepared to face a borderline psychotic one with four blades out to kill, or the way his cousin used the Force to create fireballs and arch lightning across the battlefield with disturbing ease.

The door at the base of the building was carved open without any effort, and Jay, Fenrik, and the Clawsons were on their way in. Shivasta and Kanna met up with them shortly afterwards, cutting through side doors to meet them.

The Triad were the first three to burst through the door of the central room. Shivasta and Fenrik were greeted with a blast of Force Lightning strong enough that it threw them both physically back into the hall, bowling Kanna and a number of the Clawsons over.

"I knew you'd find me here, Jay," Mina purred, holding both their kittens in one arm, the other extended towards Jay at the entrance. "Do you think I made a good choice?"

"You won't leave with them," he countered evenly, his lightsabers deactivating abruptly. "Your army is no match for my kin."

Almost no one noticed the way Jennie carefully stood and began to weave the Force around her into something invisible but potent.

"Mmm... technically, they're not mine, I'm just borrowing them for a bit. "Though I really don't need them to handle the Clawsons here. Thule protects its own, you see, particularly those with the Demon's help."

She got no further as Jennie's Force-energy ripped across the space between them to freeze time itself for a brief moment around the shecat. A moment just long enough for Jay to bolt forward and grab one kitten, his hands burning from crossing the barrier before it fell apart.

Mina didn't say a word, just hit him with a blast that sent him flying back against the wall, clutching their son to his chest protectively.

"Clever, but stupid," she snarled as she saw Jennie preparing to use another 'spell.' The next blast broke any semblance of concentration the shekat had, fur and armor singed by the raw Dark Side energy made manifest.

"Listen to me, Jay," Mina growled, her face barely masking the very real physical pain she was feeling inside. "I could just kill each and every one of you now. Instead, I'm going to offer you a little deal. You take our son and go. Our daughter will be my apprentice, once she's old enough. You're getting three to my one; I'd say that's more than a fair split in custody."

"* _She's killing herself,_ *" Shivasta told Jay mentally. "* _I can practically watch her power tearing her up inside._ *"

"* _Remind me not to stick my hand across a spell again,_ *" Jay asked Shi, his mind in intense pain itself from the smoldering fur and shattered flesh that had cross the barrier for his son.

Then he closed his eyes briefly and glanced at Jennie, who nodded.

"Agreed." Jay told the mother of his kittens softly.

"Good," Mina smirked. "I guess Tembrys was right about you being a genius after all." She turned to start making her way towards a window. "Now get off of my -"

She didn't have the chance to finish her sentence before a plume of red burst from her chest, her body falling back as her legs fell out from under her, the sharp retort of the sniper rifle reaching them only after the bullet had done its work. Everything seemed to move in slow motion, Jay and Jennie both starting forward as Tessra fell towards the ground. Shivasta was the first one to reach her, the Force wrapped around her body, blurring her motions as she snatched up the infant before she could be hurt.

Mina's body fell to the floor with a dull thud, her eyes wide in disbelief, her breathing shallow as she bled out, a growing pool of dark crimson on the floor beneath her, flecks of black inside it betraying the level of damage the Dark Side had already done to her body.

"Thank you," Jay whispered, his body shaking in pain as he took his fourth kitten into his arms and held her tightly, nuzzling her for a long moment before Jennie took the pair and called in the pickup.

"You're going to let me look at those hands once we're on the fighter," Shivasta said firmly, with all the weight of her Healer's rank as Fenrik, Kanna and Teris dealt with the remaining military forces outside the door until they could get inside and lock it.

"Yes, ma'am." Jay murmured, almost sheepishly.

"Head for the roof," Jennie informed them simply. "We'll be picked up there."

Shi, Kanna, and Fenrik exchanged glances, then nodded in agreement. Fenrik's blazing white lightsaber stopped crackling as he switched it to its normal mode, and the three Jedi went to work carving the shortest possible path to the aforementioned roof.

The Sith might have reinforcements on the stairs, but they wouldn't have them in every room along the way.

Teris stopped them after a couple stories. "Allow me." He said smoothly and pulled the Force around them before sending a huge bolt of energy skyward, blasting a hole in the roof several yards wide. He then focus on the ground and lifted all 5 of them up on a translucent circle of solid Force energy.

"Your kin definitely don't wield the Force the same way we do," Kanna observed. "Is this the tradition you developed in your galaxy?"

"As much as we'll ever develop of one," Jay nodded. "It's a lot simpler than anything around here."

"I think it'd be best if we waited to compare notes until _after_ we're out of here," Fenrik pointed out, tossing a few soldiers that came to see about the noise out of the way. "Please tell me those fighters we came in are prepped for a space fight on the way back?"

"Always," Jennie grinned viciously, though her care of the kittens in her arms was never far from the front of her mind. She even shifted to shield the newborns from the buffeting of the jets coming down. "If they manage to scrape anything together for that."

"Call it a hunch, but I think they scraped it together," Fenrik frowned, pointing out an approaching transport bristling with guns. "Let's move people!"

The group split up, Fenrik going with Jennie and Teris into one fighter, Shivasta following Jay onto another as blaster fire starting to rain down towards them.

Then the transport found itself the target of a half dozen sleek black fighters, two of which lined themselves up from top and bottom and slammed right threw the ship with black energy crackling around them as they cut it in three even pieces.

More ships were already scrambling to meet them as the fighters took off for the atmosphere, but the battle was already a foregone conclusion. The Thulian military was prepared for fighting mass battles in space, not dogfights in their own atmosphere.

By contrast, it was exactly the sort of fight that the Clawsons were best prepared for.

"Hold on, we're engaging Speed of Heat." The pilot in the jet holding Jay and Shi called to them over the comm a moment before they were thrown against the back of the bomb bay.

"Okay, whatever this Speed of Heat is, I officially don't like it anymore," Shi muttered to herself as she picked herself up off the floor where she'd fallen. "So, think you're up to showing me those hands?"

Jay could only nod and held his hands out. The skin, where it still existed, was blistered and black; in several spots she could see charred bone where the ravaged flesh was gone.

"Holy...." Shivasta bit her lip, shaking her head. "I'd ask what you were thinking, but I already know. _Never_ do something like this again, Jay." She held her hands near his, trying to do what work she could to heal them, but it wasn't much.

"* _Didn't know it would happen._ *" He managed to tell her telepathically, his body in far too much pain to really speak.

"I can't do much more than start the healing," she said softly. "The tissue damage is incredible... you'll probably want to be on some pretty heavy painkillers for a few days, at best."

"Yes." He nodded as the pain subsided some. "Can they be fixed?"

"Over time, some of it can be," she nodded. "But I'm afraid I'd have to recommend seeing Master Kalin about having the palms replaced," she added with a shudder.

"Cybernetics aren't that bad." He murmured.

"I know," she admitted. "I just don't like suggesting it, you know that. Just at least give me until we're back to decide, and preferably a second opinion."

"Sure," he mumbled, closing his eyes briefly as they set down on board the Kraken with a light thump.

Shi paused for a moment, then decided it was worth the chance.

"Jay, if I can deaden the pain until you get something to take it out more normally, will you promise not to do anything that'll need fine manipulation until we _do_ get you something?"

"Deal," he gritted his teeth as a fractional movement shot pain through his body.

She reached out through the Force, touching the exposed flesh and nerves, putting them to sleep without affecting the rest of his body - but practically killing the feeling in his hands in the process.

"That should last long enough for the painkillers to help," she explained as he slumped forward in the sudden relief.

"Thanks," Jay mumbled and struggled to his feet when the bomb bay opened.

"Marie wants to see you," the tabby tom motioned towards their ship.

"Right," Jay nodded and headed for the sleek flying wing design of the main ship, careful of his hands least he do even more damage.

Shivasta was close behind him, ready to handle anything he had to touch, keeping a close eye on his mind to try and catch his intent to do so before he could act on it and hurt himself. Fortunately, he was very aware of the state of his hands and used his mind, either by command to the ship or by telekinesis, to deal with anything he had to touch.

"Ah," Marie looked up at him as they entered the small medical facility on board. "Are your injuries healable here?"

"Possibly, but not easily," Shivasta told her. "I would take quite a bit of work, or technology we don't have yet. Bacta isn't quite up to the level of damage I saw."

"We can repair the damage, if you are willing to stay with us a couple weeks." She offered evenly. "It is not an unknown injury to us."

"Are you willing to let me observe, perhaps learn the techniques involved?" Shi asked, realizing the question was directed at her as much as, if not more than, Jay.

"You are welcome to observe," the older woman nodded easily and motioned to Jay to lie down on one of the three beds. "It uses our family Gift; I would be surprised if you could learn it."

"What a Furlong won't do," a deep brown shekat in her late twenties shook her head as she came out of the corner of the room to examine Jay's hands. "You made a mess of yourself. "

Shivasta simply waited silently and watched. Frankly, as far as she was concerned, Jay deserved every ounce of healer-scolding he got.

"Have you learned how to convert material to flesh?" Zaxie asked him evenly.

"A little ma'am." He nodded meekly. "I did some work on my ear."

She nodded and shifted her attention to the still-missing flesh, running her fingers along the smooth edge. "It's a start," she agreed. "I can fix that too, if you wish."

"Yes," he murmured and closed his eyes briefly.

"Then lets get to work on those hands so you can sleep tonight." Zaxie turned away to pull a handful of lightly metallic flakes from a drawer that opened for her and sprinkled them across his left hand before focusing on the area, melting them into his flesh. "Try to help out, it will go better. You know your body better than I do."

"Yes, ma'am." Jay agreed submissively.

"Master Shivasta, would you happen to have a good quality three dimensional image of him before all this damage?" Zaxie looked at the elder healer.

"Technological, or would shared mental suffice?" Shivasta asked, knowing the reaction to telepathy without permission wouldn't be particularly good. "I'm not sure about the first, the second I could offer quickly and be out without doing any harm."

Zaxie looked between her leader and Jay nervously, the idea of letting another person into her mind setting her on a razor's edge.

"She's one of us," Jay said softly. "An oath-bound Healer. It's safe."

Despite the assurances, the younger shekat shook her head. "Try to find a technological one, please. I'll ... think about the other if you can't."

"I understand," Shivasta nodded easily.

"* _Fenrik, do we have any saved holos of Jay that can be viewed by mixed company?_ *" She asked the Panther. "* _The more recent the better?_ *"

"Is there anything you can do about the scarring on his face, if he wants?" She asked Zaxie while waiting for Fenrik's response.

"I meant that as part of the ear," she explained a little sheepishly. "It's clearly the same wound."

"I knew," Jay murmured. "It's warrior shorthand."

"I'm sorry," Shi said, lowering her head a little bit in apology. "You'd think I'd know it a bit better myself, by now."

"* _I found a couple._ *" Fenrik got back to her, something in his mind-voice very thoughtful and almost painfully attached to what he was now holding. "* _Where are you?_ *"

"* _The Clawson flagship. Is something wrong?_ *" Shi asked curiously, knowing that he wasn't with the kits just now and at a loss as to what else could inspire such feelings.

"* _Just an old cat's foolishness._ *" He shook his head. "* _I'll be there in a few minutes._ *"

"* _Whatever it is, we'd probably both think it was sweet, not foolish,_ *" Shi replied with a soft smile.

"We'll have pictures here in just a couple minutes," she explained. "Fenrik managed to find some."

"Good," Zaxie nodded and turned her full attention to melding the metallic flakes into Jay's hands, creating a kind of protective layer for the badly damaged flesh. "Reconstructive work is always easier with references."

"Especially doing it like this," Shivasta murmured with a nod, watching the work in the Force and finding she couldn't understand it any better than she could anything Jay did. On the other hand, it meant there was a good chance he could understand it if necessary.

The minutes until Fenrik's arrival passed in silence; Shi watching in frustrated fascination, Jay watching in comprehension and helping with what he could, and Zaxie putting her full natural talent to work on his mangled hands.

"Force!" Fenrik drew all of their attention to him when he entered the room and saw Jay's hands under good light for the first time.

"From reaching across that barrier," Shi explained quietly. "We need the pictures to help Zaxie fix the damage."

"Right," he nodded and produced a holocube from his robes. "It can show them life-sized, but you might get more information directly from the cube." He explained and offered Zaxie the small object, both the other Jedi in the room now very curious as to why he could be so attached to some pictures.

"Isn't that the cube I started just after we met?" Jay looked at the object curiously as Zaxie accessed it directly and got what she needed.

"Uh-hu," Fenrik mumbled and only just managed to avoid ducking his head.

She smiled and reached over to take his hand. She had a similar cube of her own, though it was back at the Temple just now. Jay had given it to her years ago, with a number of moments from their relationship that meant the most to him. He kept updating them, frequently without mentioning it, as time or moments happened.

"* _Told you I'd think it was sweet,_ *" she told Fenrik mentally.

"* _Jedi shouldn't be that attached to things,_ *" he reminded her, feeling a bit guilty about it.

"Jay, are any of these actual recordings and not your memories?" Zaxie looked up at the injured tom.

"The first one, the five, ten, fifteen, twenty, thirty and forty anniversary, my knighting, Master Artisan and Form confirmation portraits." He nodded.

"Good," she murmured and went after those.

"* _It's not the thing you're attached to,_ *" Shi pointed out. "* _It's what it represents, the memories. The thing just contains a few reminders. I feel the same way, it's why I didn't bring it with me on the original mission._ *"

"* _True,_ *" he murmured, watching the healer without any Force sensitivity he could detect work on his mate's hands, slowly adding metallic flakes until there was a solid coating melted into the shape of hands. It was obvious she was using power, decades of watching Jay work had taught him well what the Clawson Gift looked like in action, it just wasn't the Force as he knew it.

"Do try not to use your hands," Zaxie told Jay sternly with a look at his mates to make sure they'd heard as well. "For now, see your kittens, get some rest, and we'll work on this more in the morning."

"And yes, that does mean you're going to let us take care of you tonight," Shi pointed out quietly to Jay as they made their way out of the ship.

"Yes, ma'am." Jay murmured, half submissive, half teasing.

"Come on now," she smiled. "Let's go meet your children."

* * *

Shi woke up with a start as she sensed pain creeping into Jay's sleeping mind; her work was wearing off, and they'd forgotten to get him some real painkillers after the work with Zaxie. She reinforced her painkiller effects, then climbed out of bed gently to fetch him something a bit stronger. It wouldn't be long before he was awake on his own.

"* _Shi?_ *" Fenrik's mind reached out to her as she pulled her robes on quickly, curious why she was getting up.

"* _Jay's hands are about to get their feeling back,_ *" she pointed out to him silently, cinching her robe closed and hurrying out. "* _I'm hoping we can make sure they're not in sheer agony when they do._ *"

"* _Right, good._ *" He nodded and snuggled back in with their mate. It wasn't anything any of them had discussed, but both he and Shi could feel it in their gut that Jay should not be without at least one of them close by anytime soon. As completely as he'd accepted them back as his mates, as strong as the bonds were, they could all feel just how far behind his mind was in many ways.

"* _I'll be back in a minute with something for him,_ *" she promised, hurrying off to medical and hoping that the Kraken still had the Republic clearance codes that would let her access its medical stores. She hadn't really needed them with Janos, and the trip had been mercifully short on medical issues.

Worst case, she could probably get any of the Clawsons to open the door for her. They all knew she was a Healer and Jay had been badly injured in the rescue.

She closed it all from her mind, focusing on her destination and on keeping a mental eye on Jay's condition, until she reached the large medical facility on board the Kraken and stopped dead in her tracks when she realized that six of the beds were occupied.

Zaxie was dozing in a nearby chair; it didn't take long for Shi to put together what had been going on in here. Jay's injures might have been the most extreme, but he wasn't the only one who'd been hurt. The Clawsons occupying the medical beds had been injured mostly by inactive vibroblades, bludgeons - anything the Thulian soldiers could use after their powered weapons had been shut down by the attacking Clawsons.

While it meant that there hadn't been any Clawson dead, it also meant that the ones who were injured couldn't be fixed too quickly, for fear of setting something wrong. Zaxie had probably spent all her time since healing Jay helping them, until they were all stabilized and she'd been able to pass out. It was the sort of scene Shivasta was intimately familiar with.

She quietly made her way to the medical stores, putting in her code and opening the door, pulling out a small bottle with the clear liquid she'd need.

"* _Should be back in just a minute,_ *" she told Fenrik. "* _If Jay starts to wake up, put him under for a few minutes._ *"

"* _Understood._ *" He agreed easily.

"* _Scratch that._ *" Shi shot back at a sharp alarm she was also intimately familiar with. She slipped the bottle into her robe even as she bolted for the bed that had alarmed. She found Zaxie already there, moving with an efficient speed despite the borderline panic in her mind that she was out of her depth in this place.

"Let me help," Shi offered, checking the scanners with practiced ease. The patient was destabilizing; his blood pressure was dropping fast, vital signs sliding downwards all across the board as internal wounds started to re-open. "Shit," she swore under her breath, placing her hands over where she felt the worst injuries, starting to reach out through the Force instinctively to help.

"Anything you can do." Zaxie gave way to what she saw as a specialist of far more experience without hesitation. Jay claimed her as Clawson kin, Marie accepted her as a potent Medic and she was allowed to cradle and adore the newborns. It was more than enough for her. "His name is Jeremy."

"He's going to be fine," Shi promised, healing the internal wounds, focusing closely on the cause. "We're going to need restraining bands for a while," she said, nodding towards the cabinet where they would be stored. "He moved too much in his sleep."

"Right," she nodded and quickly fetched the lengths of sturdy cloth. "Thank you." She added as they secured the injured tom to his bed.

"You're welcome," Shi nodded quietly, helping to secure him then setting the bed to use a low-level force field to keep him from moving too much. "I've got him stabilized now. You want me to look at the others before I go?"

"If you're willing," Zaxie nodded. "You can heal a different way than I can."

"I'm willing," Shi nodded. "I just came down here to pick up some painkillers for Jay, I can take a few minutes to make sure everybody's all right, after what you've done for us." She checked the others out; they weren't injured as badly as the other tom had been.

"These two aren't Clawsons by blood, are they?" She asked, hoping she wasn't being rude as she checked out the last two and realizing they were completely force-blind.

"No, they're mates," Zaxie explained. "This is a family you mate into, not out of."

"Jay mentioned that," Shi smiled. "It's not uncommon really; my people are the same way most of the time. I think everybody's going to be fine; most of the injuries weren't deep. Jeremy just had some extra damage from the beating he took. You have a very strong family," she said respectfully.

"It's how we've survived," Zaxie nodded. "My family and the Jedi fill similar rolls in our cultures from what I've gathered. We're the first and final line of defense when things get ugly."

"Just hope you don't run into something that's the Clawson's equivalent of the Sith," Shi murmured. "It'd be a culture as strong as yours but given over to the Demon completely. Not something I really want to imagine, myself. I should be getting back before Fenrik has to keep Jay under."

"A family of Omegas?" She shuddered and nodded a goodbye. "I hope not too. Thank you for your help."

"Not a problem. If you need anything more, just send a call, I'm used to it," Shi smiled, then turned to return to her quarters.

It was a very, very strange day when the most normal thing that happened was a medical emergency.

She made the trip back to her room quickly and couldn't help but smile warmly at the way Fenrik was snuggled up against Jay's back, holding the tom closely to make her absence less obvious. Jay was starting to stir, but more in distress at her absence and a little pain than truly wanting to wake up.

She pulled out a hypo and affixing the small bottle, pressing the pressure-feed up against Jay's skin beneath his fur and pumping a large dose of the drug into his system. It would keep him comfortable, and asleep, until late in the morning. 

"Sorry to take so long," she told Fenrik softly, stripping down and crawling into bed behind him.

"Good timing anyway, I was about to put him under." He turned his head around to nuzzle her. "Somebody get hurt?"

"Six of the Clawsons during the attack," she nodded. "One of them went critical briefly, we got things under control." She wrapped her arms around Fenrik and Jay both, hugging the Panther against her. "It's really over now."

"All but the healing," he nodded and relaxed a bit more. "I'm beginning to think his Trials were a test to us all, to see if we could hold together when things got really rough between us."

"We handled that," Shi pointed out softly. "And we'll handle this. He probably won't be quite as jumpy, but I won't be surprised if we have to stop him from doing something stupid at least once during the process. I got some pointers from Marie on things that should help him cope."

"Good," Fenrik smiled softly and opened his arms as Jay rolled over in his sleep to burry his nose in the Panther's thick, sleek fur. "As much as the Council's not going to like it, socializing him all over again will probably be the fastest way to put things right again. The sooner we can bring him enough back to the Light that you don't have to shield so completely, the better."

"Gods, I'm with you there," Shi murmured, nuzzling the back of Fenrik's neck. "It's draining, to say nothing of the fact that nothing quite feels right like this."

"At least he _wants_ things to be right again," he reached back with one arm to rub her leg. "He's got a downright gift for making things happen when he wants them to. We'll definitely need to get more civilian clothes though. I don't think we'll want to go out into public as Jedi while he's this Dark."

"I think the Council would agree," she murmured, enjoying the gentle touch. "Fenrik, what would you think of going civilian for a couple years?" She asked softly. "Not leaving, but sort of a sabbatical, until he's handling things better."

"You really think that'd be best?" He looked over his shoulder at her, resistant to the idea despite being willing to consider it.

"It may," she said. "I can't be sure, but it may be. We'll have to see how things go."

"Then let's leave it on the list of options," he nodded and rested his head on top of Jay's as the painkiller really started to work on the Kat and he sighed in contentment and relief.

"That's all I wanted to know for now," Shi murmured. "Thank you, Fenrik. I love you, you know that?"

"Yes, and I love you both." he smiled slightly and shifted to kiss her forehead. "It's always nice to hear it, though."

"Yeah," she smiled softly, leaning up to kiss his lips. "I just don't want you to think I'm ignoring you in the next few months. I think we'll both be a little Jay-centric."

"I expect so, especially while his hands look that bad." Fenrik smiled softly. "We're all pretty indulgent with the injured one." He added, remembering all the times Jay and Shi had focused on him when he'd come back beaten up from a mission and how he and Jay focused on her the handful of times she'd been hurt.

"He's probably going to be considering a divorce by the time we stop "babying" him and his hands are better," Shi chuckled softly. "Sleep well, Fenrik. I think we're both going to need the rest."

"Quite possibly," he agreed to both statements with an indulgent look at the injured tom resting peacefully in his arms. "It's good to have him back."

* * *

Jay nuzzled Fenrik's shoulder as he finally came around slowly and without pain early in the afternoon, after both his mates had taken turns getting something to eat. The next thing Fenrik became aware of was the arousal in his mate. While absolutely normal for them, Jay's injuries made it much less simple to indulge in than usual.

Fortunately, Shi seemed to have the same idea, and took Jay's wrists gently, beneath his injuries, pulling his hands up above his head as Fenrik kissed him. It was an action that found little resistance as long as one of them kept kissing and touching.

Soon Jay was fully awake, aroused and licked his whickers back as he looked up at the pair of them.

"We'll have to keep your hands up out of the way," Shi warned him, pressing them up against the headboard as she glanced over where they usually kept their assorted toys. "Think you're up for that?" She asked.

"I think so." He rumbled back, keenly interested in a little extra.

Fenrik shifted off the bed long enough to fetch the silk ties they had, helping Shi to carefully place them around Jay's arms where they'd be below the burns. Once they were done, the Panther kissed him tenderly, Shi kissing her way down his body towards his erect, barbed shaft.

"Ohhh, yeah." Jay shivered in excitement and spread his legs for her while he eagerly sucked on Fenrik's tongue.

Shi fondled his balls, licking his cock lightly before taking it into her mouth. Fenrik fondled Jay's ears lightly, including the still-damaged one, reaching out to his mind with a mental suggestion.

The shiver of excitement couldn't be missed and Jay let his mate's mouth go in favor of the Panther's hard cock with a relish.

Fenrik shifted to straddle his chest, moaning as his lover took his barbed shaft into his mouth and sucked it for all he was worth. Shi shifted to get into a better position, teasing the tight pucker of Jay's ass with one furless fingertip. That drew an even deeper moan from Fenrik as Jay rumbled around his cock.

The Panther fucked Jay's face slowly, stroking his ears, moaning words of encouragement and approval. Shi let Jay's cock slip from her mouth, suckling his balls and stroking him lightly with one hand as she fingered his ass with the other.

Both his lovers could feel Jay's intense frustration at being bound. He wanted to touch as much as be touched and had basically forgotten that his hands were a crispy mess.

Shi took a hand from his cock, licking his barbs as she shifted his tail to tease her sex as it twitched, giving him something to do with it.

"Mmm ... don't want you hurting yourself," Fenrik reminded him, leaning his head back with a groan as he pumped his cum into Jay's hungry mouth and shuddered as the tom swallowed every bit, then began to lick him clean.

He pulled out of Jay's mouth, shifting to kiss him again as Shi moved up, straddling Jay's hips and taking him into her sex with a soft moan of pleasure, milking him, hoping to get both of them off quickly. It wasn't difficult. They were both keyed up by then and in no mood to resist her skill.

Jay's roar as he shot his seed into her body arched his entire body against his lovers. Fenrik kissed his throat, nuzzling and licking at him as Shi moaned softly, milking his cock as she came with him, her juices matting the fur of his thighs before she leaned forward to kiss and suckle at his neck along with Fenrik.

"If we untie you for a shower, you promise to behave?" She asked him, just a little lazily.

"I think I can do that." He murmured and claimed a long, lingering kiss from Fenrik.

"Good," Shi smiled, reaching up to undo the ties around his arms. "We don't want you hurting your hands, after all. You're in for a couple solid weeks of letting us fetch."

"Longer, probably," he sighed and got up carefully. "That's just how long until Zaxie will let me out of her care. I scanned their records. The recovery time is closer to a year under her care, longer for me, since I don't have her skill level."

"How would that affect it?" Fenrik asked curiously. "I wouldn't think most people _would_ have a trained Healer's skill level."

"No, but as there is no one but me to do the work after she leaves, it'll take me longer to heal than it would if she was doing all the work." Jay shook his head and headed for the bathroom. "It takes _her_ a year to replace someone's hands. It'll take me longer to do the same work."

"Replace - how does somebody replace the hands entirely?" Fenrik asked as they followed him into the shower. "I thought we weren't talking about cybernetics here?"

"We aren't, we're talking about regrowing them, sort of." Jay sighed and used a bit of telekinesis to turn the shower on. "You've seen me convert one material to another, right?"

"Not for a long time," Fenrik admitted.

"That's what's involved in this," Shi explained. "Inert matter, converted into the real thing. Will it be a matter of replacements added onto what's left, or completely replacing them?" She asked, helping Jay into the shower and reaching under the cabinet to pull out a couple bags to tie around his arms.

"It _should_ be complete regrowth, like nothing happened." He explained and waited patiently for her to secure the bags around his hands and wrists so they wouldn't get wet. "Until then, they'll probably look pretty weird, and be less than all that useful."

"Weird we can handle, and we can be your hands for you," Shi reassured him, cinching the second bag and helping him in. "They won't be as raw for all that time, will they?"

"No, if for no other reason than the coating that is being converted to flesh will cover them. I'm not sure how flexible it will be, and I am sure it won't have much by way of sensation or fine manipulative abilities." Jay shook his head and groaned deeply as the water began to soak through his fur. "I've got a good sense of TK too." He remained the pair that he still had _some_ ability to care for himself, even without his hands.

"We know," Shi nodded. "As a matter of fact, we're only going to handle the scrubbing in this shower," she promised, glancing at Fenrik to make sure he'd let Jay do the rest. "We're going to pamper you, but not that much."

"You're still going to be sick of us when this is over," the Panther chuckled softly and squeezed out a gob of shampoo from the bottle Jay passed to him telekinetically even as he caught the hit of returned arousal that was expected in the shower.

"Of course he is," Shi chuckled, taking the bottle and starting on Jay's back. "After all, it wouldn't be us if he didn't feel like a vacation after he was hurt," she winked.

"You two are just as bad," Fenrik shot back with a chuckle.

"I think Shi enjoyed it though." Jay snickered and groaned as he pressed into the strong, familiar hands working his back.

"You're just lucky I was too good natured to throw something at the two of you," she chuckled, working too-tight muscles with her skilled hands, remembering the time she'd been laid up for a month after a rockslide had almost gotten her killed on a remote planet. The toms had delighted in making sure she didn't so much as move for the first week and hadn't lifted more than herself until Master Ursal had said she was fit for it.

She did have to admit all the care to her appearance had been pleasant, though. It was the first time she'd been let in on the feline social ritual that was grooming and it was utterly indulgent on a level she never thought of before.

She had often wondered since if it was part of why Fenrik and Jay both enjoyed showering together so much. Right now, the injured tom was about ready to melt between the two of them and was radiating a level of pleasure that went far beyond even good sex. The soft whimper Jay gave when Fenrik began the slow, meticulous work on his long hair was another reminder that this wasn't just physical contact, but an act of devotion and caring between the two felines that mattered more than any words.

While Shivasta wasn't as into it as they were, just watching the two of them was a pleasure. She carefully started to let up on her shields, keeping an eye on Jay's reaction, not sure how much better they'd be already. She felt his discomfort quickly, though it was more in the way he mentally shied a little closer to Fenrik than an actual recognition of pain. Still, she closed up quickly. It was better than he had been, but still not where she was going to relax them completely.

She realized a moment later as Fenrik shifted to face their mate and Jay slipped his arms over the Panther's shoulders that the pair were not really paying attention to her anymore. For a long time, these moments had made her jealous; then it had happened between her and Jay, and she'd realized that it wasn't intentional and they weren't excluding her.

It was simply a moment where the universe narrowed to just the other's eyes and the simple touch of their bodies as they embraced.

Especially right now, it was a moment that the Healer in her rejoiced in even more than when Jay trusted her with his lover's care.

She backed away mentally, letting the two of them be together, just working on helping Jay to clean up in the meantime. It was a simple task, and one she still enjoyed.

She felt when his mind started to click back in with the here and now and a moment later his tail was teasing her between her legs as he kissed Fenrik deeply.

"Mmm ... you two enjoying yourselves?" She asked with a chuckle, kissing the back of his soaked neck after rinsing him off, feeling him work his tail, through trial and surprisingly pleasant error, up into her body, earning a moan of pleasure for the effort.

"* _Yes,_ *" Fenrik rumbled deeply as Jay rubbed against his body lightly. "* _Some things definitely haven't changed._ *"

"* _Mmm ... hope nobody's surprised most of them are play related,_ *" Shi chuckled mentally, moaning as Jay's tail found a particularly sensitive spot inside her and Fenrik shifted to press up into their mate's ass from in front of him without breaking the kiss.

"* _Not me,_ *" the Panther chuckled. "* _He's as hot as ever._ *"

"Mmm ... less 'pathy, more play," Shi rumbled, nuzzling the back of Jay's neck and massaging his pleasure points.

* * *

"Ah, I was wondering when you'd get out of bed." Zaxie chuckled as she greeted the triad. "Ready to go to work?"

"Yes, ma'am." Jay nodded and sat down at the small table set up in the medical facility of the Astran, the Clawson's ship.

Shivasta and Fenrik took seats of their own, mostly observing again. The procedure was anything but standard to the two Jedi.

"Now," Zaxie turned to face Jay, a serious look on her face. "Usually I put a patient under completely for this part, I do give a choice. The cleaning is easily the most painful thing we've ever developed, and it's a medical procedure. We have to remove all the damaged parts before we start the reconstruction."

"If I can ask a question?" Shivasta asked.

"Of course," Zaxie turned to look at her.

"How thoroughly removed, and how lengthy would the procedure be?" She asked.

"Healthy cells stay, but the dead and damaged have to go or they'll cause infections inside the prosthetic used for regeneration." Zaxie explained. "The most effective means we've found is a special acid bath. Hurts like hellfire, but it rarely takes more than half an hour."

"Understood," Shi nodded, leaving the rest up to Jay. "Just wasn't sure if you were talking a full amputation."

"No, not for this level. The majority of the bones are still intact." Zaxie shook her head, then looked back to Jay.

"I think I'll opt for unconscious." He murmured as it sunk in just what she was talking about. "And _really_ good painkillers afterwards."

"Always." Zaxie shook her head. "Then take a bed and I'll set up the drip and bathing pans."

"Do you want us here for this?" Shi asked Jay softly. She could feel his conflict at it. The pull between what he desired and what he thought was best. The pull between what he desired and what he thought was best. A trickle of Dark inside him, slight selfishness, made up his mind.

"Yes." He murmured, looking at her with what was nearly an apology in his eyes for it.

"I've seen worse, Jay," she reassured him softly, rubbing his shoulder as Zaxie moved easily about her domain setting things up. "I just wanted to know what you wanted."

"I want you to stay." He said with a bit more certainty.

"We will," she nodded, squeezing his shoulder. "It'll be better than what they were like just after we made it to the fighter," she pointed out.

"She's got that right." Zaxie commented from the side of a bed where she'd set up an IV drip. "Now lay down and let's get you nice and out of it."

"All right," he nodded and got up, not even objecting to the help he got in settling on the bed or when Zaxie expertly inserted the IV into his upper arm.

"Try not to fight the drowsiness. The sooner you're under, the sooner it'll be over."

"We could put him under if he resists too much," Shi offered quietly, not sure if Zaxie would want to take the shortcut or not.

"I won't resist," Jay interrupted the two healers talking across him. "But you can anyway."

"Whatever works, as long as it won't interact with the medication." Zaxie motioned to the drip.

"It won't," Shi said, shaking her head and putting a hand on Jay's forehead.

"* _Sleep,_ *" she told him mentally, the drug already having him most of the way there. With him not resisting either, it was completely out almost instantly and even deeper than his deepest natural sleep.

"Healer Shivasta," Zaxie looked up at her counterpart. "Am I correct in that you can detect if he is in pain or regaining consciousness sooner than my instruments?"

"Between the bond and my skills, yes," she nodded. "If it becomes absolutely necessary, I can keep him under if the chemical sedative runs out while it's still needed, but I'd really rather not. It's risky."

"I've have enough to keep someone under for a several-day surgery. This shouldn't take an hour." Zaxie said easily with a soft smile and sank oval bowls into the bed for his hands to sit in while they soaked. "If he starts to wake up or feel pain, just let me know and I can give him a slightly higher dose. I don't know how resistant he is yet to my painkillers or sedatives.

"Unless he tries to fight them, he shouldn't be any more resistant than normal," Shi offered. "But I'll let you know."

"Thank you," Zaxie carefully set Jay's hands into the bowls and turned to pick up a metal pitcher to slowly pour a clear liquid over Jay's left hand and wrist. The injured flesh and coating from the previous day sizzled and smoked while it began to dissolve.

The sharp spike of sensation, of pain, drew on enough instincts to pull Jay's mind towards awareness.

"More," Shi said quickly, reinforcing the drug enough to keep him out until Zaxie could set the pitcher aside and make the adjustment.

"The pain brought him up a bit?" She asked for clarification after adding a bit more flow in the drip.

"It did," Shi agreed. "Instinct without an override," she clarified, going based on what she'd felt from him, backing off through the Force. If Jay woke up like this, he'd be in more pain than when he'd reached across the barrier in the first place.

Not for the first time, Shi was devoutly grateful that the spell had dropped _before_ he'd tried to pull his son across. The kit would be dead for sure if it had still been up.

"I'm not surprised. It's a common response to this level of pain." Zaxie nodded and went back to filling the bowls of acid. "There is just no easy way to remove all the dead and damaged material, but it's better than when we first figured out how to regenerate parts. At first, I had to cut it away with a surgical knife."

Shi shuddered at the thought, stroking Jay's forehead reassuringly as Fenrik tried not to pay too much attention to what was happening, or the smells it was creating and be there for his mate.

"It's why I asked about how much you were going to have to remove," Shi explained softly. "If your were just going to amputate, we have faster ways around that. This ... not much, really. We don't run into this type of damage often, for obvious reasons."

"I see it far too often," Zaxie sighed and finished pouring the acid, put the pitcher away and got a fairly thick pair of gloves on. "Not just spell damage, but acid, fire, frostbite ... anything that does significant structural damage to the body tissue is treated the same basic way."

"Usually we have ways around those," Shi offered. "Bacta treatments, mostly, but with the large amounts of missing tissue here it wouldn't have been enough. We might be able to help you adapt the technology, if you have something you could use to synthesize it."

"If it has a stable molecular structure, we can figure that out," she nodded seriously, keenly interested as she slid her gloved hands into the acid bath and began to help it work the dead bits away. "It would be very good to have another option between natural healing and this."

"Biological, but stable," Shi nodded. "I'm sure there wouldn't be any objections to giving you some samples, especially since you're leaving Republic space in not too long a span of time."

"I expect there will be some significant trading before we leave," Zaxie chuckled softly. "Even if much of our most advanced technology isn't useable by anyone else, there is a lot that we developed that we haven't found in your records."

"I don't doubt it," Shi smiled. "Though not everything we've developed is in the public records, I'm sure."

"If it was, it would be a first." Zaxie shook her head in amusement at the idea. "I would expect them to be at least reasonably representative of the technology available here."

"I'm sure they are," Shi nodded. "Much of the technology we have is based on a certain number of designs, none of which are really classified. Even lightsabers are common knowledge, even if how to make and use them isn't."

"Now that is a fascinating weapon." She grinned at the Jedi. "Elegant, deadly and a useful tool. I'm sure there are already a couple attempts to create them going on in this ship. Jay certainly took after his early training in his design. That staff format goes with his early records. He had a real affinity for the staff."

"That's about what he said," Shi smiled. "Don't be surprised if the vast majority of your crew can't duplicate them, though. It's very delicate work, and not entirely on the physical level."

"About the same way you probably couldn't duplicate how I heal." Zaxie nodded in easy acceptance. "It will be interesting to see the results, be they lightsabers or not."

"Agreed," Shi nodded. "Jay's 'sabers in particular will be difficult to duplicate, they're a few steps above the standard model."

"But they are a Clawson design," Zaxie chuckled and lifted the hand she was working on out of the acid bath and set the nearly skeletal extremity on a towel next to his body. "That'll make it easier for us to understand them. But I'm not at all surprised they're more advanced. It is what we do to things. He's made some impressive improvements on the Glovatrix too."

"That he has," Shi nodded, stepping back to take Fenrik's hand as she felt the warrior's gorge rise behind her. "Though I was referring to more than the simple design of them; he and I are what the Jedi refer to as Master Artisans. Not even most Jedi understand everything involved in making lightsabers at that level. I'm not even entirely sure the two of us do," she chuckled.

"Ah," Zaxie nodded and gave Fenrik a glance. "I can give you something to ease the physical reaction." She offered gently.

"I'll be fine," the Panther said, shaking his head and trying not to look at the hand.

"Warriors," Shi sighed, rolling her eyes a bit and keeping an eye on Fenrik's response so she could relax him before he decorated the floor with whatever was left of dinner from the night before if she had to.

"Some things never change." Zaxie chuckled softly and went to work on Jay's other hand. "Even across galaxies."

"I can handle it," Fenrik said stubbornly.

"Yes, Fenrik, we know," Shi chuckled, patting his shoulder, earning one of the dirtiest looks from her mate she'd ever gotten. "I've seen this sort of thing more often," she said more seriously. "One of the nice things about lightsabers, they don't usually leave victims like that. But he'll be better soon. About how long into the treatment should his hands stop hurting so much?" She asked Zaxie.

"Actual physical pain should end within a day, once he's used to the coating and has begun to absorb it. How long he feels pain will depend on how long he thinks it'll hurt." She explained easily as she worked with an unnerving familiarity with what she was doing. "The disadvantage of lightsabers is they leave nothing to work with. If this had been an amputation, healing would take four or five times longer, and probably wouldn't be done. At that point, cybernetic replacement would be more effective."

"We'd been thinking it would be necessary for what damage was done," Shi admitted. "It's more common than I'd like, around here."

"The designs available here are atrocious." Zaxie nodded in agreement. "Making them look real while still being effective is something we have a lot of experience with."

"There is effort being made in creating realistic ones, but the simple fact is that the easiest way to manufacture them is to fit an adaptor to a droid limb," Shi explained with a shudder. "More than that, while I don't know if it would apply to Jay, fitting a Sensitive with a cybernetic limb is almost like tightening a noose around their connection to the Force. I've lost more than one patient who received a new arm because they couldn't handle the psychological strain," she admitted with a sigh. "At least Jay would be better suited for one than most others."

"Quite true." Zaxie considered that while she worked on removing the damaged flesh from Jay's hand. "Have you done any experiments with bio-cybernetics? Machines made of biological material."

"Not that I'm aware of," Shi said, shaking her head. "Not on a large scale, at least. Some species use the occasion piece of bio-tech of that sort, but nothing significant."

"It may be worth the effort to translate their efforts, or ours, to your use. You may loose fewer patients." Zaxie suggested. "It would be something to set Jay on if he needs a distraction."

"I imagine he'll have enough over the next few years, but I'll keep it in mind," Shi nodded. "Not sure how well the idea will take, but it would certainly be better than what we've got now."

"Even if it never sees much use outside of the sensitive communities, it would likely save lives." Zaxie said softly. "I do understand the psychological cost of loosing something central to your self-identity. It's rarely something that is taken well, no matter what is lost."

"Physical or otherwise," Shivasta nodded. "It was why I was hoping your methods might be ones we could adapt."

"What _we_ do, like this, probably not, but the technology used by the general population is much more translatable. The majority of our kind do not have the Clawson Gift, you are just only seeing family on this mission. Rather like Jedi here, I believe. Rare but powerful."

"Accurate enough," she nodded. "I've said it before, but I'm sure we'll be willing to take any help we can. How is the procedure progressing?" She asked.

"Quite well," Zaxie smiled. "Except for his claws and the tips of his fingers, the bone is largely intact. It will give us a very good foundation to work from. It is as bad as I expected, but not worse. The bones should be covered soon."

"No worse than you expected is always a good thing," Shi nodded understandingly. "Is there any specialized care we'll have to give him?"

"Nothing beyond keeping him healthy as he works. It will be very draining on him. That will leave him vulnerable to disease and infection, as well as a general loss in health that will adversely affect the process. The most critical things to keep an eye on are blood infections and any kind of abnormality in the new growth. If it is beyond your ability to correct, send a message as quickly as you can. Travel time is extensive and such things can kill or maim quickly."

"Abnormalities such as?" Shi asked, not sure if there was something beyond the norm to watch for.

"The primary ones I see are the wrong kind of flesh in a given location -- tendon where muscle should be, bones growing too long and such -- and cancerous growths where the rapid regrowth goes wrong and cells turn damaging. They are not common, but since Jay is not a trained Medic, the risk of it is _much_ higher for him."

"I'll keep a close eye on that," Shi nodded. "If necessary, will standard surgery be capable of correcting such problems?"

"In general, yes," Zaxie nodded easily. "But unless I am here to replace the outer coating and begin the process again, it will have to wait until he is finished absorbing and regrowing the hand. This is not advisable with the cancer, as it could spread into his body before his hands are ready. If chemical or other methods do not work, take the metal off, cut it out and treat him as best you can until I get here." She added, something in the calm healer outside showing just how distressing the cancerous development was to her.

"You don't have survivors often when that happens, do you?" Shi asked softly.

"Not in the long run," Zaxie admitted, never pausing in her work. "Five years after discovery is considered quite a success. As much as it hurts to loose an elderly patient, to loose someone Jay's effective age ...." She shook her head slightly, remembering more than one case. "Actual years aside, he's still very much in his prime. At his current rate of aging, he could see two hundred before time finally catches up with him."

"Between the ages I've heard of from his family, and the fact that he's Jedi, I wouldn't be surprised," Shi nodded. "Believe me, I don't want to see it happen either. Fortunately, that I am trained to handle. We have treatments that have practically eliminated cancer as a cause of death, most of which should work if necessary."

"Jedi techniques, or something we might be able to use?" Zaxie looked at her hopefully.

"Both, but primarily non-Force techniques," Shi said easily. "Most traditional healing methods can have undesired effects on cancer cells; you don't really want to encourage life in them."

"That is something I would definitely like to get a look at." Zaxie smiled at the other healer. "New ways to fight disease are too hard to come by."

"Once you're done working with Jay, I can bring up the data files for you," Shi offered with a smile of her own.

"They're on board the Kraken?" Zaxie raised a surprised eyebrow.

"Yes," Shi nodded. "I have clearance to transmit them anywhere. At this point, they're public knowledge; anybody with a medical license can access them."

"If you can, include the molecular structure and descriptions of any substances used. Their names don't mean much back home." Zaxie added and lifted Jay's second hand, also little more than skeletal remains, from the acid bath and onto a specially treated towel to dry.

"As much as I can, I will," Shi nodded. "Much of what we have are variants on focused radiation therapy, that will probably be easier for you to adapt."

"It is a method we know, so I would expect so." Zaxie nodded and gently dried what was left of Jay's hand.

"That definitely doesn't look healthy," Shi murmured. "There won't be any difficulties connecting the tissue that's left to the remainder?" She asked.

"Not at all," Zaxie assured her as the door slid open. "The new flesh grows into place from what he has into the form Sharie will create of the carnmello." She nodded towards the older cinnamon furred shekat with thin black stripes who entered.

"Carnmello?" Shi asked, looking between the healer and artisan.

"The metal formula we used for regeneration." Sharie explained and walked to the bed to examine what she had to start with. "You saw Zaxie put some flakes on his hands as a stopgap measure yesterday. Today, we are going to do it the right way."

"Understood," Shi nodded. "Do you need the pictures again?" She asked.

"I have all the references I need," Sharie smiled warmly at her and sat down next to Jay's hand before reaching for a transparent box. "I'll have him looking better soon." She promised as she set Jay's hand inside the box and turned it on, holding the injured limb in suspension.

"Thank you," Fenrik said, still paying as little attention as possible to the macabre display of his mate's exposed bones and tendons. Instead he kept as much attention as he could on Jay's relaxed, sleeping face.

"If you don't mind, Master Fenrik, would you tell me about him and his life here?" Sharie expertly began to distract the Panther from what she was doing as small metal flakes were poured and molded into the rough shape of a hand.

"Where do you want me to start?" The Panther asked, grateful for the distraction.

"How long have you been together?" She suggested easily.

"About forty years now," Fenrik chuckled, closing his eyes and settling in to accept the distraction and give the information he'd been asked for, starting into some of the triad's shared stories.

* * *

* * *

* * *

* * *

* * *

* * *

The sleek black flying wing of the Clawson ship swooped in with the natural affinity of a design meant to fly in an atmosphere with a skilled pilot strong in the Force at her helm. Despite the tension and injuries of the past few days, they were ready to land and face the Jedi Council again.

Doruth, Tes, and Essani, the Kushiban's fur mottled gold and grey, were waiting for them as the sizeable ship came in for a flashy landing. Word had arrived not an hour before that the Kraken was back, and once it was determined that it wasn't going to attack they were all ready to see Jay back again.

They had also heard about the injuries he suffered in the course of rescuing his kits. As miraculous as the work the Clawsons had done sounded, they were all a little apprehensive about the shape the prodigal Jedi would be in ... physical and otherwise. Shi had told them he was redeemable and willing to be redeemed, but there were still lingering doubts about it.

All three Jedi on the landing pad could feel the mixed emotions from those on board. Uneasiness, fear, excitement, anticipation, readiness for trouble, grief and more.

At least Shi and Fenrik seemed to be mostly centered, as much as could be expected given that their mate was in a state of panic and trying desperately to escape when the small party exited the ramp and he saw who was there. Marie, in the full military uniform of blue and red, was ahead of them, glancing back several times with an expression of concern and offer of help with the struggling tom.

"* _Master Essani, you'll have to shield yourself_ heavily _for now,_ *" Shivasta warned the Kushiban mentally. "* _He's reacting with pain when he's too close to either of us._ *"

"* _Understood,_ *" the Kushiban said briefly before she clamped down heavily on her mental defenses, blocking herself off from Jay. Doruth looked like he wanted to move forward and help, but restrained himself, though both his companions heard the sharp intake of breath as he saw Jay's hands, now replaced with two Force-heavy sculptures, still very clearly metallic.

"Jay, it's Doruth and Essani, you know you can trust them," Shi said softly, helping to coax him forward.

As the tom flicked his eyes nervously from one to the other, and then to Tes, his reaction was a little too easy to read. He was terrified of Doruth and Tes, and his former Master invoked mostly guilt.

"Jay, you're home now, you're safe," Doruth told him, realizing easily what the problem with them was. "You've come back, and the hunt's over."

"I can calm him for a while." Marie offered when Jay continued to struggle, almost breaking free of Fenrik's strong grip.

"Please do," Fenrik grunted as Jay managed to plant an elbow in his gut. Those parts of his arms still worked.

"Jay." Marie turned to face him and drew his attention for a brief moment. "To _heel_." She ordered with all the authority of her rank in the family and no small amount of power. It was much less elegant than a Jedi suggestion, much more brute-force, but it also worked very effectively.

Still terrified, but now completely subdued, Jay stopped struggling and came to stand at her side and slightly behind her.

"My apologies for a short greeting, but it would be best to settle him in his quarters before he snaps out of that." Marie bowed politely to Master Essani. "It won't last very long with his current state."

"Agreed," Doruth said for the Kushiban. "We'll meet in the Council chambers afterwards; he may be more relaxed with a smaller group."

"He'll also be more relaxed when it sinks in that he has been 'caught' and escaping from you isn't needed." Marie nodded and gently motioned Jay along with Master Essani as the lion-tailed rabbit lead them to the triad's long-unused quarters. "You should be prepared for random moments like that for a while. He'll likely fluctuate from grateful to be home to completely panicked and trying to escape to everything in-between. He's not stable at all and likely won't be for some time."

"I gathered as much," she said, Fenrik helping to translate as they followed as he picked up why Doruth had spoken for her. "Marie, would you be willing to allow Master Essani to speak telepathically?" He asked, figuring it would be a good idea to just shortcut what could be potentially awkward discussions. "Her native language doesn't translate very easily at all for anybody but Jay and a handful of others."

The tension that rippled across the Clawson leader's body was a visible indication of what they all felt was a gravely serious request on the part of the Jedi. An act of great trust after a lesson that was still a bit too fresh for her.

What surprised them all was the way she glanced at Jay, walking next to her, and took his nod as enough to base that judgment on.

"All right." Marie agreed warily, choosing an act of trust in the name of diplomacy.

"* _Thank you, Marie,_ *" Essani said mentally, taking care to only go far enough to communicate. "* _For what it is worth, I read about your encounter with the species in your galaxy. You have my word that nobody in the Temple would attempt such a thing._ *"

"I appreciate that," she nodded, clearly unsettled by the telepathy but holding herself together despite it. "Perhaps we can discuss trading information until Jay calms down and is ready to face the Jedi Council."

"* _It would be an excellent use of our time,_ *" Essani agreed as they reached the room, Fenrik, Shi, and Jay moving into it. "* _I'll admit, this was not an outcome I had particularly expected. Once we are at the council chambers, Marie, I will have a translator again,_ *" she offered.

"Thank you," she nodded, her voice soft. "Would it be acceptable for five of us to be there when my brother faces the Council?"

"* _Observing, or on his behalf?_ *" Essani asked, her fur slowly returning towards its neutral white.

"Observing, Master Essani." She answered easily and calmly. "I believe he will be a little more at ease with kin guarding his back and there to hear what is happening."

"* _Not a problem, Marie,_ *" Essani nodded slightly, opening the lift. "* _I will also request that Master Doruth and Tes are not present for the time being. Perhaps after our judgment has been passed, he will feel at ease._ *"

"Quite possibly," Marie nodded. "It may just take some time. Rational thought would not be something he manages for a while, I expect. He's had an extremely confusing year."

"* _He's not the only one,_ *" Essani said with a mental sigh as the lift reached its final destination. "* _The chamber isn't far, we can find a more pleasant subject for discussion there._ *"

* * *

Jay let out a small sound as the door closed behind the triad and leaned back against Fenrik, giving the Panther no real warning it was coming.

He was home.

It made a brief moment of clarity and focus on the future easy, his path simple and clear as his mate wrapped his arms around him.

"I'll go make some somuric," Shi said softly, moving off as Fenrik rubbed Jay's back, the kat's metallic hands wrapped around him as well as they could be.

"You're home, Jay," Fenrik murmured softly as Jay buried his face in the Panther's robes. "Everything's going to be okay."

"Home ...." he murmured, a low sob escaping his throat as he shivered and began to surrender to his mate's embraced. "Sorry I hit you."

"S'okay," Fenrik chuckled. "I've been hit harder. Not often," he admitted, "but harder. Think you're going to freak out like that again when we go to see the Council?"

"I don't know," he murmured. "I ... I'm not even sure what happened there. I just ... panicked."

"Was it Dor, or Essani?" Fenrik asked softly as Shivasta came back with the mild somuric tea and helped guide Jay to the large couch to sit between them. It wasn't strong enough to put Jay to sleep, but enough to relax him.

"I don't know," he signed and accepted the tea, sipping the steaming liquid with a welcome murmur. "I just ... panicked."

"Leave him be for a bit, Fenrik," Shi told the Panther softly. "Let him calm down, we'll figure out the rest from there. His control's still shot."

"It will be at least as long as my instincts can't agree with which way I'm going, whether I should run to or from Jedi." Jay murmured as he relaxed back against the couch.

"Well, you know how we're going to lean," Fenrik pointed out, he and Shi sitting on opposite sides, leaning against Jay supportively. "You're not going to be captured or anything, Jay, you've already come home."

"Now to just convince the part of me that _doesn't_ want to be here of that." He shuddered as the feeling of what he'd been like with the Panthress rose in him for a moment. "It's not as clear-cut as you make it sound."

"That isn't you, Jay. Not really," Shi said firmly, kissing his cheek. "That side of you, that part of you, can't control you."

"Maybe not, but it can to a damn good job of messing with me." He muttered in irritation and took a deep drink of the tea. "It's been a long time since I had to struggle like this."

"You never had somebody like Mina encouraging the other side. It'll get better in time," Shi told him reassuringly. "It won't happen immediately, but you'll get past it. I know you will."

"I know," he murmured, meaning the words as he leaned to rest his head against her shoulder. "She was beyond sick."

"She was drunk on the power she'd been given," Shi murmured softly. "It was eating her up on the inside, literally. The kits are lucky they survived."

"The one who wasn't a sensitive didn't." He signed and set the cup down, its contents gone. He started to say something, but instead pressed his face against her a little harder as the tears and grief came again.

The two of them wrapped their arms around him, holding him gently, letting him grieve between them. They had a feeling that many, many nights to come would be spent like this.

* * *

"* _They are ready._ *" Master Essani informed the Council, which had been content to engage in the fairly easy negotiations of information and technology trades with the Clawsons. While all five present were in full uniform with significant decorations of rank and military honors, there was a relaxed ease about them that every Jedi picked up on. They didn't take all the properness and display too seriously. They were representing their people and took that seriously, but not the same way many high-ranking military delegations took it overboard.

Marie nodded and moved to stand behind the Council ring of chairs with Felisha and Jennie, while the two Clawsons by the lift door, officially guards, stood a bit straighter.

It was only a few moments before the door opened to admit Jay, wearing his Jedi robes for the first time in six months. It was hard to miss the significance he placed on wearing them, the statement he was making about his choices when sane and stable. His mates flanked him, both centered and calm while being ready to catch their mate if he panicked again.

For now, they simply stood at his side as the tom stepped into the center of the room, facing his former Master, and slowly knelt before them, his carved metal hands only partially concealed by his sleeves as he placed them on the floor in bowing forward in submission.

"* _Jedi Clawson, do you understand why you are before this Council?_ *" Essani asked him, a Padawan translating to clear Basic for the Clawsons in attendance.

His shields, shaky from all that had happened, gave the Jedi in attendance a solid look at the answers that came to mind before he became confused by it all.

"Not truly, Master." He admitted, trying to focus on what was going on with difficulty.

"You are here to answer for what you did during the past six months," Master Miya explained, the Caracal watching her old friend's reactions carefully. "And to inform us if there was more than the murder on Naboo, the theft of the Kraken and death of its crew, and the destruction of the Jedi ships by said ship."

"A great deal more, Masters." He admitted almost numbly. "I did not take part in Kraken's destruction of the Jedi ships, however. He did that against my orders, and paid for his mutiny with his life."

"Let us begin there, then," Master Noloth said. "What did you order the ship to do before it destroyed the Jedi vessels? And were their witnesses with you?"

"Shi was there," he answered quietly. "I ordered the captain of the vessel holding Mina's ship to release it once we had a tractor lock on it. Then Kraken fired on it."

"I witnessed it, Master Noloth," Shi said softly. "It happened as Knight Clawson said; as soon as we were able to react to what was happening, he destroyed the artificial sentience of the Kraken before it could continue. Too late for the two ships that were first attacked, I'm afraid, but the destructive capacity of a Sith battle cruiser against Jedi transports and fighters... we were lucky it didn't split its firepower and destroy more ships."

"I can't say I'm surprised," the Frilled Lizard observed. "Continuing back, your theft of the Kraken resulted in the deaths of over a hundred crew members. How do you justify this?"

Jay stared up at him, a dumbfounded, nearly incredulous look on his face. "Justify? There is no justification. I simply didn't care about them."

"And the theft of the Kraken?" The Frilled Lizard continued.

"In what passed for logic at the time, it was a safe place to protect my kits until I could modify it enough to go home. It is one of the few ships capable of it here." Jay replied, mentally shaking his head at what he had, and hadn't, been thinking.

He could feel the telepathic conferral between the Masters, but neither he nor anybody outside the Council was privy to exactly what they were considering.

"* _Prior to that, where were you?_ *" Master Essani asked after a few moments. "* _There is a several-month stretch where we haven't been able to place your actions, between Toydaria and the Kraken._ *"

"Nar Shaddaa." He shuddered, the chaos of reactions to that time echoing in his mind. He took a moment to focus on recounting his action there. "I committed a second murder, more violent than the first, assisted in the destruction and enslavement of a slaver there and killed everything that moved for three days in the slums. A pain-slut slave was also purchased there to indulge in."

"And the whereabouts of this slave?" Master Zraii asked, the Verpine's Basic interspersed with clicks.

"With Janos, and the others we had." He said simply. "Free, for what little it means to them."

"Several of the slaves had been such for generations, Councilors," Shivasta explained. "I spoke with one of them; she was very clear about the fact that her prospects if freed were slim. 'A brothel or the streets,' I believe she said. The majority of the former slaves are being relocated and returned to their homes at the first opportunity."

"How were these slaves acquired, Knight Clawson?" Master Dyba asked, the Togruta's red-skinned face not betraying any emotion. "You are aware that slavery is illegal within Republic space."

"I am aware it is illegal in Republic space, Master Dyba. Tamil was the only one purchased. That was on Nar Shaddaa, in Hutt space where it is legal. The rest were acquired in various fights with T'surr slavers, also in Hutt space."

"And were freed when they were brought to Republic space," the Togruta nodded, considering it. "You mentioned a killing spree and murder on Nar Shaddaa as well; what were the circumstances surrounding these?"

"The murder was an old enemy of Janos." Jay spoke quietly, not the least bit happy about recounting all this. "I ran across him when I was out with Mina looking for a pain-slut pleasure slave. I goaded and mind-controlled him into walking into a trap in the slums. We spent the rest of the day torturing him until we grew board of it and slit his throat.

"The killing spree started as a hunt for vrblther with Janos. When I scented a Dark Side Rodian I split off after him and ripped him to shreds. There was a Cheetah herm not far away. I rescued hir intending to torture hir to death. I couldn't in the end, so I euthanized hir instead. Returning hir to hir hovel, the hopelessness of the place overwhelmed me ... turned on something ... all I could think of was obliterating that feeling. I didn't learn until I dragged myself back to Janos' bed that I'd been at it three days with thousands of dead."

He could tell, easily, that there wasn't a member of the Council who wasn't seriously disturbed by what he'd said.

He couldn't help but be a little disturbed himself when he picked up that a couple of them were running the numbers and realizing that his body count still wasn't the most horrifying they'd heard of.

"* _The first one, who you tortured. Would you have done this on your own?_ *" Master Essani asked him.

He had to think about that for a while, trying to separate his actions from what Mina had encouraged.

"Not to that extent, possibly not at all." He finally decided. "He would have still died."

"Do you have any justification for the crimes you have committed?" Master Miya asked him. "For a killing spree that began on Naboo and didn't end until you were retrieved?"

"No." Jay looked at her evenly. As sick as he felt at it, as much as part of him wanted to keep killing until the entire universe was purged of intelligent life, as deeply afraid of what they could do to him, he would not give the only justification he could have. He wouldn't blame the Demon; he wouldn't blame the Dark, or Mina. He'd been insane, but it was no justification for anything. It was only what he'd sunk to in those months. Something that was still very much a part of him, as it always had been.

"Do you have a reason for your actions, something you were trying to accomplish?" Master Noloth asked him.

"Does the logic of the crazy count?" He looked at the lizard seriously despite the somewhat flippant words. He could feel his grip on reality slipping away, the surreal edge things took on as he continued to talk. He hated it, but he couldn't fight it off any longer. It was just the outward manifestation of his inner confusion. "Protect my mates, protect my kits, make the pain stop." He murmured more quietly, deep into that moment that had begun the slaughter. "Nothing real, except to me, because I believed their lies."

"It does count," Master Noloth pointed out. "Because it is what you believed at the time."

"* _Are you still Jedi, Jay?_ *" Master Essani asked him directly. "* _Do you believe you can still be a part of the Order?_ *"

"If I ever truly was, then yes." He closed his eyes briefly against the tears, his head bowed. That was what had really gotten him all those months ago. The self-doubt. He never had known, deep down, whether he was truly a part of the Jedi, or one only in name.

Being told that the Jedi were equally doubtful, and planning to get rid of him, had just helped those doubts spiral out of control.

"What do you believe should be done about your actions?" Master Zraii asked him.

That caught him in the half-way land between Republic law, Jedi law and what he'd been raised to believe, and it showed on his face.

It also showed that he was just aware enough of what was going on to realize this was an _important_ question and did his best to give it the thought it deserved.

Back home; the death penalty.

The Republic; much the same.

The Jedi didn't do the death penalty; at least not once you were at the Temple and on trial.

He was insane. He was Dark. He was very dangerous. He couldn't be held against his will. He wanted to live.

He was also kneeling here in front of them, submitting to their will.

It all came down to why he'd returned. Why he'd taken those tiny steps that put him in a position to be brought here when he couldn't do it himself.

"Help me," he pleaded softly, in agony inside to admit it. A direct answer to the question or not, it was the real answer. "There is no way to change what I've done, but I am young and I can try to heal the wounds with the years I have left."

"What happened to your hands?" Master Dyba asked softly, changing the subject abruptly while the Council practically buzzed on the telepathic level.

"I put them through a magic effect barrier trying to reach my son, Master." He murmured, a bit embarrassed by the entire event. "This is the beginning of new hands."

"* _The Council has decided what is to be done,_ *" Essani said after a few moments. Shi and Fenrik shifted to kneel alongside Jay, knowing that while they weren't on judgment, they were still effectively petitioning the Council.

"What you have done is reprehensible, by any standards," Master Dyba started. "However, you recognize this, and we believe your desire to make amends now is sincere."

"Further, it is clear from your prior service that while you are prone to violent behavior, the influence of those surrounding you tempers your actions greatly," Noloth continued. "This only proves that influence. To remove you from the Order would be to ignore this fact, and to risk a repeat of these incidents and worse."

"The overwhelming influence of the Dark Side is as much insanity as anything recognized by Republic science," Master Winda said, the brown-furred Rabbit speaking up verbally for the first time since he had arrived.

"It is the opinion of this Council that you, the Order, the Republic, and the Force, will be best served by helping you to overcome this influence," Master Jolani concluded.

"* _This Council decrees that you are to be remanded to the psychological and physical care of Master Healer Shivasta and High Healer Dyba,_ *" Essani explained, her fur a neutral white throughout. "* _Until they are satisfied that you are once again well, your rank as a Jedi Knight is suspended, along with your duties. Once you are with the Light Side again, once you have satisfied yourself that you can be a Jedi again, your rank and responsibilities will be restored to you._ *"

"Thank you, Masters." Jay managed to keep his voice nearly level. He'd barely heard half of what they'd said; it was far too hard to focus now. Mostly he caught that they would help him heal the burning pain inside his head and soul. The rest he'd learn later from his mates and from the recording.

"Rest for a while, Jay," Master Miya told him softly. "We'll sort out the rest later; we've all been through enough in the last six months to wait a few days to clear things up."

"Yes, Master." Jay nodded fractionally and stood with a modicum of his natural grace. His mates stood with him and the triad bowed together before turning to leave. Shi's hand was on Jay's shoulder, providing more support than it looked as the lift closed behind them.


	17. The Price of Survival 2/3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's everyone's worst nightmare come true and it's not about to go easily for anyone concerned; Jedi, Sith, Darksiders, Clawsons or the universe at large. This is also the end of Jay's Story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written with Karl Wolfemann

Janos couldn't even begin to cover how much he enjoyed getting out of the ship and away from Mina, Tembris and the occasionally unbearable tension the two of them created in the space. There were moments that he was sure her fairly obvious pregnancy was the only think that was keeping Mina alive. What Tembris did to keep Jay from tearing him to shreds was beyond him.

Why the Demon continued to tolerate the Sith Lord was also beyond him.

Out here, though, it was all behind them. It was just him, Jay and the soon-to-be-meat they were tracking down.

Janos had to admit; he was seriously beginning to reconsider the whole 'Sith' thing. He had lived with his self-training, and the power available to Tembris ... there were other ways to get it. Tembris might be the shortest route, but there was one glaring flaw with it.

One had to deal with Tembris for the duration of the training.

It didn't help that feeling any that Jay was more willing to actually _give_ training in many very useful skills, rather than only promise them, and was _much_ easier to deal with.

As it was, they were approaching a roaming wraid, the large reptilian beast itself stalking a young bantha that had wandered from its herd.

Janos held stone-still, waiting for the signal to move from his mate. He was surprised how easy it was to slip into the follower role here, something he'd been unable to do willingly for decades with anybody else, even Tembris.

Instead of the silent, nearly motionless signal, Jay grabbed his belly in pain and snarled, the Dark power he was wielding with ever-greater ease and the Light he had for decades, crackled to life around him in a yin-yang storm of pure energy.

Unfortunately, Janos wasn't able to focus on what was wrong, instead having to deal with the fact that the wraid had heard Jay's snarl and was now quite aware of the light show around him. Most creatures would have fled.

Wraids weren't most creatures. Instead, they were ornery, especially when hungry, and had no real compunctions about whether their dinners had two legs or four.

With a loud bellow, the beast whirled around, kicking up sand as it started to charge towards them. Janos was on his feet in an instant, his borrowed lightsaber blazing to life.

"Duck Jay," he warned him quickly, diving out of the way as the creature hurtled towards them ... and spun off to focus on the obvious threat.

He could only be grateful that whatever was wrong hadn't stopped the Kat from hitting the ground without questioning the order. Then his focus was on being grateful that wraids were not lightsaber-resistant like half the critters Jay had told him of hunting.

His first blow carved into the thick neck-plate guarding the creature's vital organs, its teeth biting into his thigh in return. The Wolf snarled in pain, seeing red as he grabbed onto the wraid's plate and started to go berserk.

The next thing he was aware of was the rage vanishing in the blink of an eye, his fur bloody, the wraid quite dead and Jay's hand on his shoulder. It was only with that last piece of information that he realized that his mate had once again used the Force against him to calm him down.

"Mina's been injured." Jay told him, still a bit shaky on his feet, though the Wolf suspected it was more from not hitting Jedi speed and making a dead run for her than from anything real.

Still, to judge by the cracked wraid plate laying in the sand a few feet from the carnage, ripped off by the Wolf's bare hands, it was possible.

"Let's go," he nodded easily. "Where is she?"

"I don't know." He shook his head, shifting uneasily. "I can only trace her. Take it back to the ship, you can't keep up with me."

Janos blinked at the impressive string of curses suddenly being hurled at a Demon that didn't care from part of Jay's mind that didn't care who heard it.

It was about then that he remembered the Demon wasn't letting him communicate with machines.

"Jay, I can keep up, and we've got supplies back at the ship," Janos said easily. "Let's just move. If she's hurt, you might need the backup."

There was a fraction of hesitation, then the Kat nodded and pulled the Force into him, accelerating his steps to the point he wasn't even a blur anymore.

Janos was behind him shortly, the two of them redefining straight-line movement on their way to the cavern the Sharufa was hidden in. The only break was the fraction of a second it took for Jay to pause enough for Janos to catch up with him. He grabbed the Wolf and used the momentum of their run as much as levitation to make it to the small cave opening.

The pair barely paused to grab Markos, injured and still dazed, and hauled him into the Sharufa.

It took less than two minutes, but there was no sign of Mina anywhere. Just Markos with a blaster wound, and Kell catching up with them from the entrance.

"Sand People," he explained quickly as Janos worked to heal the worst of the younger Wolf's injury. "Mina was practicing her levitation; they ambushed her. Markos dropped one of them, but another had a blaster."

Another shot of pain lanced threw Jay's body, making him stumble on his way to the cockpit with a hiss and several low curses as he locked his mind onto his mate's and powered up the ship even as the cavern opening was blown out with a volley from the ship's main guns.

As Jay moved to the cockpit, Janos looked at Kell, scowling darkly as he caught the tail-end of a smug smirk on his face.

"You set this up," he growled.

"Of course I did," the Sith Lord said easily. "When he catches up with them, he'll make you look sedate. And take care of a little pest control. Markos being shot was an unexpected touch, but one that worked." 

Janos growled again, his fists tightening, but he knew that any attempt to do what he wanted to just now would result in serious pain.

Another time.

For now, he made sure Markos was fine, then hurried to join Jay in the cockpit as the ship shot from its home in disregard for all sane, much less safe, speeds.

He knew Kell had said the truth. The best the Sand People could hope for right now was that Jay used his lightsabers and not his natural weapons. It'd be much quicker for them.

He could only really pray that Mina wasn't seriously hurt in all this. He didn't even want to think about what Jay would be like if his kits were killed.

Though there was one thing he was sure of. Tembris, and most of Tatooine, would be dead shortly afterwards.

"They won't hurt her badly, Jay," Janos told him, uneasy by the Dark and violence that was flaring higher with every moment in the tom. "It's clear she's pregnant, the Sand People won't be too rough with her."

"Why take her then?" He growled, not even remotely close to thinking clearly.

"It's what they do, Jay," Janos said, sighing and sat in the co-pilot's seat to help him with the piloting over the sandy ground. "If they wanted her dead, they'd have killed her, not taken her with them. Sand People don't do sacrifices, they do slaves. One that's pregnant is too valuable to hurt badly."

One of these days, when the Kat wasn't about to go ballistic, he'd have to ask what the deal with the light/dark show was. He hadn't even heard of anyone else doing it, but it was the easiest way to tell when Jay was too keyed up.

The Sharufa abruptly snapped around, all but turning her on her tail as Jay realized he'd overshot Mina's location.

Janos braced himself, realizing that there was no reasoning with him just now. He quickly prepared himself to take over the ship; Jay probably wasn't going to think about what it would do when he took off. He knew it had an impressive auto-pilot system, one capable of handling basic combat and picking off ground targets, but it had to be turned on to do that.

There was a part of his mind that decided it was a very good thing that the Raider's camp was probably well away from here. If they'd gotten back home, he didn't want to think about what Jay might do.

There were some lines even he wasn't willing to cross, and he was sure Jay would if given the target in this condition.

He grabbed the controls when Jay got up to head for the hatch without even thinking of the auto-pilot. The tom already had both lightsabers lit and it was unlikely he would even notice the blasters being fired at them when he dropped to the ground.

Fortunately, the Sand People weren't good enough shots to pose a serious threat to the Sharufa, not with the weapons they had.

Janos could see Mina, and scowled darkly as he saw her expression, smug to the point of arrogance as Jay started carving through the Raiders. Most of them tried to run, but Jay quickly hunted them down and killed them. A few of the lucky ones made it all of fifty paces before being bisected.

The Wolf knew that his own blood rages were worse, and easier to trigger, but Jay was so much more efficient about what he did that there was a sort of grotesque beauty in it.

Mina, of course, was playing the part of the distraught mate perfectly by the time Jay was with it enough to see what was happening around him.

He felt it, the instant the Kat's mind snapped back to reality. The sick knot in the pit of his stomach as the carnage sank in. Jay would have probably dropped into shock right where he stood if Mina didn't realize the rage was fading and ran up to him.

Her show of half-hysteria, half-fawning gratitude was flawless, at least when the target was so far out of synch with his center.

"* _Bring her down._ *" Jay managed to ask him along with throwing several more curses towards the Demon that was still stopping him from commanding his ship himself.

Janos did so, fighting several violent impulses towards things he wanted to do first. He was going to kill somebody tonight, that much he was certain of. That, or be killed in the process of trying to.

If it hadn't been for the wraid, he probably would have already boiled over and tried to send Tembris down ahead of the ship.

"Now what?" He growled to himself and bolted towards the hatch when Jay's mind completely lost itself to rage and spilled over to almost knock the Wolf on his ass. He caught the wave of Dark energy and froze for a second to see Tembris, still self-confident and smug, go face to face against Jay, who was at best little more than a Dark-fueled beast right now.

A beast that had the muscle memory and training of a long-lived Jedi warrior.

What Janos didn't know was that this particular development hadn't been in Tembris' plans. Still, it didn't take a genius to figure out what it was that had him pissed off; Mina had tipped him off as to who had set this up.

"* _Help kill him._ *" The Demon whispered to Janos. "* _It's time to be rid of him._ *"

Knowing he didn't have the freedom to wait and see what Jay would do, Tembris lashed out first, channeling the raw power of the Dark Side into a blast of lightning that knocked the younger tom back out of the Sharufa. Tembris followed, knowing he would need the extra space to maneuver to stay alive until Jay was calmed back down.

He knew something was wrong almost instantly. Mina looked too gleeful, his chair was suddenly not working right, the Sharufa was maneuvering to bring him in line with her main guns ... and Jay was wrapped in a cloak of Darkness that left him oblivious and unhindered by the damage he'd taken from the lightning.

The tom lunged again, and Tembris had just enough time to pull himself out of the way before he reduced the chair to shreds of duraplast and components.

The gloves were very clearly off.

Tembris pulled himself up to his full height, using the Force to reinforce his normally half-paralyzed legs. It had been years since he'd had to fight like this, but he was more than capable yet.

He reached out through the Force, grabbing Jay and hurling him away. The Sith reached out for Mina next, pulling her to him and wrapping an arm around her throat. Any attack Jay might use, or that the Sharufa might, would kill her as surely as it would him.

"You _are_ going to die after I have those kits out of your belly," he growled to her. "Slowly and _very_ painfully."

"You're making one _very_ large mistake, 'Master,'" Mina sneered back at him, clutching at his arm around her throat. Her eyes glowed red for a moment as she unleashed what few barriers she had on the power the Demon had given her, sinking her claws into his arm as she hurled him back, ripping flesh and fur from his arms and him back against the Sharufa.

And ripping the Force from him.

For the first time in decades, the Wolf's eyes showed true fear. He could feel, instinctively, that Mina hadn't totally cut him off from it, but he could feel just as strongly that he wouldn't be able to get past the block she ... the Demon ... had put between he and the Force in time to save himself.

"You set me up," he growled, knowing that the Demon would hear through Mina and Jay. The Sharufa's guns leveled on him ....

"Jay, Mina! We have to go, _now_!" Janos called from the hatch of the ship as Sharufa rocked from a volley from the incoming ships. "We've got incoming!"

The warning was lost on Jay, who was back in the fray and even further out of control than before. His sole focus was on mauling the old Wolf into fingerling-sized portions as painfully as possible.

"* _Stop!_ *" Janos roared along their bond, focusing every scrap of authority and Force he could call on to make the single command work long enough to grab his mate and dive back into the ship after Mina.

He wasn't sure if it was before or after Jay had reached Tembris, but right now he couldn't afford the time to care.

The Sharufa peeled away from Tatooine, three of the four ships approaching its position peeling off to follow.

"Get him under control," Janos told Mina, hurrying to the cockpit. "I have to get us to hyperspace in time to escape."

* * *

A few moments earlier, on the Gurath, Doruth was manning the sensors.

"Don't know how we missed her before, but the Sharufa is _definitely_ down here," he rumbled. "Come on, it looks like we've found them!"

"Everybody got the coordinates?" Tes asked over the com-link the four ships kept open as she veered towards where their target was.

"Affirmative," Fenrik replied. "Shi's trying to reach Jay, but -" He was cut off by what sounded like a cry of pain, the comlink clicking off.

"That obviously didn't work," Doruth rumbled. "We've got life signs down there ... one feline on the ground, a lot of Raiders. The Sharufa's giving chase, it looks like. Shit." He swore under his breath, knowing what was going to happen mere moments before Jay's twin lightsabers blazed down through the night sky and started flashing, occasionally blinking as they passed through a victim.

"Force." Tes breathed, her gaze locked on the slaughter before them. "What could they have done ...."

"Taken one of his new mates," Doruth said. It was the only thing he could conceive of that would drive Jay that far. "Tes, get the weapons systems on line, we might have to disable the Sharufa's engines to stop her." As if on cue, the ship they'd been searching for started to land.

"Everyone down there is Dark." Master Miya informed them from the Whitecloak. "Be careful."

"Getting a lock." Tes nodded to her mate even as all the ships got ready for a fight. Even at four to one, surrender was unlikely and success not a given.

"I'm not surprised, at this point," Doruth murmured, his expression darkening as he felt his own anger start to rise. Even if Jay wasn't a Dark Sider, the way he had slaughtered the Sand People proved that, for now, it was taking its toll on him.

"We need to get down there, _now_!" Fenrik shouted, bringing the comlink back up. "Jay's snapped, completely." Energy started crackling about the battlefield below as Jay flew back away from the Sharufa, propelled by crackling, violet light.

"Zykell," Doruth growled.

"Oh, he is _so_ not getting away." Tes growled softly and fired a volley on the ship that had just landed. While her aim was true, it wasn't enough damage to actually stop the ship.

"Doruth, Fenrik, you are the only two here that have a real chance of beating him in a fight." Master Miya reminded the two Panthers. "Be ready to jump."

"Yes, Master." Fenrik answered, his voice showing how much he was hoping that wasn't going to be necessary.

Doruth stood, pulling his lightsaber from its belt loop and moving to the door silently as the fight on the ground continued.

"Doruth, the Sharufa's pulling away! Jay's on board," Tes called back.

"Take us down to look for survivors," the Panther told her. "The other ships should go after the Sharufa."

"Understood." Fenrik called back and pealed away with the Independence and Whitecloak to give chase to their actual quarry.

"Right," Tes nodded and set the Gurath down not far from where Sharufa had been moments before.

"Keep the ship ready," Doruth told Tes, opening the hatch and stepping out. He didn't tell her the real reason he wanted to stay behind, for all she probably knew it already.

If Zykell was still alive, he didn't want her anywhere near him. Or to be there to talk him out of what he was going to do to that Wolf.

Sure enough, the ancient Wolf was there. He was battered, his body cut and injured already. He wouldn't live long ... but he'd live long enough. Doruth noted that part of his arm was missing, already buried by the sand nearby.

"Hello, Master." He said, standing over the dying Wolf. 

Darth Tembris looked up at him, recognizing his old Padawan.

"Fitting," he chuckled bitterly. "I heard the Jedi found you again."

"And I found them," Doruth nodded, igniting his lightsaber. "What the hell did you do to Jay?"

"The Knight is the one who attacks me, and you ask what I did to him?" Tembris shook his head slightly, pulling himself up into a sitting position with his remaining arm. "I succeeded, Doruth. As I would have done with you. He may have killed me ...." Tembris coughed, blood flecking his muzzle. "But I've killed him in the process. But his death will be far, far slower, and my purposes served." 

Doruth's grip tightened around the hilt of his lightsaber. "Oh no you haven't," he growled. "We'll find him, and we'll save him. More than can be said for you."

"I'm already dead, Doruth," Tembris chuckled. "Go ahead and finish the job, if you want. End it. Make sure I die this time; you failed once already. And your failure will end the lives of _worlds_ before it truly ends."

Doruth's hand trembled in rage; Tes could see it from the cockpit. After a moment though, he extinguished the bright blue blade.

"No," he said. "You don't deserve to go that quickly."

With that, the Panther turned and walked back to the Gurath, climbing back up to the cockpit.

"No survivors," he told Tes simply, taking his seat. "Let's catch up with the others."

"We shouldn't leave him with his head still attached." She said quietly, standing herself. "He's survived a lightsaber through the chest once."

"It's up to you," he said softly.

Tes nodded and walked out the hatch, her lightsaber glowing in the night as she cleanly removed the Sith's head and cut the rest of his body into four pieces.

Doruth closed his eyes and took a long, shuddering breath as he tried to center himself. He knew he should have done that himself, finished the job and his former Master's pain at the same time. Instead, he would have cheerfully left him to die slowly.

"Thank you," he murmured, not looking to see if Tes had brought the head with her when she'd returned to the ship. It was her tradition, proof of a kill that had escaped death before, but this time it wasn't one he wanted to see.

She returned a moment later, the head safely stored away in suspension and out of casual sight. She put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently. "It is best to not kill in anger, love. Not even a mercy kill. It was the right thing to leave it to me. Now let's go get the one we can save."

"Right," he nodded slightly, pulling the ship up and starting off after the rest of their small fleet. "He was doing so well at playing me again ...."

"It is what they do." Tes murmured and sat down even as a message came in.

"He got away." Fenrik's voice held the utter defeat of being so close, face to face with how desperate the situation was, and having lost track of his mate again. "They got to hyperspace and cloaked."

"Damn it," Doruth swore under his breath. "Tembris is dead," he said more loudly, so the others could hear him. "That's something to our advantage here. We'll have to keep searching."

"You'll have to do it without us," Master Miya said apologetically. "Knights Dyreth and Kanna must to return to their Padawans, and I must to return to the Council."

"We'll be back on the hunt as soon as we can," Kanna said. "Hopefully it won't be necessary."

"Understood." Doruth told the three before their ships split off to go back to Coruscant. "Force be with you."

"We're going to find him." Fenrik gritted his teeth in determination. "We have once, we will again."

"Force be with you, Masters." Kanna spoke softly, her full will behind the simple words. "He will be redeemed."

"He will," Shivasta agreed, putting her hand on Fenrik's shoulder on the Kalrass as the com-link dropped to just the Kalrass and Gurath. "The Demon isn't going to win," she reassured him. "And I think I have an idea where to look next. Let's head for Mantessa."

"Mantessa?" Fenrik glanced at her even as he set the coordinates. "Any reason?"

"He feels safe there, comfortable," Shi explained. "I asked him once; it's where he made his first 'sabers. Where he first felt the living Force on his own. If there's anywhere he'd go to try and sort himself out, it'd be there."

"Right," Fenrik nodded. "You hear that, Master?"

"Yes, it's a good start." The older Panther nodded. "See you there."

* * *

"Get us out of here!" Janos shouted up to the Sharufa's cockpit. Markos didn't need to be told twice. The injured Wolf pulled the transport up and punched the engines, roaring up towards the atmosphere.

This was _definitely_ not in his contract, but neither was getting killed by a homicidal Jedi still about one step shy of a battle-rage. _He_ would never have pulled the Kat back on board, but the three Sith had very different priorities, particularly the pair that were still alive.

He cursed under his breath as the Sharufa rocked. He had the best ship of the five in the air, but it wasn't by that great a margin and the others all had Jedi behind the controls.

"Set coordinates for Trianii space." Janos ordered as he grabbed the co-pilot's seat.

"Do you really think she can control him?" Markos looked at him nervously. "He's not exactly her biggest fan."

"Right now, if he kills her, it'll just save me the trouble in a few months," Janos growled. "Besides, she has his kits yet. He'll listen well enough. Just get the coordinates in and let's get moving."

"But Trianii -" A low growl from his co-pilot shut up any objections Markos might had, and he started working with the navicomputer to get the coordinates and turn on the cloaking device.

"All right, here we go." Markos punched them into hyperspace as soon as they were clear of Tatooine's gravity well.

Mina's squeak of stunned pain and a heavy thump against the bulkhead drew both Wolves attention from he controls.

"That doesn't sound good." Markos murmured. Turning to look, he saw what looked like an utterly stunned Jay, and Mina opposite the hall, equally stunned and holding her hand against her jaw, her lip split.

"I'll take care of that," Janos said softly, standing and heading back while Markos made a concerted effort to not be noticed just now. No amount of money was worth this job, and he probably wasn't going to get paid at all now that Darth Tembris was dead at the hands of his own crew.

Janos walked back to Mina, making a quick check to make sure she wasn't seriously hurt before turning to Jay.

"Think you can sit down now?" He asked him. He had to be honest; Mina hadn't gotten half of what she'd deserved. It was still unnerving to see Jay do that to her.

"Y-yeah." He mumbled. A full-body shudder passed threw him before he focused on Mina again. "You might want to stay in one of the other rooms for a while."

"Right," she swallowed, knowing full well it wasn't really a request and it was for her own protection. He was even more shocked that he could strike her than either of them.

"We're headed for Trianii space," Janos explained, helping Jay move to their room where he could break down safely. "We lost the Jedi, and Tembris is wraid-bait. We're in the clear now."

"We're not even close to that." The tom looked at him, real fear in his eyes for the first time since all this had begun. "I hit my own mate. I'm not safe around people."

"Jay, that mate deserved it," Janos said quietly. "You didn't hurt her seriously, and you just got done having a panic attack that led into attacking Tembris. You just need some time to wind down, that's all."

Jay nodded slowly, an acceptance that Janos could tell was more from the mate-bond and the bit of honest trust had build up between them than the fact that he had made any sense.

"I ... I have a friend in the Corporate Sector. I was going to ask him to help with covering us for the birth, but he'd take us in a little longer." Jay swallowed, thinking on his feet as best he could even as he leaned forward and pressed against Janos' broad chest, trying to meld into his mate and not be responsible for a while.

"You sure we can trust him?" Janos asked softly, more than willing to provide a strong body to support him. "The CS isn't exactly renowned for their loyalty."

"I'm worth far more to him in money and corporate power than the Jedi could ever offer for me." He nodded slightly. "I'm still a gifted inventor, and they've never stopped courting me. I can keep him loyal with a few new toys for his R&D section to play with."

"If you're sure, we can change course after hitting Trianii space," Janos offered. "Though we might want to lose Markos before then. He's looking like he'll be glad to get off-ship, even if it is on a Trianii world."

"All right," Jay murmured and closed his eyes, wanting nothing more than to curl up and wait the chaotic reactions in his mind and body out.

"Just rest," Janos murmured and settled them on the bed, scritching Jay's neck lightly until he fell asleep.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Markos poked his head into the room where Janos and Jay were sparring the next day, waiting until he got the Wolf's attention, then Jay's, before he said anything.

"We're coming up on Naboo. You guys sure you really want to change destinations?"

"Yes," Jay nodded as the pair stood down. "It's a better place for you to get off than in CS space. A transport elsewhere will be cheaper."

"Still probably going to have to work for my passage, but I'll take it," Markos nodded. "No offense, but I think I want off this roller coaster before it gets crazy again."

"What was your deal with Kell?" Jay focused on him, his manner utterly neutral.

"Two thousand credits for the job; I was supposed to get paid before leaving Tatooine," Markos said a little guardedly. "'Course, I wasn't supposed to be sticking around much longer than that either."

"You'll have a credstick for that before you leave." Jay told him simply, not the least bit concerned about so little money given what his private accounts looked like after fifty-five years of earning a great deal more than he spent and well-managed investments.

"Thanks," Markos said, clearly surprised to be hearing that. "That'll make things easier. I'll go handle the piloting."

"Thank you," Janos nodded. "He was understating," he told Jay as the other Wolf left. "Think he's a little scared of us just now."

"I can't blame him, after yesterday." Jay pointed out. "Do you know what the actual amount was?"

"More like three-thousand, from what I understood," Janos said easily. "How are you going to get your hands on that sort of money?"

"Fifty-five years of earning much more than I spend." He shrugged. "It's been decades since I really bothered to draw on those accounts to any credible extent. Naboo's a good place to start draining them into less traceable places and forms, since we're not staying."

"Impressive," Janos chuckled. "Sure the Jedi won't be watching for activity on 'em? I mean ... I'll be honest. The last thing I want right now is to get killed. The Jedi catching me is a close second."

"I'm sure they are watching. That's why it's best to do the transfers on worlds on the way and a few random stops to mess up the line of travel." Jay explained, then paused and put a hand on Janos' shoulder. "You won't die, and they won't catch you. I'll see to it."

"Thanks," the Wolf said, his muzzle quirking into a bit of a smile. "Haven't had too many run-ins with them, but I've got enough black marks on my record that I figure one'll probably run into the other, if you know what I mean."

"And end with a field execution," Jay nodded. "It's not that unlikely, depending on who is there. Some hunters are more pragmatic about that party line than others."

"Well, here's hoping the hunters after you aren't," Janos said. "I'll be honest ... Tembris had it coming. Hell, Mina had more coming than the split lip you gave her."

"I'll find out on Naboo. It's good to know who you're dealing with." Jay sidestepped the statement about Mina and any excuse for his behavior the previous day. "The Order's systems aren't that hard to break into when you designed the security system."

"You can't have designed the whole thing," Janos pointed out with a chuckle as they felt the ship lurch out of hyperspace. "Shower before we land?"

"Not the whole thing, but enough of it to know the easiest ways in." He smirked weakly. "And a shower sounds good. Maybe even get clean this time."

"I wouldn't go _that_ far," Janos smirked back. "C'mon, let's go."

* * *

"Well, here we are," Janos said as they settled in near the hatchway. "Ready to handle the local settlers?" He asked Jay.

"Better to find out here than where we're actually staying." He nodded seriously and buried all his jitters about it where it wouldn't show. "I don't suppose you can think of a false name to go under?"

"Miklar," Janos chuckled. "Just pick a first name, if you need one. It'll mark you as part of my pack, if that matters, but I think we can live with that."

"Jay's not that uncommon," he smiled fractionally and opened the hatch with a thought, more than a little grateful he had his Gift back. "And I think we can."

"I'll let you handle the bureaucrat," Janos murmured, letting Jay take the lead as an Otter stepped up to the ship. "They tend not to get along with me."

"* _Oh, I wonder why,_ *" the tom snickered between their minds. "Hello," he greeted the Otter, remembering manners he hadn't used in the better part of a decade and usually had let Fenrik handle anyway.

"Greetings, welcome to Naboo," the Otter said, his manner friendly. "What brings you to our settlement?"

"A nice break for the evening from our galley," Jay managed a friendly smile in return and a soft chuckle. "And dropping off a crewmate that doesn't want to continue with us."

"Not importing or exporting anything beyond him then?" The Otter chuckled. "I'm guessing it's not your friend here."

"No, he's still packing," Janos explained.

"Well, there shouldn't be any problems with that," the Otter said easily. "We'll take all the guests we can get, no matter how briefly. If I might ask who you all are then, and you ship? Just for the records," he explained, holding up his datapad in explanation.

"She's Hauthor," he motioned towards the Sharufa. "I'm Jay Miklar," he said the name as smoothly as if he'd had it for years. "Janos Miklar," he nodded towards the Wolf. "Mina might be seen later if she's feeling better, and Markos is the one staying here."

"Both Wolves, Cats, other ... ?" The Otter asked, entering the information quickly.

"Markos is a Wolf, Mina a Cat." Jay elaborated.

"Understood," the Otter nodded. "Are you going to need any maintenance or resupply before you leave?"

"Maintenance, no." Jay shook his head easily. "Supplies depend on what's available. If you've got better than our current stores, we'll definitely be picking up some. Fresh fruit and meat in particular."

"Those we can offer," the Otter nodded. "You'll have to negotiate in the market for them," he pointed out, indicating the direction to go. "Or with the natives, but I wouldn't recommend that. Or having much of anything to do with them, for that matter."

"We'll keep that in mind." Jay nodded. "The market will do quite well for us." He paused thoughtfully. "Any recommendations for a good place to eat dinner? Spicy and carnivore."

"Just about anywhere in the entertainment district," the Otter smiled, shifting his hand slightly. "We may not have much here, but we take pride in doing what we have well. Personally, I prefer Zella's, but I'm fond of seafood, and the nightlife there."

"Thank you," Jay nodded. "What is the docking fee?"

"Fifty credits," the Otter said simply. "If you change your mind about the maintenance, I can put you in touch with some good people to have do the work."

"I'll keep it in mind," Jay nodded and slipped a 50-credit chip from his pocket to give the Otter. The chip was accepted easily, placed into a small pouch at his belt, and the Otter stepped back.

"Enjoy your stay," he smiled. "Naboo welcomes you."

"Hopefully Mina will behave." Jay sighed quietly after the Otter was out of earshot. "Why don't you check out the market offerings while I deal with getting some of my credits available?"

"Will do," Janos nodded. "And I'm sure she will. She did at the dig, remember?"

"True," he nodded. "Just not since." He drew a deep breath and let it go. "I'll catch up to you in the market."

"See you there," Janos nodded, splitting off and heading towards the open-air markets of the settlement.

* * *

Markos sat down near the loading ramp for the "Hauthor" after he'd finished packing up his few belongings, waiting for Jay and Janos to return. He might not be getting his full pay, but he wasn't going to turn down what he would be getting.

Besides, there was a reasonable chance it was his own fault he _wouldn't_ be getting the full pay, but he didn't really want to take the chance they'd just get rid of him instead.

"Well, I see you're leaving us," Mina said, stepping out of her room for the first time since Jay had hit her the previous day.

He glanced up and nodded. She was just as violent as the males, and much less nice. Sneaky as hell too. It set his fur on edge to be alone around her.

"Can't say I blame you," she admitted, sitting down on a nearby seat with a sigh. "Things got a little crazy after we set down on Tatooine," she chuckled slightly.

"That's putting it mildly." He acknowledged, realizing that he was going to have to talk to her for a while. "I was due to get off on Tatooine, but here works too."

"Probably better, unless you had a job lined up already back on that dust-ball," she chuckled. "Just do your best to 'forget' where we're heading next, okay? I've got a lot of work to do with him yet, and I've got to do it more slowly now than before."

"Hey, I don't even know where you're stopping next." The Wolf shrugged. "Much less where you're actually headed. Don't want to know either."

"Good," she nodded. "Wasn't sure how much Jay or Janos had told you. Going to have to do something about them," she murmured, glancing at the hatch, her hand resting lightly on her swollen belly. Markos could see the very, very slight grey tipping showing up on the fur around her ears.

So it was true what they said about Sith being aged by what they worked with.

"Mostly they keep changing their minds about where they're going." He said simply. "I expect what little I have been told has already been scrapped for other locations that no one off the ship has heard them consider."

"Probably for the best," she nodded. "If we keep moving, less chance of being caught ...." He recognized her expression as she trailed off; she was scheming something.

If she kept doing that, at this rate, she wouldn't last long enough to _have_ those kittens.

That, or she'd have them ripped from her belly when it was time so the males could kill her. He knew Janos was kept in check mostly by Jay, and Jay was kept in check by those kittens. She'd be lucky to see the day after they were out of her.

How she'd managed to make as many friends as she had on the dig was a complete mystery to him. She'd been a reasonably nice person there; now, like this, she was an irredeemable _ikra_ , and not in the nice way.

"Looks like the boys are on their way back," she murmured, standing up. "Have a good life, Markos."

"I'll do my best," he said politely as she left, then stood up to meet them when they got back.

"I see you're packed," Jay nodded towards the Wolf's bags, and then offered a credstick to him.

"Not too much to get ready," he pointed out, taking the stick. "Bit of friendly advice?" He asked, before he looked at the cred-stick's balance and did a double take when he saw the amount.

"Janos told me you were actually due closer to 3000. The rest is for getting hurt trying to protect my kits." Jay explained quietly.

"Thanks," Markos nodded slightly, still surprised to be getting almost twice what he'd told them earlier that day. It would definitely be easier to get somewhere he could find some work now.

"The advice?" Jay prompted.

"Oh yeah," Markos said. "Sorry. I'd suggest you start looking into a world where you'll be able to find a wet nurse and a doc who's good at C-sections in the next few months," he said. "No offense, but I don't think you want Mina bringing up your kits."

"Already planned." Jay nodded grimly. "Try to avoid working for Sith in the future," he added with a slight smile. "They're crazy. Piloting Jedi will probably get you shot at too."

"That advice I can go with," Markos chuckled slightly. "Nice doing business with you. I could've lived without doing it with Tembris, but nice doing it with you."

"Good luck in the future," Jay inclined his head slightly, then caught Janos' arm and pulled him aside. "Now, dress for dinner."

"Yes sir," Janos chuckled, following Jay into their quarters. "Fortunately, we've got time to try a few times before we go," he winked.

* * *

* * *

* * *

"I don't get this," Shivasta sighed, taking a seat on the Gurath as she, Doruth, Fenrik, and Tes took a break from hunting for Jay on the virtually deserted jungle world of Mantessa. "I was _sure_ he'd come here."

"That might be why he didn't." Tes pointed out quietly. "If he's actively avoiding us now, which he seems to be, going where he wants to is a bad idea."

"At least the reason for all this is dead." Fenrik muttered.

"Now let's just hope he stays that way," Doruth agreed.

"He'd better," Shivasta muttered. "So, we know he's not here. Anybody have an idea where to go next?"

"You two know him better than I do," Doruth said, shaking his head. "Now that Tembris isn't calling the shots, I don't have the inside track on what he's thinking, for all the good it did us when he was."

"Have you two tried the trick that found him on Tatooine?" Tes glanced at the younger pair.

"Not yet," Shi said softly. "When I tried to get through, reaching out to Jay's mind in the state he was in did something to the bond ... it's not quite as strong as it was before. I've been working to fix it, but without him _there_ ...."

"Probably because your Healer nature couldn't cope with a bond to a Darksider." Tes said gently. "Self-preservation at work. Or as a Darksider, he rejected anything so Light-side as you."

"He's not all the way gone yet, Tes," Shi said firmly. "But I think it was something like that. It was like trying to jump into boiling water almost ... he's in so much pain right now ...."

Fenrik reached over and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It might be worth trying with me in the lead. I'm not so Light as you, and pain ... it's nothing new to either of us."

"In a bit," she nodded. "We'll have to do a bit of work just to get my mind working on that level again. You'll notice I haven't really being doing too much telepathy since then."

"And you'll have to teach me some of what to do." Fenrik nodded. "It hasn't exactly been my top priority."

"It'll basically be helping me work telepathically until I can get through as easily as I should," she said easily. "If you two don't mind, we should probably start working on it, look for Jay as quickly as we can," she added, looking over at Tes and Doruth.

"Sounds fine to me," Doruth nodded easily. "You can use the meditation chambers to work in; we'll call you when dinner's ready. Think we could all use something decent to eat."

"Yes," Fenrik nodded and stood. "A good meal would be welcome about now."

"We'll see you in a couple hours then," Doruth nodded, standing on his own as the two mates went into the meditation room.

"We should've scanned Tatooine harder," he sighed, shaking his head. "Should've been able to find them there the first time we looked."

"Love, _Jay_ is hiding from us," Tes pointed out. "If it's not a visual sighting, there's no telling what our sensors actually see, and what they're not showing us."

"I know," Doruth admitted. "Still frustrating. If we'd found him that first time, this would all be over. You want to go hunting with me, or stay with the ship? I'll probably be roughing it."

"I think we can both stand to burn off some frustration." She quirked a grin. "You've never been too rough for me."

"It's been a while since then too," he chuckled slightly. "Let's get going."

* * *

* * *

* * *

The evening on Naboo was pleasantly warm for both Kat and Wolf, and neither could complain about the quality of their leisurely dinner at one of the open-air bistros in the entertainment district. They were debating between a movie and just going back to the ship when Jay's head snapped around to focus on a building nearby.

"Dancing," Jay grinned almost gleefully when his ears caught the upbeat dance music coming from one building on the strip.

"You've got to be the _weirdest_ Jedi I've ever run into," Janos chuckled, looking over at the bustling, well-lit building that his lupine ears could hear pulse in time with the lights. "But c'mon, we should be dressed for it."

"I'm n ... " Jay silenced himself, remembering that whether he was a Jedi or not now, it wouldn't have really mattered in his taste in food or entertainment. "You aren't the first to mention that." He shook his head and tried to chuckle and drag his mind out of the dark well of pain and confusion regarding his true status at the moment with the Order.

He really should just call his Master. He could trust her to tell him the truth. Then the pain was too much and he shied away from it, focusing instead on his surroundings.

"Come on, let's just have fun," Janos smiled, leading him into the club where they could both feel the music playing.

Jay was more than willing to go with that; his life was painful enough right now without inviting it in. He drew and let out a deep breath with his eyes closed and let the music fill his consciousness, the beat and rhythm guiding his body as he pulled Janos onto the dance floor and let everything go to the music and motion.

The two of them danced, each occasionally teasing the other with a touch, physical or through the Force. Within a few minutes, they were both well and truly into what they were doing.

"Don't look now," Janos rumbled, brushing against Jay from behind. "But you've got an admirer."

"Mmm, she's pretty enough to be fun too." He purred deep in his chest as his eyes drifted over the seductively dressed Panthress watching them from the bar.

"And I think she has a friend," Janos rumbled, noticing the Wolf near her. She caught his eye and winked at him, earning a grin in response. "Don't know about you, but I could live with a fem who can handle a little rough stuff for a night."

"You and me both." Jay licked his whiskers back. "It's been far too long since I've had a strong feline."

"And no offense, but I could live with a Wolf," Janos rumbled. "So, which one of us tries to get our date back to the ship?" He asked with a wink.

"You can," Jay chuckled softly with a shake of his head. "I feel like being _elsewhere_ for a night."

"No problem," the Wolf chuckled. "We'll trade tomorrow," he winked, shifting to head over towards the bar, Jay not far behind with an eye on the Panthress.

"Hello handsome," she purred, stepping away from her friend to meet him half-way there. "You're new around here."

"Arrived today," he admitted with an appreciative look down her long, powerful body. He made an effort not to think of why her form was so appealing, that it was very close to one now lost, but the thought still crossed his mind briefly and fanned the fire starting to burn deep inside him for the pleasure-pain they'd shared. "Won't be staying too long either."

"Mmm ... long enough to enjoy yourself for a few nights?" She asked, giving him a matching look of appraisal. "Your shipmate seems to think so," she chuckled, nodding towards the two Wolves making their way out of the club.

"At least tonight," he grinned at her. "Long enough for you?"

"Plenty long enough," she grinned back. "'Least as long as I'm not going to have a jealous shipmate after me in the morning?"

"If you do, your friend's doing something wrong," he laughed easily. "He's not _that_ hard to please."

"*That sort of jealous I can live with," she grinned. "Mmm ... so, back to my apartment? Or want to dance a bit more first?"

"Dance," Jay purred and leaned forward a bit to run a hand along her side. "I do like to play a little first."

"Then let's go, handsome," she purred, leaning forward the rest of the way to claim a deep, sensual kiss full of promise before leading him out to the dance-floor, the black leather she was wearing clinging to her curvaceous, muscular body in all the right ways.

It made her a distinct contrast to Jay's loose, colorful, flowing garments as they moved to the music. Her steps more trained on the dance floor, his simply flowing with the music with an instinctive knowledge of how his body moved and how to show it off when he wanted to.

He shifted forward, brushing up against her body for a brief moment that left a much more lasting impression of contact across her breasts that drafted down to her ass and scritched over her thick tail without anyone touching her.

"What the ... " She trailed off, breaking rhythm for a moment before getting back into it. "You're doing that, aren't you?" She whispered, brushing up against Jay again.

"Yes," he quirked a grin. "It gets much more interesting when you aren't moving quite so much."

"That wouldn't be dancing then," she smirked back at him, though she did slow down a bit to let him work. She'd never run into anybody who could do something like this before, but it was an entertaining difference.

"But it could be over at the bar enjoying a drink." He winked at her.

"Mmm ... well, if you're going to be doing this, least you can do is buy this round," she winked back, sliding her tail along his, hooking her tip around it briefly.

"Well, you will be providing the bed, eventually." Jay smiled easily and walked to the bar where the droid tending it already had two drinks ready for them. He leaned against the counter and picked up the dark ale even as he slid a telekinetic hand from her clit along the lips of her sex and then slipped inside before swelling to fill her.

"Oooh ... " She bit her lip briefly, glancing around before taking her own glass and spreading her legs a bit, putting a hand on his thigh as she sipped her drink, not even bothering to wonder how her preference was already ready. "You're a naughty boy," she purred.

"I get much, much more naughty when I can." Jay leaned over and nuzzled her mouth open for a heated kiss even as his movement brushed her fingers along his swelling sheath and full balls.

"Mmm ...." She purred into his mouth, stroking his sheath lightly, moaning softly as he 'finger fucked' her telekinetically. "Y'know, there _is_ a point where we'll get in trouble if this goes far enough."

"Only if we're caught." He rumbled. "But I don't mind heading to your place now."

"Mmm ... _after_ you finish me off," she rumbled, licking his cheek, then his jaw line, moving a bit closer as she flattened her hand to stroke him through his trousers. "Otherwise the drive back could be ... awkward."

"As you wish," he licked his whiskers and focused carefully to add a slender finger to tease her clit, barbs to the invisible dildo working her sex and a smaller shaft of telekinesis to stretch her ass.

She bit her lip again, closing her eyes as she stroked him faster, using his body and the bar to shield what she was doing as her body got hotter and wetter, her scent intense up close to her.

Her attentions and arousal weren't the least bit lost on Jay, though he kept his arousal carefully under control. Enough to give her the enjoyment of feeling him, not so much that he'd loose control of the telekinetic pleasure he was giving her or make a mess of himself.

"So hot," he rumbled throatily in her ear. "So very hot for me."

"Mmm ... don't know how you're doing it, but you're worth being hot for," she purred into his ear, kissing his neck, then biting down on it lightly as she drew in a sharp breath, her body pulsing internally as she came at his attentions.

Despite wanting to keep her going until she couldn't help but scream in pleasure, he slowly let the telekinesis fade as her body began to come down.

"Not all uses of Force are serious," he gave her a wink.

"You are _not_ a Jedi," she chuckled. "Where're you from?"

"Here and there," he said easily and quickly buried how completely the words broke his mood and ignited a smoldering pain he'd thought left behind decades before with comments of the same. That time before he'd proved himself to most of his distracters in the Temple, and more importantly, had proven he was a Jedi to himself. "I never truly settled down."

"Hey, join the club," she smiled softly, kissing him gently and had it returned with a touch of serious heat. "C'mon, let's go somewhere the thinking's about more entertaining things. I've got a pretty well-stocked bar at my place," she winked.

"Sounds good." He rumbled eagerly, everything but the moment and the pleasure to come put out of his mind.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Shivasta sighed, relaxing in the Gurath's meditation chamber after dinner. She and Fenrik had managed to coax her mind into accepting telepathic activity again, and they'd eaten. Now, it was time to try and reach Jay again.

"I can't help but think there's something else at play here," she said as Fenrik sat down in the largely barren room.

"At a minimum, there is the Demon and the two that took our places." He reminded her quietly. "If that's actually all of it, I'll be surprised."

"I know," she nodded. "But Fenrik, you know as well as I do that there'd have to be more to drive him _that_ insane. He couldn't just be dealing with Dark Siders ... they have to have something beyond the mate bond on him."

"You know the only thing that is." He barely whispered, his eyes down. Even trying, he couldn't withhold the visible level of distress.

"And it means we've got a time-limit to catch up," Shivasta nodded. "That or pray to every God there is that after they're born, he'll break loose and come back to us."

"If it's not too late by then," he glanced at her. "I'm not so sure he ever bought into redemption after a certain point. He's not past it yet, but some crimes ...." He just shook his head.

"The Jedi have forgiven worse than anything he's going to do," Shivasta pointed out softly. "We have to try, Fenrik."

"I know, he knows ... I never asked too hard, but I don't think the Council was what he was talking about." He looked at her seriously. "I have no intention to stop trying until he's back with us."

"Good," she nodded. "Because I don't either ... alive or otherwise. We should try and reach him again."

"Before _we_ get too distracted to do it." He nodded and set everything aside but what he needed for this mission. "Ready when you are."

"Right," she nodded, reaching over to take his hands. "Now, let's find him ...."

* * *

* * *

* * *

"Mmm ... I'll have to give you a tour in the morning," Lara purred as she pressed Jay up against the door to the bedroom. "But this is the bedroom, bathroom's the first door on the right." She kissed him hungrily, running her hands along his naked body. They'd undressed on the way from the entrance to here, and she was _very_ hungry to actually feel the body that belonged to the person who'd been teasing her mercilessly on the way home. The lights were on low, showing the leather and bright silks that they'd strewn along the floor on the way to where they were.

"Or when you can walk again," he winked and kissed her back, his hard body rubbing against hers and just as eager. Despite that, his fingers sank into her body first. He rubbed her clit with the heel of his hand while his fingers worked the swollen flesh of her lower lips and spread the slickness of her juices along the path of his hand.

"Mmm ... promises," the Panthress moaned softly, spreading her legs. "Stop teasing me," she growled lightly, nipping at his shoulder and twisted to push him down on the large feather bed.

"I keep my promises." He grinned up at her and slid his hand away. "I'm all yours."

"Mmm ... if I really can't walk in the morning, then you're just going to have to entertain yourself," she purred, leaning down on the bed between his legs to lick at his rigid, barbed shaft hungrily. "With me, of course," she added with a wink.

"Hardly a bad thing," he rumbled and spread his legs a bit further. With a low moan at the attention he stretched his arms over his head and brushed his tail against her wet sex.

"Not at all," she purred, taking his heavy balls into her mouth and suckling them as she teased the tight, furless pucker of his ass with a fingertip.

"Ohh, yeah," Jay shuddered and lifted his knees to give her better access and encourage what she was doing.

Lara grinned, pressing her finger up into his tight body and bathing his balls with her tongue, suckling them before nuzzling her way up his barbed shaft, teasing each barb with her rough tongue while the tom panted and moaned encouragement.

She purred around his cock, the vibrations going straight to his balls as she fingered his ass, rubbing the outside of his thighs with his other hand.

"You like your revenge, don't you?" He rumbled and thrust up lightly into her mouth.

She grinned up at him, her bright yellow eyes twinkling as she suckled his throbbing shaft. She pulled up off his cock, shifting to take it between her full, firm breasts.

"Would you prefer I find something else to do with this?" She asked, purring deeply.

"How about where my fingers were a bit ago?" He grinned down at her, eager to be inside a female he didn't hate.

"Mmm ... in a little bit," she chuckled, moving to suckle his tip. "I want a drink first," she winked.

Jay let his head fall back and shuddered, taking the hint and stopped controlling himself. It would get him what he wanted that much faster, and her pleasure at this felt pretty good too."

She went back to giving him a straight blowjob, taking him into the back of her hot, skilled mouth and suckling him hungrily as her mouth vibrated around his length, her fingers searching for his prostate as she added a second to his stretched ass. She grinned around his cock when she felt the small gland and pressed against it.

"Ohhhh," he moaned deeply and let go completely. His body locked around her fingers as he shot the first thick ribbon of come into her mouth and gave himself over to the pleasure.

Lara drank his seed down hungrily, savoring the flavor of it as it caught in her rough tongue and poured down her gullet. She suckled him until she was sure he was done, then pulled her fingers out of him and shifted to straddle his hips, guiding his cock to her dripping pussy.

"Still want this, handsome?" She asked, purring deeply.

"Oh yeah," he grinned up at her and made a bit more of a display out of his false helplessness at her hands.

"Good," she grinned, then moaned as she pressed down to take him into her sex, leaning back to make a shameless display of her body, and the thick, hard cock moving in and out of her as she started to move herself up and down along it.

It wasn't at all lost on her lover for the night. She could feel him recover quickly inside her, then began to thrust up as she came down, his eyes moving along her body from their groins where their pleasure joined up to her breasts and face that heightened his desire.

"Oooh ... how ... mmm ... kinky are you?" She asked him, moaning as his shaft raked the sensitive flesh inside her with his barbs.

"Pretty kinky," he admitted with a grin. "You?"

"Mmm ... bet I can match you," she grinned down at him. "You top?" She asked him, fluttering the muscles of her sex around his cock.

"Oh, yeah." He groaned as much in response to her actions as her question.

"Mmm ... prove it ... after this," she panted, taking him into her body up to the hilt and leaning forward to kiss him hungrily as her sex worked his cock.

"You asked for it," Jay grinned and reached up to wrap his arms around her, easily rolling her over to her back.

"You bet I did," she grinned back, pulling him down close to her for a fevered kiss as he began to pound into her. "Mmm ... fuck me, handsome. Make me scream."

He didn't show it, not to her at least, but that touched something deep inside and largely forgotten in recent weeks.

"Scream and so much more." He promised throatily and used the Force to pin her hands over her head and her legs spread wide while he used various cords around the room to do a more permanent job of it.

"Mmm ... some proper cuffs are in the drawer," she grinned up at him, still milking his shaft with her sex while he showed her just how much he'd learned about pleasing a female in his lifetime.

"Even better." Jay licked his whickers back and mentally fetched them. He was only half aware he 'asked' them not to open for anyone else as they locked around her wrists.

Lara wasn't aware of that at all, or much else for that matter. She cried out, arching up towards his body as she came around his shaft, the click of the cuffs coming almost exactly at the same time as the pulses of her sex around his shaft.

Jay grinned down at her as she caught her breath. He absolutely relished the freedom of having a female he didn't feel obliged to be gentle with and now had complete freedom to do with as he pleased.

"So, pretty thing," he rumbled and shifted to exemplify his dominance just as he had displayed his submission not too long before. "Just how should I take you? All spread out like this, or all tussled up with your rump in the air?"

"Mmm ... however you want, Master," she grinned up at him. "I'm sure either will be _very_ pleasant."

"Very much so." He grinned and began to pound into her with a focused abandon.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Mina growled slightly as she lay in bed, nude, glaring down at her slightly swollen belly and extra breasts resentfully. For all that the kits were keeping her here, alive, and in the loop, she hated the fact that they were holding her back. Between Jay's protectiveness, his attitude, and the Demon's unwillingness to let her _practice_ using the power it offered, she didn't have anything to do. She pulled her pillow over her head, frowning as she heard Janos' "girlfriend" for the evening howl with pleasure.

This wasn't helping either. She could tell that Jay was right on the edge, but she couldn't do a damned thing about it, and they were out on the town relaxing.

"* _You can't do anything because I know him far better than you._ *" The Demon answered her thoughts. "* _If you would care for a little entertainment and a look at why I am so careful in how he is pushed, you will enjoy his evening a great deal._ *"

"If he's just fucking whatever bar-slut he hooked up with, I think I'll pass, I can watch that here," she muttered, her ears perking up slightly as she thought about what he'd said. "* _It's going to be more, isn't it?_ *"

"* _If she is as into pain as I believe she is, yes._ *" It grinned mentally. "* _It will be his first conscious kill._ *"

"That should be worth watching," she purred, settling in. "I'll join in."

"* _Then settle back and watch, but no more. It will be much more effective if he cannot blame you. Also, his mates are trying to get to him now. Do not challenge them either. I want them to witness this._ *"

"I like your sense of humor," she purred, doing as it said. She closed her eyes and reached out across their bond silently.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Jay examined his work, pleased by the effect rendered by the slightly bloody Panthress hanging by her wrists from the ceiling as she slowly came back to consciousness.

Oh, the way she'd scream before he let her down.

"Mmm ... this is new," she murmured, realizing that she was dangling there, barely able to reach the floor with her feet. "How long was I out?"

"Long enough to clean us up and put you there," he chuckled and ran his hand down her stomach and abs to slip between her spread and bound legs. He unsheathed one claw to circle her slick, hard clit.

"Oooh ... mmm, you _are_ a creative one," she purred deeply, shifting a bit to support her weight a little better and spreading her legs even further than he'd put them.

"I hope you have a taste for a bit of pain," he rumbled and caught the hood of her clit with his claw. While not quite piercing the swollen, nerve-rich flesh, it was a sharp spike of pain that shot up her body with a pleasurable lightning. Her breath caught, and she twitched up away from it even as he heard a familiar, pleasured moan come up out of her.

"I do," she nodded and felt the pleasure ghost across her mind again as he knelt between her legs and spread her lower lips with his claws as his tongue went to work on her opening, encouraging the slick juices to wet her flesh again with an occasional pause to nip her clit hard enough between sharp teeth to draw a whimpering gasp.

"Oh yes," she hissed, pressing up towards his face, her arousal and pleasure filling her scent as her juices dribbled down Jay's chin.

"On your knees," he shifted forward to stand behind her and used a touch of Force to shift the sturdy leather straps to change her position. He didn't wait for any response; he could feel her surprise at the movement and her growing excitement at her helplessness and what he was doing to her.

He knelt as well, his jaws tight on her scruff as he pulled her down and thrust up into her ass as hard.

He relished the feel and sound of her scream, her ass clenching down around his shaft, instinctively trying to force it out as pain and pleasure streamed through her body. The Panthress hadn't been expecting that at all, but Jay could feel the pleasure in her mind as she gave herself over entirely to his pleasure.

He kept his jaws tight on her scruff, shuddering in ecstasy as drops of blood oozed onto his tongue. He continued to fuck her ass with the stamina built up from pleasuring two Jedi mates to exhaustion over the past few decades and reached forward, drawing his claws across her full breasts to color them a gleaming red.

She whimpered in pain, screwing her eyes shut as she savored the feeling of blood trickling down her dark fur. It occurred to her that she'd have to clean up in the morning, but it would be worth it; she hadn't been able to find somebody who really enjoyed this in years.

"Oooh, cut me, Master," she panted, clenching her ass around his cock, a little blood trickling out around the iron-hard shaft as his barbs raked shallow cuts in her body.

Jay cried out around her scruff and sank his claws deep into her breasts as he came hard, his seed mixing with her blood in her ass. His final thrusts were hard enough to lift her knees from the ground and his mind completely surrendering to the pleasure of his body and the even more intense pleasure of her pain.

Lara gurgled, the loose flesh of her scruff pulling tight around her throat as he claws her breasts roughly and fucked her raw. She squeezed her eyes shut, tears streaming down her cheeks from the pain that she was enjoying so much. A tiny part of her mind was concerned that this complete stranger was being given so much control, but the rest of her was just too turned on to care.

She took a deep breath when he loosened his pull on her scruff a bit, but most of it escaped in a scream as his claws dug deep into her flesh on their way from her breasts to her sex, where he spread the swollen lips of her labia, drawing blood even as the cool air rushing in exemplified how empty her sex was and how full her ass was when he began to thrust again.

Her juices practically poured out of her along with the blood dripping from the engorged flesh he slit. He'd been right about pushing her limits; she'd never gone much farther than this with anybody before. Still, as her moans and cries of pain filled the room, there was no denying that she was more turned on than she had been in years.

It was intoxicating to the tom using her. He'd never dreamed it could be like this. He'd taken punishment often enough, but he'd never really dominated or bloodied any of his mates like this unless they needed it enough to ask for it.

He felt her come with a scream that was as much pain as pleasure and her consciousness began to slip away again as her body was pushed to it's limits. 

A rush of domination surged from deep inside him.

"* _You_ will _remain conscious._ *" He rumbled between their minds, more Force behind the order than he'd used in decades.

It was enough to overcome her body's natural desire to shut down and stop the pain.

For a while, her mind was glad for it ... but as his claws worked through more of her body, and he kept fucking her hard and raw, he could feel the increasing fear in her mind and scent. He pierced her clit from one side to the other with one of them, and her scream echoed through the room.

"Stop!" She cried out, her comfort zone well and truly left behind as she felt just how much damage was starting to be done.

"No complaints!" Jay snarled, forcing her to comply. "* _Enjoy it._ *"

"Yes, Master," she whimpered, crying out as a patch of fur was torn roughly from the back of her neck, leaving a raw, oozing patch of flesh there. Her body responded eagerly, following his order as terror filled her scent and real tears ran down her cheeks, replacing the pleasured ones from before.

* * *

"* _I think I have an opening,_ *" Shivasta told Fenrik after what felt like hours of trying to get through to their missing mate. The Demon hadn't been fighting as hard as it had before, but it had held them back all the same.

"* _Let's go then,_ *" Fenrik focused his efforts on the small chink in the Demon's defenses and quickly burst threw close to Jay's mind, Shivasta right behind him.

"* _I don't know if I can say anything to him,_ *" she told Fenrik. "* _But I think we can see where he is ...._ *"

"* _That's a lot more info ...._ *" his mind-voice went dry as they were hit by Jay's perceptions.

Pain. Terror. Panic. A Force-commanded pleasure at her body being torn apart.

But it was coming from the Panther under him.

Jay ... was turned on beyond all measure.

"* _What the hell is ...._ *" Shi was stunned for a moment, but recovered quickly, trying to reach out to Jay desperately before it was too late.

"* _Sadism taken too far._ *" Fenrik supplied in a less stunned but much sicker tone. "* _What we _don't_ do._ *"

"* _Jay!_ *" Shi focused on her mate, forming a single thought-command that might buy enough time for him to come to his senses. "* _Stop!_ *"

Both Jedi reeled as the command bounced back at them.

"* _It wants us here,_ *" Shi realized, recovering from having the brunt of her telepathic ability turned back against her. "* _We'll have to break through to him again ...._ *"

"* _Don't forget we'll have to break out of here too._ *" Fenrik warned her even as he tried to keep his dinner down at the all too familiar feel of a sentient mind dieing.

Only this time it was very slow going and more brutal than most of his close encounters. Even as Shi worked to reach their mate, he focused his attention on getting them out alive. The Demon was using its power to hold them to watch this, just as it usually did to keep them away.

* * *

"So, think they'll be done soon?" Doruth asked Tes as the two of them waited in another room on the Gurath, relaxing after dinner some hours before and waiting for some indication of the best direction to head.

"If not, we might want to check on them." She glanced towards the meditation chamber uneasily.

"I'm sure if anything's -" Doruth stopped, a pained expression crossing his face as he felt rage, disgust, and a sort of panicked, desperate fear wash over him from the meditation chamber.

"In there, _now_!" He managed to get out between locked teeth, getting to his feet and starting to move towards the sealed door even as his mate was at a dead run. For once, her weaker Force-talent was an advantage in muting the reactions too strong even for the experienced Jedi inside to control.

Doruth had his lightsaber out, ready to cut his way in when she finally got the override to work.

It was just in time too. As the door slid open, Shivasta bolted from the room, nearly knocking them down as she made her way to the nearest bathroom.

"You help her, I'll take Fenrik," Doruth told Tes as they heard the sounds of the Ice Walker retching in the other room.

"Right," she nodded, already after the other female. Even if just holding her shoulders and offering a bit of help washing her mouth out was all she could offer right now.

Whatever had gone down, they were likely lucky to be back with their minds largely intact right now.

"He killed her," Shivasta managed to croak once she was a bit better settled, her body still trembling terribly in the older she-wolf's gentle embrace.

"Killed who?" Tes asked quietly, fairly sure it couldn't be the Darksider female who was with him.

"I don't know," Shi said, realizing how stupid it sounded. "Jay ... he was with some woman ... I could feel it," she shuddered, putting a hand to her throat, the back of it still burning from her response.

Tes swallowed as she pieced together what the Healer had witnessed from the inside of her own mate. "He's gone very far over then." She rested the side of her face lightly against Shi's in a touch of support the Ice Walker could feel more than recognize. "I'm sorry you had to witness that."

"He ... it couldn't have been him," Shi murmured, trying to deny what she knew, her instincts warring with each other. "Couldn't have been something he was just doing ...."

Tes didn't try to argue with her. She just held the cool woman and let her break down enough to pull herself together again. Right now she needed to get Shi to calm down and as much back to center as possible. Force only knew what Doruth was facing with his former Padawan in the other room, but it couldn't be good. No one was snarling, no raised voices, no thumps of wrestling, no lightsabers ... everything that fifty years and more of knowing the pair screamed that things were so wrong they might just not be fixable.

"He enjoyed it," Shi whispered, her eyes haunted. "I don't think he knew what he was doing, but ...."

"It takes a very sick soul to enjoy killing like that." Tes nodded and tried to just provide support. "But even the sickest soul can be healed."

"I know that," Shi nodded slightly. "I just ... seeing that ... it's not Jay. It was him, but ... it wasn't."

"It's what the Dark Side can do to a person." Tes reminded her gently. "It warps them, takes things they can control normally and takes them too far. It's why we mustn't fall to it. It's why the Council doesn't really punish those who want to return to the Light. It's what too few are taught among the Jedi."

"Have to get him back from them," Shi said, managing to bring her mind back to the important issue at hand. "I couldn't stop him ... the Demon let us close enough to watch, but wouldn't let us reach him. We know where to find him though ... I think."

"And you know that rescuing him won't be a simple matter of showing yourselves now." Tes added. "Where should we head?"

"I know," she nodded. "But finding him, catching him ... if we can't, there's no use. I think it's Naboo ... but the world's not quite as unique as Tatooine," she admitted.

"It'll be easy to find out if he was there at least." Tes said quietly. "A death like that will be noticed by the local authorities. I doubt they'll catch him, but they'll know if what you saw happened there."

"You might be underestimating Jay's ability to cover things up," Shi warned her. "Could well turn into a missing person, rather than a homicide, if he gets his bearings enough to think things through."

"True," she admitted. "We can only hope that he is not that accustomed to what he's doing yet."

"If he is, I'd know," Shivasta shuddered. "She was so scared," she murmured, closing her eyes at the memory of the Panthress' pain.

"Facing death ... it terrifies most people. Facing a death like that is beyond what most can conceive of." Tes nodded. "At least it's over for her now."

"I hope so," Shi nodded. "I don't think she would've had the will or power to keep going afterwards." She stood a little shakily, removing the evidence of her reaction to watching her mate murder his lover with the push of a button.

She only wished removing the memory could be that easy.

She had the skills, but she needed to remember he was this Dark already, for when they caught up with him.

* * *

Across the corridor, Fenrik was sitting quietly, almost managing a meditative posture as Doruth watched him in growing concern. It wasn't natural for either of them to meditate like that when badly shaken.

"Are you going to be okay?" The older Panther asked him quietly, as uneasy as Tes about the silence involved. While Fenrik's composure wasn't all that settled, he had managed to keep his dinner down.

"Eventually," he nodded and looked up at his former Master. "Jay ... killed a bedmate while we were watching. Got off on it in a big way."

"On his own, or couldn't you tell?" Doruth asked him, understanding Shi's reaction entirely now.

And beginning to understand Fenrik's.

"Very much on his own," the Panther shuddered slightly. "I don't think he started with the intent tonight, but what happened ... it was all him. It was a Panthress too."

"It wasn't your fault, Fenrik," Doruth pointed out.

"I know," he let out a sigh. "I did a great deal to encourage that kink of his, though. That this was his first unprompted and unhelpful act of the Dark Side says something for what I helped create. Everything before this was to protect someone. There was a reason for it that wasn't Dark. This ... this is what I nurtured in him that he chose to take too far."

"You're not the only one who encouraged it," Doruth pointed out. "I'm not privy to all the details about your love life, but I know that Shi enjoyed it too, to an extent. And if he's sleeping with Sith, you can be damned sure they're not exactly loving and gentle themselves."

"I'd rather you didn't remind Shi of that," Fenrik glanced uneasily towards the door she'd bolted out of not long before. "She's going to have enough trouble without thinking she could have had a hand in it."

"I won't," Doruth agreed. "Think she's having a hard time accepting that this can be happening to Jay ... can't really blame her," he admitted. "But you and I both know that just enjoying the rough play doesn't lead to this sort of thing. He's starting to break down ... but it's not just because of what he enjoys. The anger and hate are starting to get to him."

"That's the weirdest part," he admitted. "With all his fears and issues, it's hating someone he's bound to that's really getting to him. I expected it to be fear of loosing one of us, maybe rage against Navik, or something like that, not something no one thought could happen. Of all the ways any of us guessed this might happen, this isn't anything close. I didn't even know you could _do_ that to a life bond."

"What Jedi would?" Doruth asked, sitting on a bench near the door. "Even when we form bonds like that, nobody'd dream of trying to replace one. It'd be like a child finger-painting on an original masterpiece. Unfortunately, it seems to be a way of giving a Dark Sider a direct line to the most vulnerable part of Jay's mind."

"Shi says it takes an incredibly powerful telepath to pull that off, and he was fighting it. Might even still be fighting them, slipping to the Dark or not. He really doesn't care for at least one of them."

"Probably that ... thing in his head," Doruth nodded. "Were you able to get a bead on where he is at least?"

"Maybe," Fenrik let out a deep breath. "Naboo. It won't be for long though, and if we don't catch him, our next clue is going to be trail of bodies." He shuddered slightly.

"Only if Jay gets used to it," Doruth said, trying to be supportive. "But you're right, we have to move. It's not a short trip to Naboo, so you and Shi recover while Tes and I get us there. We'll slave-circuit the Kalrass for the trip."

"All right," he nodded and stood slowly, not at all interested in arguing about it. The mate he had on board was going to need all the attention he could offer. As disturbing as it was, he'd thought about it, and encountered worse. She wasn't nearly as prepared for this experience as he was, if you could call him prepared.

This hunt had suddenly become a lot more disturbing.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Jay yawned as he woke up late the next morning, his stomach rumbling. Hungry. That much he was able to recognize. He wasn't really awake yet, or all _that_ close to waking up, but the scent of blood and sex in the air were both working on him already.

He rolled over, nuzzling the source of both scents lightly, and started to lick at one of the bare patches of flesh on the lifeless Panthress' shoulder, stripping blood-caked fur from the skin and exposing fresh wounds. Remarkably little fresh blood seeped out, most of what had been in her already in various places around the room, her body, and that of her killer.

He sank his teeth into the freshly exposed flesh, biting down and ripping a mouthful from her shoulder, functioning on nothing more than instinct.

Eat, then sex.

The priorities didn't stop him from rubbing his groin against her cool leg while he filled his belly from her upper arm, encouraging the arousal already there so he'd be ready when he wasn't hungry anymore.

He swallowed the last bite of salty meat, a distant part of his mind musing that it tasted a bit like nerf-meat as his shaft hardened the rest of the way against her somewhat stiff thigh.

He'd have to hunt up another sex-thing soon, but this body was whole enough to sate him for now. Its stiffness and cool temperature made an interesting sensation as he sank into her body, her legs locked in the widespread and slightly unnatural angle they'd been in when he'd torn her throat out some hours before. The legs were broken, but the tightening of her muscles in early rigor mortis held them in place for him.

He started to thrust faster, noting mentally that it was much more satisfying when the plaything could plead, moan, and beg. A deep purr escaped his throat at the memories of how she _had_ sounded when she was begging him, towards the end, when he'd been forced to focus more on keeping her conscious than keeping her from pleading with him.

In the very back of his mind, something felt sick at the memories, but it wasn't nearly enough to stop the quickly building pleasure that he wasn't interested in holding back or the explosive roar as his hot seed shot into her body, heating the flesh around it.

He rested against her with a purr, rubbing his pelvis against her torn, nearly-shredded pussy lips as his seed quickly cooled and pooled in Lara's lifeless body.

It was all the pause the uneasy feeling in the back of his mind needed to hit the forefront and take over.

Jay shuddered, too shocked for a long moment to do anything but stare at the partially eaten body below him and try to grasp just what he'd done -- not just in killing her, but since.

A low sound escaped his throat as he desperately scrambled off of her and out of the bed. Not even his well-trained body kept him from hitting the floor hard and broke any chance he had to get to the bathroom before throwing up what he'd just eaten. His mind screamed in a vaguely coherent plea for help as he grabbed his Glovatrixes and was out the door where instinct took over again.

These, though, were instincts perfected on Nar Shaddaa.

Mind control and escape paths he had long forgotten he even kept track of hit the forefront of his mind to guide him back to his home -- his ship -- and keep anyone from noticing his passing.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Fenrik's eyes snapped open, his attempt to meditate quietly shattered by a plea for help accompanied by a set of images and sensations that he could barely grasp.

The first, the taste of his own kind, had him on his feet and all his control focused on keeping what little was in his stomach down until he could get to a bathroom ... and not the closest one that Shi would need.

As he ran, he couldn't shut out the rest. The feel of a dead body around 'his' cock, the pleasure of that one last violation.

Of realizing what 'he'd' just done.

He knew, instinctively, that was he felt wasn't really him. Still, knowing that Jay had done it didn't help much. At least he also knew that Jay was still sane enough to be as disgusted as he was just now.

As he finished losing his light breakfast, he felt Shi's hand on his back gently, her mind reaching out to help soothe his.

It was a contact he welcomed and used to reach out to the older pair preparing the ships for take off.

"* _Naboo. Definitely Naboo._ *" Fenrik focused on reaching out to Doruth. "* _We have to get there before he leaves._ *"

"You saw the same thing I did?" Shi asked him softly, kneeling next to him and offering him a glass of lightly citrus-flavored water to rinse his mouth out with.

"Yes," he shuddered. "It's good, I think, that Master Essani isn't bonded to him anymore. That's going to be one event I want to downplay in the report as much as we can."

"One sentence," she nodded. "No details, unless requested. Are you going to be okay?"

"Yes," he nodded and stood with a tight jaw, the only sign of just how much effort it took him not to show how sick he still was at the images still in his mind. "We'll be ready to leave in a few minutes. Even if we don't get there in time, we have some work to do to protect the Order from public fallout."

"Only if they realize a Jedi did it," Shi pointed out. "What he did ... I could give any of a dozen ways it could have been done by anybody with the proper knowledge. At least he didn't use his lightsaber for it."

"True," he murmured and finished off the lightly flavored water before walking out of the bathroom to head for the cockpit. "Lets just hope the Sith with him don't do anything like that."

"If they do, it'd justify calling out a larger hunt," Shi pointed out as she followed him. "Not sure if that's a better thing or not, but it would be more eyes. At least the Republic doesn't have an organized defense force _besides_ the Jedi to send after him. We'll just have to hope bounty hunters aren't brought to bear."

"If they are, the death toll is going to be that much higher." Fenrik shook his head and sat down in the pilot's seat to set their course so they could take off the moment Doruth and Tes were finished slave-circuiting the Kalrass. "At least two Sith, one unknown, and Jay are on that ship. It won't be easy for anyone to take them, not even with the four of us and two ships."

"Not to bring them in alive," Shi agreed quietly. "I just hope Jay's willing to accept capture when we find him. I heard about the message the Council got; doesn't make any real sense. They must have had one heck of a cover story."

"And a lot of notes on how to make Jay believe it." He closed his eyes briefly. "How are you handling this so well?"

"What?" She asked. "Jay missing, or what we saw this morning?"

"This morning." He glanced up at her.

Shi closed her eyes for a moment, still able to see what had happened when she thought about it.

"What he did ... it was sick," she admitted. "But it was a body, not a person, he was doing it to. The body barely matters, once the spirit is gone. It's part of being a Healer, and a Walker."

"Not quite how most Panthers see it." He nodded in understanding of her way of thinking. "I saw it more as how far he's gone in just two months. That ... I can see how last night happened. This morning ... it's just so far from anything I ever thought could happen ...." His voice drifted off a bit as the hatch closed.

"Ready to go." Doruth called to them as he walked forward to join the distressed pair.

"Then let's go," Shi nodded, squeezing Fenrik's shoulder softly. "* _I didn't either,_ *" she told her mate as the Gurath lifted off. "* _But it's less of a sin to me than what happened last night. This morning was illness ... that I can fix. Trust me to fix him, when we find him._ *"

"* _And somehow we'll fix the rest too._ *" He gritted his teeth and guided the two ships far enough into space to make the jump to hyperspace.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Janos blinked as he woke up, flashes of Jay's surroundings running through his mind. He rumbled deeply, rolling over on top of his date from the night before and nipping her shoulder before interpreting what was going on and what it would mean.

"Wake up," he ordered her simply, ignoring his morning wood and rolling the rest of the way out of bed, starting to dress. "Date's over. Credchip by the door should cover the dress I tore," he added, pulling one out of his pocket and setting it on the dresser as he finished dressing. "Grab a vest to cover up on your way out, I've got plenty." With one last look over the naked, desirable, yet extremely confused form in his bed, he started out towards the cockpit.

If they weren't going to be on the run, he might've considered trying to sedate her, bring her along to play with. But with one body already being left behind, they _really_ didn't need the sort of manhunt a kidnapping might cause. He wasn't completely sure Jay wouldn't object either. The tom was rapidly loosing his attachment to the Light, but he had the oddest triggers sometimes that didn't always have a much to do with normal morals.

Besides, it wasn't like there weren't other fems in the galaxy. Hell, with Jay's bankroll, they could make their way to some comfy world in Hutt space and pick up a few slave-girls. He wasn't sure exactly how much the tom had access to, but he'd seen enough in their shopping trip to make a Hutt faint and knew that was just what Jay considered pocket money now that the Order wasn't paying for everything.

He made his way up to the cockpit, getting ready to leave as Tara, his 'girlfriend,' pulled on some clothes and started making her way out with a confused expression when Mina sauntered out of her room with a sly smile, wearing a suit of fairly comfortable clothes that complemented her lightly pregnant figure.

"Leaving so soon?" She asked with a purr.

"Guess so," Tara said with a glanced towards the cockpit. "Weird. Figured he'd be up for a little fun this morning." She shrugged a bit, reaching in to grab the credchip she'd almost forgotten.

"We got a call just before you woke up; we have to get going," Mina explained apologetically, stepping forward more. The shewolf frowned a bit, stepping back into the room. There was something about the Cat's manner that unsettled her.

"I should be going myself then," she said, hoping Mina would step out of the way.

"Mmm ... you should," Mina agreed with a purr. "But you should know something first. Your girlfriend, who went off with my mate?"

"Yes?" Tara asked cautiously, glancing around the room as if she was hoping she could find a blaster. Janos had taken his with him though ... the only weapon left in the room was one she couldn't see.

But Mina knew where it was.

"She's dead now," the tabby purred, a sadistic smile spreading across her lips.

"What?" The Wolf asked, her fur bristling. "You're lying ... get out of my way, I just want to get off this ship!"

"After you enjoy the show," Mina grinned, reaching out telepathically to grab her victim's mind and drag it into her vision of what Jay had left behind of her friend. She drank deeply of the terror that poured off of her mind, enjoying her soon-to-be victim's sick realization that she had been telling the truth, and that they had both found the _wrong_ people to be interested in for the night's fun.

It was the last thing the Wolf would ever realize.

While she was still trapped in Mina's telepathic nightmare, the tabby reached out, gripping one of Jay's spare lightsabers with the Force and pulled it out of its hiding place. The blacklight blade ignited as it flew towards the woman calling it ....

And through the Wolf between the two of them.

Tara looked down in disbelief, the beam of burning light impaling her cleanly through the heart. Mina held it in place as her body fell, purring madly at the display made by the blade cutting through her. Returning Jay's lightsaber to its hiding place without even touching it, she started to work on moving the body, the Force making the process easier as she hauled the much larger female towards the hatch Jay would be coming through shortly.

In the cockpit, Janos heard the sound of the one-sided fight and scowled as he kept working on the launch sequence for the Sharufa and getting launch permissions sorted out so they wouldn't be pursued right away.

"Damned bitch," he muttered. "You just _had_ to get in on the act, didn't you?"

He heard the hatch open, close and then open a few moments later. Mina walked quietly away from the front of the ship as it closed behind her. Jay would be there too soon and far too rattled for her to be visible. She may be crazy-Dark, but she wasn't actively suicidal, and she was keeping tabs on their mate's progress.

Force-speed or not, it still took him several minutes to make it from the residential sector to the spaceport. Enough time for Janos to finish completing the launch procedures and be ready to meet him when he got back.

"* _We're going to have a talk about 'subtlety' later,_ *" he told Mina.

"* _That would be a first,_ *" she purred mentally. "* _Tembris' attack dog lecturing_ me _about subtlety._ *"

Janos growled to himself as he waited for Jay. She was _not_ going to live any longer than she had to. At least Jay was very unlikely to disagree with _that_ idea, bond or no bond. Once those kits were out of her, Jay hated her even more than he did.

Then his attention was on the bundle of completely freaked out muscle and fur that burst though the briefly open hatch. He couldn't help but notice that while Jay hadn't bothered to dress, he had not only grabbed his weapons, but had put both bracers on.

He grabbed hold of Jay, trying to provide some sort of support as his lupine senses were filled with the smells of blood, violence, and sex.

"* _Safe now,_ *" he told Jay. "* _We'll be gone before anybody knows._ *"

He just hoped Mina'd hidden Tara's body well enough.

He felt Jay allow himself to collapse across their bond a moment before the tom sank against his body with a bit of a whimper.

This was a moment that reinforced Janos' appreciation of what the mate-bond gave him. Anyone else would be impossible to deal with. Once he told Jay it was safe, the tom let him take over and _trusted_ him to make things work out.

It was a heady feeling after witnessing what the tom was capable of.

He helped Jay into bed in one of the spare rooms, where the smell of sex and Tara's fear wouldn't be a problem while he went to make some tulass tea to help sedate him for the trip.

"I'm going to get us out of here fast," he told Jay as he gave him the cup of tea. "Drink that, and brace yourself."

Jay nodded and cupped the mug in both hands to drink it quickly. His eyes closed with a sigh of relaxation as Janos left the room to deal with getting them away from the easy reach of any authorities.

The Wolf hurried, trying not to look like he was in a rush. Fortunately, after years of smuggling and mercenary work, he knew how to get out of somewhere without the authorities realizing just how devoutly grateful he was to leave them behind.

Naboo was even easier than most. He didn't have to do anything that involved dealing with a person; just send the launch codes to the light defensive weapons, and be on his way.

Once the ship was out of the atmosphere, and into hyperspace from there, he leaned back in his chair with a deep sigh.

Toydaria may not be the best world for the long term, but it was Hutt and it was definitely not Jedi-friendly. It would work for a while. They had the money to make any needed bribes and the training to deal with what bribes didn't.

He _so_ needed breakfast before dealing with Mina. He could still hear her purring in a twisted pleasure at that kill. It's not like he cared about the shewolf, but Mina _really_ needed to be gotten under control about the timing of her fun. This one could have really gotten them in trouble.

He went back to get himself something to eat, pausing for a moment to check on Jay mentally. Asleep already; good. Twitching in sedated nightmares was fine, as long as it was sleeping nightmares and not the kind that woke him up.

While he cooked, he heard Mina pad out, and instinctively looked back to make sure she wasn't armed, his hand on the hilt of his lightsaber.

"Don't worry, Janos," she purred. "I'm just interested in the same thing you are."

"I'm a really beginning to doubt that." He glared at her with flattened ears. "Killing that girl when there is no time to hide the body well was stupid."

"I was referring to breakfast," she said simply, moving to start making some tea. "As for the girl, was it any more stupid than just leaving her be? Besides, I _want_ them to find her without too much trouble."

"Great, now the Jedi will have reason to send _real_ forces against us, and bounty hunters, before we have a place to stay." He snorted and slid the pan of scrambled eggs, cheese and meat onto a plate and sat down, pouring a large glass of deep red-orange juice telekinetically.

"No, now the Jedi will have to explain a mutilated, sodomized snuff-victim showing up, and the perps using lightsabers," she pointed out. "You know better than I do that the Jedi suffer every time a Dark Jedi commits a crime. Something this gruesome? They'll have Senators arguing about it.

"Besides, what would she have done when she went home? Found her home a crime scene, her friend murdered and partly eaten?" Mina shrugged. "While it has some entertainment value, my method is more merciful, and I got to experience her reaction rather than just guess at it."

"You're forgetting one thing about that setup." He pointed out evenly. "We've got Jedi on our tail already that'll be explaining how they're hunting a couple Sith before the news even gets off world."

"And if it's blamed on the Sith instead? Then any other Sith out there get to become the focus of a galaxy-wide crusade to wipe out the 'scum.' Less competition. Either way, I win - and, as long as we stick to safe worlds, not even the Jedi will find us."

"The Jedi I'm not all that worried about. They want us alive after all. Now everybody but those four ships are going to be after us dead. Maybe you don't care about survival anymore now that you're turning gray, but I'm not that far gone yet."

"You worry too much, Janos," Mina chuckled, patting his shoulder condescendingly, jerking it away a fraction of a second before he crushed it in his jaws and finished preparing her own light breakfast of tea and fruit. "There is no 'everybody' beyond the Jedi and bounty hunters. But the Jedi don't do bounty hunters, and they'll convince the Naboo government not to put up a bounty. The Jedi want us alive, and the Republic wouldn't care enough to send anybody after us if we'd killed half the _settlement_ , and done what Jay did to each one of them."

"Somebody on this ship has to pay attention to the future." He pointed out with a shrug.

"Oh I am," she purred, taking a seat and sipping her tea. "I'll admit, there are some ways it could backfire. But even most of the backfires work out in our favor. Besides, we were _already_ going to have Jedi and bounty hunters after us. Do you _really_ think anybody on Naboo is going to suspect one of the locals of doing that?"

"So what are you going to do about Jay when he no longer has kittens to keep his opinion of you in check?" Janos raised a questioning eyebrow at her.

"That would be telling," she smirked slightly. "Though your concern is touching ... or would be, if it was real concern."

"Hardly concern," he smirked at her. "Just curiosity about how you intend to survive in four months. You know as well as I do how much he hates you."

"A lot can change in four months, Janos," she smirked back, getting that twinkle in her eye he was beginning to recognize as her scheming. "Quite a lot. Especially when you'd like to be having a nervous breakdown because you're starting to get kinkier than you're comfortable with."

"True," he admitted. It would be something to watch out for too. He seriously doubted Jay had any idea what was happening until it was far too late. The Kat was slipping, but he still had pretty good self-control and anything that would freak him out as bad as this would surely still trigger it.

"I don't see why you're all that concerned, Janos," she shrugged slightly. "Or are you forgetting that you're the one who wanted to do this least of all?"

"Still don't think it was a bright idea," he muttered. "That Kat's trouble, and we're up to our ears in it now."

"And do you think we'd have been any better off if Tembris was still running the show?" She pointed out. "Just get us somewhere in Hutt space. We'll be fine there; it's not like anybody's going to care, or like the Jedi will be able to find us. And it will give me time to work."

"Toydaria," he told her simply and made quick work of finishing his breakfast, went to check on the controls one last time and then headed back to see about getting the smells and blood off Jay before the tom woke up for real.

"It's a start," Mina murmured to herself, finishing her own food before going off to meditate on how best to take advantage of this.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Jay's slowly waking brain called on his nose first, making it twitch.

No blood.

No sex.

No fear.

No decay.

Very familiar scents. Janos was in bed holding him.

An ear twitched next as Sharufa greeted him.

He slowly cracked on eye open and looked around without moving.

He was home, safe ... as much as he could be either, at least. It was quiet, as it usually was on the ship when it wasn't on a planet somewhere. Janos nuzzled his shoulder lightly, a gentle, reassuring touch and Jay reached back to rub the Wolf's hip in reply.

"No trouble?" Jay mumbled, still not completely coherent.

"Not anymore," Janos nodded slightly. "We got off the planet before anybody knew what happened."

"Good," he let out a soft sound and closed his eyes again. "Don't need any more trouble."

"Not really," Janos agreed, looking back over his shoulder at Mina pointedly before returning to nuzzle Jay's shoulder lightly. "You going to be okay?"

"Eventually," he murmured and began to relax in the Wolf's strong arms. "Can't believe I did that." He shuddered.

"Don't worry about it," Janos told him easily, rubbing his chest. "It happens sometimes."

He felt Jay's conflicting reaction. Acceptance and agreement that it did happen and he wasn't trying to do that, but at the same time it was so far outside acceptable behavior that the tom couldn't really accept that it wasn't something to worry about.

A tiny corner of Jay's mind growled that they were Sith and this was normal for _Sith_ and not him.

It was a voice that was quickly shut up by the part that insisted these were his mates and he'd have to adapt. That he _hadn't_ been Sith, but maybe he was now.

"You're not the first person to do it, Jay, and you won't be the last," Janos pointed out, scratching his chest lightly. "Don't beat yourself up about it too much."

Jay nodded, still a bit reluctant to do so, but the alternative was more than he wanted to deal with. Maybe if Shi was here, but these mates ... they wanted him to accept, and it was hard not to go along and not think too hard about what had happened.

"We are we headed?" Jay asked quietly and snuggled back against the Wolf's solid body.

"Toydaria," Janos said easily. "Not as well-known as Nar Shaddaa, and money goes a long way there. Not as easy for a Jedi to hide either. Good place to hole up until we've got things sorted out."

"Nar Shaddaa has too many Jedi." Jay murmured with a nod for Janos' choice. "Fenrik, Doruth and Tes are all _very_ familiar with it. Not all Hutt worlds are safe from Jedi, despite their claims."

"But one where anybody who isn't a native sticks out, we can find out if anybody's after us damned fast," Janos nodded, nuzzling Jay's shoulder lightly. "I've hidden out there often enough to know my way around too."

"We'll figure it out," he murmured and rolled around in Janos' arms to kiss him soundly, his hands moving along the Wolf's sides.

"Mmm ... for now, no need to worry about it," Janos rumbled, returning the kiss and rolling up on top of him as the kiss deepened and became a little needy.

"* _Take me,_ *" Jay whispered between their minds, a taste of familiar violence well beyond what the Wolf usually indulged in clear with the request.

"I can do that," he rumbled, nipping Jay's shoulder and running his hands down his sides as he started to rub against the tom's thigh. Mina made her way out of the room, recognizing that she wasn't particularly welcome just now. This was a guy thing, a warrior thing, for the tom, and she was neither in his mind.

And clearly resenting it, at least to Janos' mind, though he was pretty sure she hid it from Jay.

It was her own damn fault too. She could have been his first choice, she had been with him first, but she'd done too many stupid things. Things that were simply too Dark or self-centered for a given moment in Jay's turning.

He just hoped she wouldn't figure out some way to change that fact.

For now, he was going to enjoy the tom beneath him, begging him for the pain and punishment he could give him.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Fenrik settled himself rather forcefully before stepping into the holonet chamber on the Gurath to join his three hunting mates. He was fervently glad that Master Essani wouldn't be able to feel his reactions right now. He could only hope that by the time he stood before the Council again that he was more centered than now. And that what he'd told the authorities on Naboo about hunting Sith wasn't as accurate as he had them believing.

Shi put her hand on his shoulder for a moment, squeezing it reassuringly before they settled down to report as the scanners started working and transmitting back to Coruscant, Masters Zraii and Essani becoming visible immediately.

"We understand the news isn't particularly reassuring," the Verpine said on behalf of both the Masters.

"No, Master Zraii." Fenrik answered with a bow to the pair. "We traced Jay to Naboo, but did not arrive in time to capture him. The past two days have been spent guiding the authorities to believing that Sith are solely responsible for what happened, and not a Dark Jedi. They left two dead behind, murdered, and the pilot that was with them on Tatooine.

"Markos is a mercenary pilot not a Dark Sider. While he didn't know where they were headed, he did give us a fair amount of information on who was involved and Jay's current mental condition.

"The female in the new mate-bond is Mina. She's a Cat, and roughly two months pregnant. She's not only Dark, but very sick in the mind. She is the truly dangerous one now that Darth Tembris is dead and likely the one who will now be actively trying to turn Jay. She is also hated by both Jay and Janos. Both have said that the kits are what keep her alive. Or more accurately, Janos isn't willing to find out if his bond is enough to protect him from Jay if he does kill Mina while she's pregnant.

"The male of the new mate-bond is Janos Miklar, a Wolf. While he is Dark, it is not nearly to the extent as Mina. Janos seems more interested in survival than the worst parts of the Dark Side. He has formed a stronger bond with Jay since the false-bond was created, which makes him more dangerous to us. Jay is more likely to turn quickly by the acceptance of Dark behavior that Janos does than the outright manipulation of Mina.

"Jay seems to be on a path more akin to Janos' than Mina. Much to Markos' surprise, Jay paid him what he was owed and a bonus for the trouble of the trip and being injured. Jay advised him not to work for Sith, because they're crazy, or Jedi, because they'll get him shot at too. This was a few hours before Jay killed on Naboo, and the day before the second kill by lightsaber."

"Not by Jay," Shivasta added, picking up on the question before it was asked. "There were indicators that his lightsaber was used, but the evidence strongly suggested it was used by somebody else, probably not holding it. Based on what I know about the victim and people involved, I suspect it was Mina. There was no reason for anybody else to have killed her."

"There's something else, isn't there?" Master Zraii asked after a brief moment.

"The first body was mutilated when it was found," Shivasta explained, hoping to downplay it. "The worst post-mortem. It wasn't typical of Jay's kills, but we have evidence that it was performed by him. Fortunately, when he realized what had happened, he was horrified by it; he hasn't turned yet, Masters."

"Not completely, at least." Master Zraii nodded fractionally. "Was there any indication how Jay obtained the money to pay Markos?"

"From his savings." Fenrik answered. "Remains of the small stipend the Order gave him for his useful inventions when he was a Padawan. Withdrawals from it may enable us to trace him. It is becoming very dangerous to try to reach him telepathically. The Demon is stronger than we thought and trapped us near Jay's mind for several hours once already. We will have to be very careful about when we try again."

"The accounts could be frozen," Zraii offered. "Force them into the open."

"It would force them into, quite likely, violent activity as long as they were on a civilized world," Doruth pointed out. "And eliminate a means of tracking them. As long as they stay underground, they won't resort to mercenary work or piracy."

"It's true, Master Zraii." Shi added. "Jay has developed a strong ... nesting instinct, for lack of a better description ... now that he's about to be a father. If we allow him access to the money, he will continue to focus on finding a safe place to raise his family. In Sith society, he may be the lowest ranking member there, but he has the skill and power to have things his way when push comes to shove. He does not want to remain on the run. He will settle down soon, if we can convince him that we're not one step behind him."

"Master Shivasta, do you have any idea how long it will be before the kits are born?"

"Four months before they are born, another three at least, likely closer to a year, before he'll want to start moving with them again." She answered. "There is another factor here too. His heritage is of a very territorial family. He's shown some traits of that even after most of his life with us. Once he's settled down, he's much more likely to dig in and fight to defend his territory and family than to run again, unless one of his mates convinces him otherwise."

"What will the effect on your ability to bring him back to us alive be?" Zraii asked for Essani.

"Very little, Masters." Fenrik responded. "We have two likely chances to capture him alive; by sneaking up on him and knocking him out, or by Shi knocking him out while he fights me. The second has been the most likely method since we realized our bonds had been usurped. If he's unwilling to run, it makes it easier to catch up with him. The rest is much as expected. We knew he'd be protective of his new mates as soon as we knew of them."

"The complication this brings is that we will have to capture _all_ his kits before he regains consciousness." Shi added. "But if it's possible for him to trust anybody to bring them in safely, it would be us."

"All the same, it would be best if you found him before they were born. Just be certain you bring his mates as well ... it sounds like we'll need to have a good number of mind healers ready for when everybody comes back."

"It would be best," Shi nodded. "Even if we manage to talk him into coming back with us, the false-bonds and his actions have made a mess of his mind. It will be a difficult operation at best to put things in a state where he can begin to deal with what he has done."

"Given the recent escalation, the Council is debating assigning more Jedi to the hunt," Zraii said. "What would the effect be if they were forced to harm his 'mates' in the course of recovering him? Sith aren't exactly renowned for being taken alive."

"If it kills his kits, or is likely to .... " Shi paused, trying to find the words for how he'd reacted on Tatooine to a much less direct threat by a much less Dark Jay. "I'm not sure anything could control him. If they've already been born, it would likely be similar in effect to killing one side of any bond. It may be mitigated if we gain control of it back, but this is something we know very little about."

"If others are assigned, I recommend those who have the skills, like Shi, to disable without serious injury. Whether by Healer-based or mind-based." Fenrik added quietly. "He is as unlikely to surrender as the Sith he is with by now."

"Given what news has already begun to trickle out about Sith on Naboo, we have to show some activity," Zraii pointed out. "But we will keep it in mind. Do either of you know anything that's likely to work well as a sedative with him? Our medical records have some suggestions, but not extensive ones."

"He reacts like most felines to most substances." Shi answered. "I have not come across anything that is particularly effective or ineffective on him. So nibrathin, qkwasin-twiasa, abin and cutoth juice should all work very well."

"We'll send out a few more teams with proper sedatives and knockout-based gear," the Verpine nodded. "We all want him back alive, of course. When you have an idea where to look next, let us know."

"Yes, Masters." Fenrik bowed to them before the transmission ended. He looked over at Shi. "They're going to head to Hutt space after this. Easy to hide and we are definitely not welcome anywhere."

"We'll just have to figure out which world then," she said easily. "And sort out covers. Doruth? Think we could get a little help with that?" She asked, looking over at the older Panther.

"Smugglers are the easiest." He actually chuckled softly. "We've got a good couple ships for that, and the three of us all have the skills for it."

"Or just use my family name." Tes added with a slight smirk. "We're very much still out there and doing business. One of my cousins may even end up spotting them."

"Then let's get to work fixing everything up together," Fenrik nodded, standing to leave the transmission chamber. "We want to be sure we've all got our stories straight."

* * *

* * *

* * *

Jay sniffed critically as he stepped out of the Sharufa after they landed at one of Toydaria's strictly controlled starports. Satisfied that the place didn't smell like it was on a planet renowned for its muck-lakes, he continued down the ramp, Janos close behind with Mina.

"Told you Toydaria didn't always smell like a swamp," the Wolf reassured him. "If we stick to the better parts of town, it's better than the Coruscani slums by light-years."

"Which makes it better than where I grew up." Jay nodded and cast his gaze across the surprisingly busy starport and his mind much farther to gather all he could about this place and who ruled it.

It was a Hutt world, as he knew ... but, unlike most worlds in Hutt-space, it didn't seem to be completely dominated by the Hutts. What he found slightly unnerving was the way most of the Toydarians, buzzing through the air about their business, were almost completely blank to his probing mind. At least their technology wasn't as difficult to deal with.

"So, you're the latest arrivals, eh?" One of them asked, flying over, his wings working busily to maneuver his bulbous blue body through the air, his hooked snout twitching slightly as he reviewed his datapad. "Lucky you; last ones to make it in this shift. So, who's the captain?"

"That would be me," Jay claimed the ranking post before either of his companions could consider it.

"Okay, we can take care of business then," the Toydarian said easily, buzzing up higher so he could look Jay in the eyes. "We got lots of paperwork that'll need to be filed. Name of your ship first?"

"Tattid." Jay supplied and leaned back against the ship's hull, quietly calculating whether it was worth the bribe to skip this. It would just be a couple peggats according to the computers - the equivalent of barely a hundred Republic credits - to cover the docking fee and get the paperwork covered.

Frankly, given the amount of paperwork that could be required of somebody on any Hutt world if they _didn't_ , it wouldn't be much worse than a nuisance charge.

"That's all you really need, I expect." Jay shifted his hand slightly to show the Hutt coin. He really wasn't in a mood for this, especially not for a world they wouldn't be on more than a few days.

"Well ... there is a bit more, but it's mostly technicalities," the Toydarian agreed, taking the coins between long, nimble fingers and slipping them into a pocket of his vest. "Enjoy your stay; if you'll need supplies or maintenance, there are stores just outside the landing zone, and the rail cars to the next city leave practically any time you need them."

"Thank you," Jay nodded slightly, then turned to his mates as the native flew off. "Shall we get the supplies end of this done so we can leave whenever needed?" He asked, though it wasn't really a question. He had his pattern and it wasn't really worth challenging him about it.

"Sure thing," Janos nodded, he and Mina following Jay across the starport to one of the many exists to the city beyond.

* * *

"See what I mean?" Janos asked Jay as the two of them relaxed with Mina in one of Toydaria's better-established restaurants. The Wolf's eyes roamed over the dancers up front without any reservation as the food was brought out to them; steaming, spicy, and heavy on the local meats. "For the rep it gets, this planet has some very, very nice benefits if you don't stick to the slums."

He reached out, snagging a piece of dark leg-meat from the central tray, and started to eat.

"Not bad prices either," Jay admitted and claimed his own share and ate with a bit more refined manners that such places brought out in him without thinking about it. Just a bit more than required for the establishment, to be fair, but not enough to make them noticeable. For all he wasn't interested the way Janos was, he appreciated the attractive dancers and the lack of Bith music. It was good entertainment for not being a major theater.

"Nope," Janos agreed, glancing at Mina as she ate her own meal, a little less spicy than the one the others were having and noticeably light on the alcohol thanks to Jay's insistence.

"I can live with it," she agreed with a smile. "Things are going to be fine here, until we figure out where to go next."

"Ambrintha," Jay supplied easily. "At least before you're four months along."

"The world with your friend?" She asked him. "CS?"

"Yes," he nodded and sipped a lightly fermented juice. "At least while you and the kits should be under a good specialist's care, there isn't a better choice. It's also an excellent world to pick up the kind of hired help we'll need for the first couple years. Clawson kits are a handful." He smiled almost indulgently with a distinct hint of nostalgia.

"Gonna be funny, heading there without having to sneak in past the port authorities," Janos chuckled. "It's been a while since I've seen a Corporate world when I was supposed to be there."

"Are you sure it's a good idea to go back into Republic territory?" Mina asked Jay. "They might not officially be part of the Republic, but they don't complain about Jedi presence the way the worlds around here do."

"Ambrintha isn't exactly a normal CS world," he chuckled softly. "It's where all the corporate big-wigs live. Jedi don't go there, unless they're soon to no longer be Jedi."

"Or looking to get involved in politics and shut down the people who shouldn't be in charge," Janos nodded. "The sort of people who usually signed my checks," he chuckled.

"We'll just have to work on getting you better taste in employers," Jay snickered.

"Hey, at least I haven't worked for Hutts in a while," Janos pointed out, his mood shifting quickly. "I'm a mercenary; taste in employers doesn't have anything to do with how many zeroes they offer you."

He knew even before he'd finished that he'd completely lost Jay, Mina understood him perfectly and she found it far too amusing.

"It does have something to do with how likely you are to survive them." Jay said quietly, his manner quickly subdued. Not quite submissive, but definitely not aggressive or amused. "Like it or not, your hide's not the only one on the line anymore."

"Yeah, I know," Janos agreed, winding down a bit. "But it's not like I've been taking incredible chances all that often. I _can_ take care of myself, Jay. And the people around me, when I have to."

Both Sith caught the not-so-sure look in Jay's eyes, but the tom nodded. "Besides, you don't need to do merc work anymore."

"Don't need to," Janos agreed. "Might still take a job or two for the hell of it, but the money isn't going to push it."

It wasn't hard to miss that Jay didn't like it, but at the same time it seemed to be a middle ground he'd accept without arguing when it came up for real.

Then Jay cocked his head slightly. "What kind of merc work did you do, anyway?"

"Guard work, smash and grab, wetwork ... just about anything, especially if it took muscle and not too much thought," he said easily. "The violent stuff is something I've always had a gift for."

"We would have never guessed," Mina quipped from his other side.

"As if you're all calmness." Jay shot back across the Wolf.

"As if _any_ of us are," Mina purred, sensing he was close to another violent outburst. "After all, I'm not the one who slaughtered an entire band of Sand People."

"Because you couldn't stay where you belonged." He growled, his ears flat and oblivious to the uneasy glances a few patrons were sending their way.

"Which wouldn't have been an issue if you'd been there," she shot back, not nearly as angry. 

Janos bristled a bit, sensing that he might have to break the two of them up soon.

"* _I_ was doing my job." Jay growled low in his throat. "All _you_ had to do was stay put. You're too stupid to even follow common sense in your own survival."

"Oh, so wanting to do something other than sit in a _cave_ for six months is stupid?" She asked him. "I was out for less than a minute when they got me, and they wouldn't have if I hadn't been set up."

Janos snapped his head to face Jay as he actually _heard_ something inside the tom snap and was just in time to see him leave his seat for a lunge faster than the Wolf thought was physically possible, even for a Jedi. He was already moving when Jay's greater mass slammed Mina out of her seat and to the ground with his claws and jaws already digging into her flesh.

"* _You won't_ just _kill_ her _, Jay,_ *" Janos told him mentally, pulling him back as he realized that he really was trying to kill Mina.

And that only the barest restraint kept her from responding just as violently as Jay twisted in the Wolf's grasp, trying to get loose and back into the fray.

Janos shifted his grip to the other hand to hold Jay up by the scruff, counting on the predatory reflex to go fairly still to keep him under control while he glared Mina down.

"* _You,_ *" he growled at Mina, "* _know better than to bait him like that._ *"

"* _He's the one who made it personal,_ *" she pointed out simply, dusting herself off as she got back up.

Janos just shook his head and made a mental note not to stop Jay the next time she asked for it. It'd be easier just to buy some shecat to have his kits and deal with his breakdown from killing this litter than put up with Mina any more.

Hell, it wasn't a half-bad idea first opening he got anyway.

"Put me down." Jay glared at the big Wolf. His tail was lashing, but he wasn't out to kill anymore. Janos put him down, still grumbling mentally about Mina.

"We should probably call it a night," he said, looking around at the surrounding crowd, mostly Toydarians but with the occasional Wolf or other off-worlder. One in particular seemed to be paying close attention, but she looked away quickly when he met her eyes.

Just a beta, watching the proceedings like all betas did.

"Yeah, before she decides to try talking again." Jay growled with another glare at her.

"* _Don't even_ think _about it._ *" Janos hit her hard mentally with more will than she expected. Her half-formed quip died in her throat as he led them out after dropping enough coins on the table to cover the bill.

* * *

Jay slowly opened his eyes and opened the door to the meditation chamber with a thought to admit Mina several hours later.

"Jay?" Mina looked in, her tone and expression softer than he was used to from the tabby. "Up for talking a bit?"

"Yes," he looked at her, still wary and a little on edge.

"I wanted to apologize," she said softly, stepping into the room and letting it close behind her.

"All right," he was still wary, for all it was easy to spot that the words surprised him, and he was a little more focused on her now.

"What happened in the restaurant ... I shouldn't have pushed you like that," she admitted. "Shouldn't have done a lot of things, but that's the most recent one. I should've just let it rest, but ... it's not so easy to do that, these days."

"I'm noticing," he nodded slightly, his eyes drifting to her belly even though he was speaking of his own temper. "I never thought I could attack the mother of my kits."

"You stopped," she pointed out. "And I've deserved it, lately ... ever since Tembris pushed me into this ...." she let her voice drift off at his growl, though the anger was directly safely away from her. "We can't change what happened, but we can try to make things better. Try to be the mates our bond expects and our kits deserve."

She could feel be was still cautious of her and her intentions; he didn't trust her or like her, and it was a reaction she deserved and would have to work on, but he was also buying her words. He _wanted_ to believe her.

"What do you suggest?" He finally asked.

"One day at a time?" She offered. "Maybe start with spending a night together, maybe just the two of us?" She reached out, caressing his unscarred cheek lightly and smiled when he leaned into it slightly. "A gentle night, help you get past what happened on Naboo?"

"I don't think Janos will mind a night out," he smiled slightly and nuzzled her hand. Part of him was still uneasy, but this _was_ want he wanted.

"I don't think he will either," Mina smiled, drawing him close for a gentle kiss.

It was what she wanted too ... and needed. To undo the damage between the two of them, while she still had some sort of hold.

"Maybe we should find a more comfortable room?" She suggested.

"Yes," he murmured and stood to draw her close for another kiss and a gentle exploration of her sides before he let her go to choose the room.

She went to her room, a little farther from the meditation room than his own was, and opened the door before turning back to look at him with a sort of uncertain invitation and found him just as uncertain. It was a familiar situation they both remembered from their youth. That first date that made it to the bedroom.

Decades after it for both of them, but they were each just as nervous.

Or at least seemed to be just as nervous.

"Come on," she smiled softly and extended a hand in invitation as she stepped back into the sparsely decorated room. "I trust you."

That seemed to do it. He took her hand and followed her inside before drawing her gently against his body as she realized part of what had him uncertain; they'd never actually had a gentle night together and he hadn't had a gentle night since he'd lost his Jedi mates.

She reached up to kiss him tenderly, closing her eyes and reaching out across their bond carefully to touch his mind with gentle affection, running her hands along his body. It was exciting, in it's way, to have him so completely fooled that he accepted her this way. It was exactly what she wanted out of tonight.

He kissed her back, catching himself a couple times from giving into the aggression that he'd become accustomed to with sex, before he slowly moved down along the side of her neck while he slowly began to open her simple tunic.

She purred softly, arching her neck for him as she worked to undo his own outfit, her hands slipping up under his clothes to run her fingers through his fur. He was warm and under his fur was hard muscle that gave a little as he relaxed.

She moaned softly as her shirt fell open and drifted to the floor, exposing all six full, slightly tender breasts to his hands and mouth.

"Bed?" She asked him, nibbling the edge of his whole of his ear lightly and helped the rest of their clothes slide to the floor with her hands and a bit of telekinesis.

He nodded and turned to step back towards the bed not quite big enough to two to draw her down on top of him gently for another kiss while his hands explored her back and a light telekinetic touch teased her sex.

She returned the touches, both with her hands and the Force, teasing his sheath and balls, pressing up against his ass as she licked at his furless nipples lightly and enjoyed the way he fell into her desires, and the difficulty he was having holding back the more violent impulses. He may not be able to accept the pleasure of torture or killing yet, but he was turning very well for how long she'd had him and he'd enjoyed it while he was doing it.

Just that was worth this, and it wasn't as if he was a poor lover either way. She could already taste how successful this approach was with him. It was dangerous to a point; it was the submissive that he had a taste for violence against, but it was also that submissive behavior on her part that held his protective nature locked on her and that was a very valuable thing.

She'd just have to find a way to make sure the violence was trained on a _different_ submissive, one she could afford to have badly injured or killed. It may be good to work on him about getting a slave or three. Not only could she have female attention when she wanted it, but it would give them all convenient subjects for their kinks.

She nuzzled his chest lightly, reaching down to fondle his balls and coax his shaft to hardness. It wasn't a difficult task, or an unpleasant one. For all she could feel how he had to work on remembering what to do to be a gentle lover, he managed it. His hands didn't squeeze her tender breasts too much, and his touch elsewhere was just for her pleasure.

She kissed him gently, purring as she nuzzled his cheek.

"Ready?" She asked him, rubbing her pussy-lips against his shaft as he stroked her back and sides.

"Yes," he murmured into her mouth, a deep rumble in his chest for memories of intense pleasure from such beginnings.

Mina shifted, taking him into her body with a deep rumble and moan of pleasure.

"Oh yes," she groaned, tightening her body around his shaft. At least she didn't have to fake enjoying his attentions. It made it so much easier to keep a close mental eye on how he was reacting.

For now at least, he was enjoying the simple pleasure of being inside a willing female as he thrust up, his hands on her hips but not really controlling her.

She purred and rumbled deep in her chest, kissing him and milking his length with her pussy.

"So good," she murmured softly, echoing what she could feel from him as much as her own body as he pulled her against his chest with one arm across her back and the other hand on her ass to help the timing of their motions. She moaned and whimpered slightly as the pleasure of her actions built in him to the point that every thrust and squeeze was that much closer to an orgasm he was very eager for.

Mina rowled lustily, her body spasming around his as her eyes squeezed shut in pleasure. Her insides clenched down around his cock, working his barbs hard even after he roared and thrust up hard to flood her body with his seed.

She felt it pool in her body, her own juices oozing out, trickling down Jay's shaft as she continued to move up and down along it.

"Mmm ... want to try something a bit easier on the back?" She asked him, smiling as their orgasms passed.

"Anything you want," he murmured with a slightly loopy smile as she pulled of his cock with a low groan and shiver of pleasure.

"You get to be on top this time then," she smiled, laying against him and kissing him as she rolled the both of them to their sides, raising her top leg invitingly.

It took him a second to realize what she wanted, but once he did he continued to his knees, one of each side of her lower leg, and leaned forward to kiss her as he pressed into her slick body again.

"Oh yeah," she moaned, taking him deeply into her body, his hips pressing up against her pussy as he began to fuck her eagerly. "So good, Jay," she purred, hooking her upper leg around his back and rubbing him with her calf.

"Yes," he lowered his head and hissed after a subtle shift that rubbed him up against a bit of rough skin inside her body that sent shock waves through her. He set his arms to either side of her, bracing himself over her as the pace picked up.

"Fuck yes," she moaned, chewing her lower lip and squeezing his cock tightly with her body as he continued to rub that electric spot. "Take me, Jay."

It was a contest from there between his desire to remain in the position that brought them both such pleasure and the instincts that wanted to be against her back with his jaws around her scruff. The desire to remain as they were won out as the pleasure built for them until Jay threw his head back with a roar and poured his come into her again.

"Nnngh ... fuck," Mina moaned, coming around him again, reaching up and turning to kiss him hungrily as each of their pleasure echoed and reinforced the other's for a high that left them weak and twitching every time either moved.

"Nice start," Jay murmured and began to thrust again even as he caught his breath and shifted to lift one hand to gently knead her breasts.

"Much better than fighting," she agreed, purring deeply and pressing into his hand.

"Yes," he shifted forward enough to claim a kiss. "Much better."

* * *

* * *

* * *

"Set course for Toydaria." Tes ordered as she walked into the cockpit where her mate was at the controls. "Our targets have been spotted, and Jay's loosing control fast."

"What happened?" Doruth asked, sending the course change command sequence to the Kalrass.

"He attacked his pregnant mate." She shook her head, still refusing to use their names. "The Wolf broke it up."

"Shit," the Panther swore quietly. "He really is starting to snap. Y'know though ...." He trailed off, clearly not sure he should say what he was thinking, for all he was sure Tes knew what it was.

"Yeah, I know, but the fallout if he did ... " She shuddered. "We want him alive."

"Yeah," Doruth nodded. "Just thinking too much. So, one of your cousins spotted 'em?"

"Yes, and got away without getting caught." She nodded seriously. "I'll go tell his mates we had a sighting."

"Just make sure they know how far he's going," Doruth warned her. "They'll need to be ready for it ... sounds like he's not going to give up when he realizes they're both alive."

"I will," she nodded grimily and turned to leave. "It's not going to be easy on either of them."

She walked back to the Gurath's larger workout room, where Fenrik and Shivasta would be practicing for the morning. She knocked just in time to hear their lightsabers extinguish, the door opening a few moments later to reveal Shivasta.

She didn't look it, but Tes could tell that she was just as tired and frustrated as Fenrik was.

"We got a lead on Jay's location." Tes motioned her back into the room with Fenrik.

"How good a lead?" She asked, walking in to join the Panther, both their interests piqued. "Any word on how he's holding up?"

"He was on Toydaria, in Hutt space, as of five hours ago when my cousin saw him and the other two." Tes paused, sighing internally at what she had to do. "He attacked his kit's mother at a restaurant, tried to kill her until the Wolf separated them. They walked out on their own, but it was close."

"He's breaking down," Shi murmured. "Though not the way I would've expected him to. How long until we're there?"

"A day. Actually landing on Toydaria could take a good deal longer." She said simply. "They have incredibly tight traffic controls. Ones that Jay can manipulate easily if he thinks of it."

"Think we'll be able to just wait for him to leave?" Fenrik asked. "If we're waiting for them in space when they head out, it'd be easier than taking the chance he'll just tell the system to keep us off-planet."

"We can," she nodded. "It has the risk of missing him higher, but much less trouble either way."

"Maybe one of us waits while the others go looking," he murmured. "Thinking about this too hard for now, we have to get there in the first place before this does any good."

"We will," Shivasta said. "We might not catch him this time, but we're getting close again. And if he doesn't end up killing anybody again, we might be able to get close enough to do some good."

"Sooner or later, we will." He nodded grimly. "Doruth has already set course?"

"Yes," Tes nodded. "You might as well go clean up. There won't be much to do until tomorrow."

The two nodded, heading off for the showers, doing their best to conceal their frustration with that simple fact.

Tes had to hope they found Jay soon ... for all three of them.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Mina whimpered as consciousness hit her. Her body arched forward to drive the rough cock deeper inside her as a tom took her, spooned up behind her with her leg lifted over his and a hand gently kneading her swollen breasts and a soft mouth around her shoulder.

"Nnngh ... J-Jay?" She asked, still not completely aware, her body burning for the orgasm she was right on the edge of as he took advantage of what he'd learned the previous night.

"* _Yes,_ *" he purred deeply.

"Ah!" She cried out, her body spasming around his shaft as he rubbed her g-spot one last time, milking his barbs hard and fast. "Fuck!"

"* _Morning,_ *" he rumbled with a moaning shutter muffled in her fur and gave into the pleasure of her body, his seed hot as it poured into her.

Mina took a moment to catch her breath, still working his shaft as she woke up the rest of the way and recovered.

"One _hell_ of a way to say good morning," she purred, reaching back to rub his side. "Mmm ...." she moaned softly as he began to thrust again, the power of his body held tightly in check so not to hurt her.

"I always thought so," he chuckled against her shoulder and nuzzled it while his hands explored down her front to rest on the swell of her belly, cupping their kits as he made love to her and supported her body a bit with the Force.

"Oooh ... this is good," she murmured, putting her hands over his and rubbing her swollen belly lightly with them.

"Yesss ...." Jay drew a sharp breath and shifted his hips to press deeper into her, his teeth a presence on her shoulder that was erotic rather than controlling.

She kept a close watch on his mind, wary of the chance that he might start to go too far again, but otherwise working on enjoying the morning lovemaking. That he took the initiative and was this mindful of her and the kits was an excellent sign that she'd at least temporarily repaired the worst of the damage that had been done.

* * *

Janos rumbled to himself as he wandered through one of the reasonably well-hidden slave markets of Toydaria.

To be fair, the one he was visiting was less a slave market and more a brothel where you could take the employees home with you for a sufficient fee. But that was what he was looking for today; Jay and Mina were 'making up,' and he was feeling ill listening.

The two of them sleeping together was one thing, but he knew Mina had fed the tom a line of bullshit that Tembris would have balked at to get that far.

So he had decided to distract himself, taking a look around Adulla's "establishment" deep in the city they'd landed at. Members of all manner of different species were available, depending on your tastes. He hadn't even taken advantage of the offered 'samples' yet; he was simply enjoying walking through a place where he was unquestioned as an Alpha for once.

It went a long way to let him forget what was going on back at the ship, and if he saw something appealing enough, he might even bring Jay here later. Force knew the Kat needed a nice subby bedmate to work frustrations out on, and so did he.

He rumbled privately to himself as he saw a white-furred shewolf, clearly well-broken in. If she _had_ been an alpha before, or even a beta, she wasn't now.

Maybe he _would_ bring Jay down later. It wasn't like the slaves were kept in poor conditions here, after all. If you didn't know beforehand somehow, you probably wouldn't guess it. As odd as Jay's mindset and morals were at the moment, it was a good place to introduce him to the idea as an acceptable thing.

Except for the Twi'leks serving Adulla and her 'friends' in the back, but that was a standard condition he _really_ didn't care to think about and wasn't about to get close to if he had a choice.

He glanced to the side at the shewolf's owner, a bright-blue, muscular T'surr, his black shoulder markings and imperious demeanor marking him as an experienced slaver.

Definitely somebody to steer clear of unless money was changing hands; he was a solid foot taller than Janos, with the mass to match, and probably _almost_ as bad a temper.

The only advantage he didn't have was the blood-red Artisan lightsaber and the training to use it. Janos didn't need strength when he had that and his opponent didn't.

Even so, he'd prefer if it wasn't an issue. Killing a slaver in the middle of the slave market _really_ wasn't the greatest thing to do, typically.

Unfortunately, in the course of trying to avoid trouble, Janos couldn't help but make the one mistake that guaranteed it.

Looking like he was afraid of the larger T'surr male.

He heard the words in the harsh, awkward language of the slaver, and felt a massive, leathery hand close around his shoulder. One of the slaver's 'assistants.'

"Wonder how much Adulla would pay for you," the assistant said in gravelly Huttese.

"Not enough to be worth your boss' life," Janos growled, brushing the hand away. With a little luck, that would be enough of a display to convince them he wasn't worth it.

More likely, this would get messy.

He felt the hand grab his arm, this time a decidedly controlling contact and reacted without thinking. The T'surr was sent flying as he grabbed the offending limb and put his own mass and considerable Force-enhanced strength behind the motion that ended in the bright-blue behemoth in a dent in the wall it slowly slid down while Janos twisted on his heel to face whatever was coming next.

His lightsaber remained hidden, but ready for a moment's need.

Two more of the vaguely crab-like creatures came after him as he backed into an area where he had some space to move without damaging any of the local merchandise. He gripped one of the tiny claw-arms of the first one to reach him, giving it a twisting spin that ended in a pained howl as the mostly-atrophied appendage came off in his hands, blue-green ichor seeping from the wound.

The second one hesitated; looking at him dubiously while the first of the three that had come after him so far picked itself up. The slaver said something in T'surrian, and the others nodded, moving after him again.

And he'd thought some Wolf-packs were single-minded about orders.

Still, there had to be a reasonable solution ... and it might work to his advantage. Without enough of a pause for anyone to notice, Janos reached out with his mind and ripped the relevant information out of the closest T'surrian.

As the wounded humanoid screamed in mental pain, he sorted through what he found.

Figured. The slaver didn't care what happened to his assistants; if they couldn't handle him, they didn't deserve to live. And if Janos couldn't defend himself, he didn't deserve to be free.

Damned T'surr ... thought they owned the galaxy, literally. Fuck reasoning with him; violence would be _much_ more satisfying.

With a growl, his blood red lightsaber came out, bisecting one of the guards as some of the slaves screamed and struggled to get away from him, their chains the only things keeping them in place. The area opened up, the booths moving and shifting to give them space at the command of the Hutts watching the fight with interest.

Janos let a feral grin show as he focused on being as perfectly destructive as he could manage without pissing off the Hutts. He could come out of today a very rich Wolf. There was just an arrogant T'surr that he would be delighted to take down even without the extra incentive.

The hulking being grabbed a force pike that was usually used to keep the more recalcitrant slaves in line as Janos severed the arm of the other guard that hadn't fallen back. The Wolf made his way towards the leader of the group, snarling as a loud snapping sound proved that the T'surr wasn't inept with his weapon of choice.

Even so, despite the burning pain and shock that made Janos' heart skip a beat, he kept going, hacking the pike out half-way down the haft, taking one of the T'surr's hands with it.

The Wolf grinned at the sound of the larger creature's pain, savored the scent of alien fear as he used the Force to knock it flat on its ass.

"Next life, learn when to take a hint," he growled, sinking his blood-red lightsaber blade through the creature's heart. It spasmed for a moment, twitching as its body started to shut down, and then died.

Janos breathed deeply of his kill's death-energy and final moment before turning his attention to what was now his, by T'surr and Hutt law alike.

This was going to be interesting.

He extinguished his 'saber, noticing that the final uninjured T'surr had fled by now, and that the wounded one was silent, hoping to escape notice.

He noticed Jay's not-quite verbal presence in his mind, 'asking' if he wanted him there.

"Well done! Quite a show," Adulla said approvingly from her massive seat, the booths returning to their normal places. The brown, slimy slug's expression was clearly pleased. "Who is it that comes down here and deals with the one who's been selling my customers for me?"

Janos was glad he spoke Huttese; it would make it harder to get scammed here.

"Janos." He answered her. "* _Might as well come, but no hurry._ *"

"You're quite the warrior," the Hutt observed. "Perhaps I could interest you in a job to make up for the hassle?"

It was tempting, on a level, but even without the issues Jay brought up in his life, he wasn't so keen on the idea of working for a Hutt again.

"A generous offer, I am sure, but I have other obligations." He smiled at her slightly. "I am sure we can make a good deal on my new slaves, however. These are more than I wish to travel with."

He didn't need to try and read Adulla's mind to catch her disappointment, he knew the reaction well from other dealings with her species. He chuckled mentally; she'd been hoping he wouldn't realize he was now the proud owner of a decent shipment of slaves.

"Their former owner owed me money," she pointed out. "I will collect on that before dealing for the remainder."

"We can take that into account in the negotiations," Janos accepted. It was easier to give up the money than deal with the courts, even though the claim was iffy at best. It wasn't like he was desperate or anything.

"Very well," the Hutt conceded. As well as the price was reasonable, the slaves would make up for any losses. "Which of them are you planning on keeping?" She asked him.

"The white shewolf, and whatever my shipmates consider worth keeping." He said easily, pleased that they were only a few blocks away now. "Which will likely leave seven out of this group for sale, and all but one or two of what's on his ship."

"About his ship ... you already have one, you've said, yes?" Adulla said, sending a message to the port to do whatever was necessary, short of damaging it, to keep that ship landed. The slaver vessel would be an excellent addition to her fleet if he was interested in a low price.

"Yes," he nodded. "It would be up for sale as well, once we have inspected it to set a reasonable price."

"Excellent," Adulla nodded. "Will you want to be paid in credits, or Hutt coin?"

"Hutt," he said easily as he felt Jay start to look for him from the building entrance and gave the tom a mental nudge in the right direction.

"Very well," Adulla agreed. Janos could feel that there were guards around, working for the Hutt, as Jay and Mina approached.

On the other hand, he couldn't blame her for taking the precaution. He _had_ just demonstrated a willingness to kill in her place of business.

As long as she didn't try to intimidate him out of what he had coming to him, it would be fine.

"I hope your friends are here soon," she observed. "It would be good to start bargaining, but I would rather not make such an agreement without knowing what the merchandise is."

"They are," he nodded and turned his attention to his ships mates slightly. "* _Got into a fight, these ten,_ *" he motioned to the pleasure slaves in the booth before him, "* _and what's on his ship, and the ship, are mine now. Pick one you like, I figured on selling the rest to her._ *"

"Right," Jay nodded, his attention already drawn to a small, sleek black Minervan Mink that was actually making an effort to look attractive and attentive to him.

Janos could tell that the Minervan Mink had reasonably good taste; it wasn't too hard for him to figure out that she'd already decided he was the best bet for a reasonably comfortable life. She was probably right, for that matter.

He could also tell that opening the offer up to Mina might not have been the best of ideas. As she looked one of the Twi'lek slave-girls up and down appraisingly, he could tell that she had something in the back of her mind, just not what.

Something that no doubt would cause him grief.

"This one," Jay stepped up to the Minervan Mink and lifted her chin with his claw-tips so she looked up at him.

"And I'll take her," Mina purred, indicating a nervous-looking blue-skinned Twi'lek. Janos groaned mentally as he noticed the vague similarity between Mina's new pet and Jay's old mate; if she was planning something using that, this was going to be awkward.

"Those two and the white she-wolf then," he said, looking at Adulla. "The rest here are available, if you're willing to pay a suitable price."

"Hmm ...." Adulla's tail twitched; they'd chosen the three most valuable ones, of course. No matter, the rest were still worth quite a bit. Well-trained and already broken in ... they would make up the difference.

"One-hundred peggats," she offered.

"* _They're worth that_ each _on the open market._ *" Jay flicked his damaged ear back, though he didn't growl, much to Janos' relief. "* _Even wholesale these seven are worth at least three fifty, more like four; that's after her fees._ *"

Janos' eyes flicked to the male Twi'lek standing next to Adulla, his green skin glistening with nervous sweat. His muzzle quirked into a smirk as he noticed the aide's datapad.

It never paid to have your accountant around when Jay was there.

"* _Thanks for the heads-up, though I'll be shooting for a_ little _under norm,_ *" he told Jay silently. "* _Think you can shut down her second-string negotiators up there?_ *"

"* _Easily._ *" He kept his grin to himself and reached out to the guard's weapons with a 'request' to not work for a while.

"Maybe for two of them, but not for all seven," he said, his Huttese near-perfect. "Four hundred," he added, going above his target. If Adulla went for it, he'd be shocked, and _very_ satisfied.

"Two hundred.*" She counter-offered as the pair fell into the negotiating banter they were both quite familiar with.

When it was all said and done, Janos pocketed three hundred and twenty five peggats and the Hutt claimed ownership of seven slaves worth at least twice that to her.

"I'll be in touch after I've looked over my new ship and whatever cargo's on it," he said easily. "Though you might have some competition for that, I imagine the crew might want it for themselves. Nice doing business with you, Adulla."

"A pleasure," the Hutt said politely, though both of them knew it was nothing more than being polite. "I'll make a starting offer of five-hundred thousand peggats for the ship and contents, so you know where I stand to start."

"Come on," Janos said, turning with Mina and Jay to retrieve their chosen slaves, the shewolf, Minervan Mink and Twi'lek already gathered together by a Rat working for Adulla. "Let's get trackers installed and then go take care of the rest of our new property."

Jay nodded after he flicked his mental gaze to check that the security tags that killed if too far from the transmitter were off and found them suitably deactivated.

"* _You really enjoy being the Alpha,_ *" Jay purred privately to Janos.

"* _I usually am,_ *" Janos pointed out with a chuckle, reaching down to rub his pet's head lightly before she stood to follow. "So, you three have names?" He asked them.

"Misha, Master." The Minervan Mink answered him with more spirit than the others showed before nuzzling up to Jay and earning a low purr for the honestly interested attention.

"Y'alla, Master," the Twi'lek said, pressing into the touch Mina gave her reflexively before falling into step with the rest of them.

"Vondra," the shewolf said, keeping her eyes low as she followed closely behind Janos, occasionally glancing around at others walking by and taking long, lusty looks at her nude frame. She tucked her tail up between her legs reflexively, a gesture not lost on her owner.

He'd have to work on that later. She was broken, but a closer look marked her as younger than he'd originally thought, and no doubt quite new to her pleasure slave status and condition, unlike the other two who were sold clothed. Even Misha's concealing-nothing outfit was still clothing.

"After we check out the ship, I think we could do with a little private celebration," Janos rumbled to Jay. "Let the trio get used to the ship while we get dinner?"

"Sounds good," he purred deeply.

"Mmm ... I'll take them back to the ship to settle them in after we're out of the shop," Mina purred as they stopped by the literal hole-in-the-wall shop of a Toydarian technician who could replace the tags their slaves currently had with tracking devices. "You two have fun tonight, hmm? I know I will," she said with a wink for Y'alla.

"Are you going to check out the new ship with us?" Jay asked.

"No need," she smiled. "You two know what you're looking at better than I do, and if there's any trouble, it would be better to keep certain people out of it," she explained, brushing a hand along her belly for emphasis.

It was a move that was definitely not lost on Jay, who nodded agreement as they left the shop, their new pets in tow.

* * *

Janos whistled long and low as they made their way through the massive slave-cruiser the T'surr used. The ship was large enough to handle dozens of passengers, and that was before they'd converted cargo space to hold slaves. The occasional stray blaster bolt explained the surprisingly docile T'surr crew.

Janos smirked to himself as he and Jay explored; he'd been right about what would happen if he told Adulla she might have competition. The Hutt had made sure that anybody who wasn't going to roll over and toe the line wouldn't be an issue anymore. Hutts were _so_ easy to play if you knew what you were doing.

"So, what do you think?" He asked Jay as they worked through the slave quarters, the occupants in reasonable conditions compared to some he'd seen before.

"The ship's in good shape, good quality, and heavily armed." He said easily as he began to focus on the variety of non-pleasure slaves on board. "Worth probably half again her offer, maybe more, before you get to the cargo."

"Anything we want to pull off for the Sharufa?" Janos asked him. "Don't think we want to try and crew her ourselves, though I suppose we could see if any of the goods are trained to handle her. I wouldn't fly with a T'surr crew if my life depended on it."

"I can build better if we ever need anything this big," Jay shook his head. "It's a good ship, but not worth keeping." He paused as the rounded belly of a shecat caught his eye, and its contents intrigued his mind. "There might be a few slaves worth keeping though." He added as he approached the force-field protected cell containing the chocolate on gold tabby.

"We don't have too much crew space, Jay, keep that in mind," Janos pointed out, even as his mind went to one person in particular they might be able to clear out of her quarters if they kept this one. He checked the datapad he'd been given when he reached the ship, scanning the code on her cell door.

"She's not that small," Jay chuckled. "Especially with the pets sharing a room, there are still two empty ones."

"Name's Tami ... labor slave, bred to another one by the old captain. Seems he stumbled on the idea of trying to 'farm' some of the slaves. Guessing he didn't get too far with his idea before somebody else changed the crew's roster, since she's the only pregnant one on the manifest."

"* _Her I don't care about,_ *" he dropped the force-field and stepped close to her. His hand ghosted over her large belly, a clear sign she was much further along than Mina. Two single set of tits at this stage also marked her as a distinctly different species of Cat. "* _Her kits are worth keeping, though. Two, both Sensitive, strong enough to train._ *"

"* _Gonna be starting our own tradition soon enough, at this rate,_ *" Janos chuckled mentally. "You speak?" He asked the shecat.

"* _We could do a lot worse for the universe._ *" Jay smirked. "* _Both sides need to have a reality check or six._ *"

"Yes, Master." She responded. While already well-broken in, she didn't quite control a nervous look at Jay's hand as he examined her unborn young.

"First litter?" Jay looked up, focusing on her.

"No, Master." She glanced down after looking up at him. It wasn't hard to guess she expected he was thinking to breed her himself.

"Good," he nodded, his mind getting the rest of the information he'd wanted; she knew how to raise babies.

"How many kits have you handled at a time before?" Janos asked her. Five could be a bit of a stretch, if they managed to ditch Mina like he wanted to.

He'd just have to work on convincing Jay ... or at least keeping things no more cozy between the two than it already was. At least it was something Jay didn't seem inclined for, the slave's fears or not. The tom was thinking somewhere between wet-nurse and selling her when her kits where weaned.

"Nine, Master." She said submissively.

"* _Wet-nurse for a Lion that bred all his females._ *" Jay added silently from the images he caught from her. "* _She'll do nicely taking care of all the kits._ *"

"Good," Janos nodded. "We have three kittens on the way in a few months; we'll want some help for their mother. I assume you won't have any problems sharing quarters with the other three slaves we have?"

"No, Master." She said easily and honestly, for all it didn't matter if she really had objected.

"Good," Jay nodded and stepped behind her to place a hand on her neck and focused on altering its programming and behavior into a tracker. It left him with the option to turn it back into a bomb if she decided to run with the kits.

"We should probably call up that Toydarian from Adulla's place to replace her kill-switch," Janos said, oblivious to what Jay had just done. "Don't know what sort of range the T'surr have set."

"As long as we're on the ship we're fine," Tami offered helpfully, having seen the results of people leaving a little too often.

"I've taken care of it," Jay told them both easily. "It's a tracker now, like the others, but I can turn it back to a kill-switch if need be."

"You won't need to, Master," Tami said quickly, as Janos looked at him for a moment, and then shook his head.

"One of these days you're going to have to show me how you do that sort of thing."

"Just remind me when we actually have time." Jay quirked a grin at him. "Come." He told Tami and left her cell. "Let's make sure there's nothing else worth the room and board before we sell the ship." He added to Janos.

"Sounds good to me," Janos nodded as Tami followed them out.

* * *

Vondra sighed gratefully as she sat down on her bunk in the room she would share with the other two pleasure slaves and Tami. The pregnant shecat had arrived just a few minutes ago, before the old kat who'd come down to pick Misha out had rearranged the room.

The white-furred shewolf had no _clue_ how he'd done it, but by the time he was done there was a bunk on each wall with a couple dressers and closets.

She'd been most grateful to find that there weren't fixtures for chains on the bunks, and that there were some clothes in the closet she'd checked. With his permission, she'd borrowed a light blue nightgown, finally able to put something on for the first time in months.

"This is _so_ much better than the cells," she murmured, leaning back against the wall and glanced over at Tami and Misha, the two females as different from each other as night and day.

"And our owners much cuter." Misha grinned at her. "Much nicer in manner too."

"A lot more powerful too." Tami added quietly, grateful to be able to lie down and rest her back.

"*Anybody would be nicer than the T'surr," Vondra shuddered and sat on her bunk, pulling her legs up to her chest. "Even Adulla would've been nicer than them."

"They come a lot worse than the T'surr," Tami said quietly. "Hutts usually are."

"Yeah, the last thing you want to be is a Hutt's pleasure slave." Misha added with a nod. "These Masters may play a bit rough, especially her, but nothing like what we could have ended up with. I think your Wolf actually likes you."

"I hope so," Vondra nodded slightly. "Less likely to be so rough with me if he does, I'd hope. Don't know how you've handled it, Misha," she admitted, despite having a reasonably good idea it had something to do with the Minervan Mink being even more of a nymphomaniac than most of her species.

"I was born to a harem slave on Midriac and raised to be the same." She shrugged. "This is what I know. It can be a pretty good life with a nice Master and a taste for pleasure." She added more gently. "You haven't seen the norm for a pleasure slave yet. The T'surr weren't using you as a pleasure slave; they were breaking you for the job. Real life is usually pretty different than that."

"Real life ...." Vondra laughed, the sound disturbingly on-edge for a moment before she got it under control. "Real life was Corellia and at least having my own life ... it's just been a nightmare since then. At least it's starting to look better now."

"Have you even had anyone be nice to you in bed?" Misha glanced at the white shewolf, realizing just how young and abruptly she'd been dragged into this life the Minervan Mink considered so normal. It was probably as distressing as to her as if Misha had found herself stranded on a world without a Master.

"No," Vondra admitted, ducking her head with a blush that showed faintly through her white fur. "My family was pretty strict about that sort of thing, and after that 'nice' wasn't really on the menu."

"It can be," Misha gave an open offer. "I don't know about your Wolf, but gentle I'm good at."

"Are you sure?" Vondra asked her, looking up, then over at Tami, not sure if she'd mind.

"I can sleep through anything," the older shecat chuckled. "Don't worry about it."

"It's up to you," Misha reiterated. "It's not an order between slaves."

"I'd like that," Vondra nodded after a moment. "Though ... I don't have any real idea what to do," she admitted.

"That's okay," Misha smiled softly and moved to sit down on Vondra's bed to brush a gentle hand down the shewolf's chest, making the soft, silky fabric rub her breasts lightly. "Just relax and let me show you what it can be about."

"All right," Vondra murmured, opening her body language up, letting her feet touch the floor again as she leaned forward, tentatively kissing the Minervan Mink and found a soft mouth in return as the sexaholic displayed more restraint than she ever expected.

Misha slowly began to kiss her way along the shewolf's slender jaw and down her throat. Her hand ghosted over white-furred breasts still covered by the silky nightgown, earning a soft rumble of pleasure from Vondra. She could tell that she was nervous; the shewolf still wasn't entirely sure what to expect.

But, as she wrapped her stronger arms around Misha's body and stood, the Minervan Mink was pretty sure she'd get into it. Her hands worked through her dark fur, coarse white mingling with silky-smooth black and brown as both their skimpy coverings were removed and Misha took the opening to kiss, then lick, at the pale pink nipples peeking out from the Wolf's fur.

"Ooh ...." Vondra cooed softly, reaching down to rub the erogenous zone just above the Minervan Mink's tail slightly, then shyly ran a hand up between them to feel her breasts. The Minervan Mink pressed into the touch a bit with an approving sound.

"That's good," Misha breathed and nuzzled the Wolf's breasts, working to harden her nipples and rouse her body enough to smell it.

It didn't take too long; Vondra might not have done this before, but her body certainly knew how to respond. The shewolf caught one of Misha's nipples between her fingers, fondling them lightly as her breath started to quicken and her scent picked up her arousal.

The Minervan Mink made an approving sound and began to kiss and nuzzle her way further down Vondra's body as she ghosted the fingers of one hand across the Wolf's swelling lower lips.

The rurring whimper of pleasure she earned sent a thrill of pleasure down her spine; it was a lot better than the protests and struggles she usually heard from Vondra, being kept in the same part of the ship where she was being broken in.

The young shewolf turned to kiss Misha's forehead tenderly, licking her shyly just below her hairline as her long, fluffy tail started to wag a bit.

"Ready to lay down?" Misha asked as she knelt to nuzzle just above the Wolf's slowly wetting sex.

"Think so," Vondra rurred, stroking the edges of her small, rounded ears. "Mmm ... that feels good," she murmured, sitting on the bed first, not sure if she should lie down yet or not.

"Sex is supposed to." The Minervan Mink smiled at her and shifted to gently spread Vondra's legs to expose her lower lips and clit to the Minervan Mink's tongue and light fingers.

"Ooh ... guess nobody's ever cared to point that out before," the white-furred shewolf rumbled, spreading her legs wider, blushing deeply as Misha started to lick and finger her swollen pussy-lips. "Gods, Misha ...."

The Minervan Mink smiled and pressed her tongue into the slick space to swirl around her clit while her fingers pressed a little deeper to stroke the nerve-rich flesh. Her smile spread to a grin as she heard Vondra's moan of pleasure, tasted her arousal, and felt her body spasm slightly around her fingers.

She might be new to it, but she was _fun_ to pleasure. She would be a delightful harem-mate while they were together.

Misha pressed her face a little closer, taking the Wolf's clit into her mouth to suckle and lavish it with her tongue and lips. She gently pressed two fingers into Vondra's body to finger-fuck her lightly.

"Nnngh!" The whimpering cry of pleasure was music to the Minervan Mink's ears as the white-furred shewolf started to caress her head and neck, pleasure filling her senses as clear, sweet fluid dripped down her fingers.

Such a sweet, innocent thing, to find this basic foreplay so pleasurable. It wouldn't take much longer, and nothing more advanced than she was doing now, to take her over the edge.

She flicked her tongue along her clit, burying her fingers into the shewolf's sex, and felt the tension build that told her it was about time.

Vondra tilted her head back, a long, whimpering moan escaping her muzzle as she fought not to howl, pleasure making her inside clench down around Misha's fingers hard, spasming with the first orgasm somebody else had given her that she'd _wanted_ to have.

Misha continued to work her until the sounds of pleasure had died down and Vondra's body had cooled enough to stop quivering.

"That's what it's more about." The Minervan Mink smiled up at her.

"That was incredible," Vondra murmured, pulling her up for a shy, but tender, kiss that was returned eagerly. "Mmm ... want me to try and return the favor?"

"Anytime," she grinned back and shifted to roll to her back on the bunk with her legs spread. Vondra took her place beneath them, starting to explore her lover's body slowly.

* * *

* * *

* * *

"It's a new paintjob, but that is definitely the Sharufa." Fenrik commented as they came in for a landing after an excruciatingly long wait to be cleared.

"Can you tell if they're on-board?" Shi asked, looking at the familiar lines of the ship that had been a second home for decades. "If they're not ... we might have them, this time."

"Five life signs on board, all female. Two feline, one Wolf, one Mink, one Twi'lek. I'm as sure as I can be he isn't _that_ close." Fenrik nodded, the weariness of weeks on the hunt and the pain of various attempts to contact their mate giving way to a controlled excitement at being so close.

"Let's just hope we're on time then," Shi nodded, her own excitement a little less controlled, at least to her mate's observation. "We'll have to find him yet, but that shouldn't be too hard here. Not like they wouldn't stand out."

"And if he doesn't realize we're here, sitting on the Sharufa means we will get a chance at him." He added with a worried smile. "He's sure to return eventually."

"You want me to tell the Gurath to get in the queue, that we've found him?" She asked, looking over at him as the Kalrass came in for its final landing.

"No, it's best if they remain ready to give chase in case they get on board. It's not like we can get out of here as fast as he can."

"Especially not if he plays with the control system," she agreed. "I just hope he's careful about the local air traffic when he tinkers with it, if it gets that far." The Kalrass touched down, letting the two Jedi prepare to wait for their mate. "Let's hope he didn't bribe to locals to tell him when we show up."

"If he was thinking like that, we would have never gotten clearance to land." Fenrik pointed out quietly. "Who needs to bribe locals when he can just have the system deny us landing rights completely."

"Assuming he knew which ship was coming," Shivasta pointed out. "The Jedi have a lot of ships ... it'd be easier for him to bribe somebody to tell him when Jedi show up, than to go for any of the hundreds of ships in the Order. 

"Except that he knows the four ships that were after him on Tatooine, and that it's unlikely to change without one being damaged."

"Speaking of showing up, are we going to bother with our covers this time around?"

"We probably should." He sighed and stood. "The local bureaucracy has shown up."

"Ugh," Shi sighed, standing with him, glad she was already in 'costume.' "Very well, Master," she said, falling into step behind him, adopting the demeanor of the obedient pet she was going to act as while they were here.

It was easier for her than pretending she was actually part of the local trading culture.

"It won't take long," he put a gentle hand on her shoulder before they got to the hatch. "A couple peggats and the paperwork is over."

"Good," she smiled as the hull opened, revealing the Toydarian on the other side. "It's _so_ dull having to sit while you do that sort of work."

"You make a pleasant distraction during it." The Panther chuckled and stepped up to the bulbous flying creature.

"Welcome to Toydaria; nice ship you have there," the port official observed, looking Fenrik up and down, quickly judging the Panther as being a smuggler or trader, and his companion as the pleasure-slave she was pretending to be. "Going to be here long?"

"A few days," Fenrik answered easily.

"So, what's the name of your ship? Bring anything here for trade?" He asked, glancing at Shi pointedly.

"Kendrin," he answered easily and ignored the look his 'pet' got. "And no goods this time. I'm here to see if Toydaria's a good market to add to my run."

"Oh, well, that I can answer for you easily," the flying blue sycophant said, flying back out of the way to let them down. "Toydaria's one of the best trading centers in the sector. Anything you care to trade, we trade it. Sooo ... what is it you're in the business of? Might be able to tell you who to talk to if you want to start doing business here."

"Foodstuffs, slaves, spice and weapons primarily, and whatever I get a special order for." Fenrik explained, faking the knowledge of a well-established route easily.

"Slaves and spice, eh? Hmm. Surprised I haven't heard of your ship before, we get a lot of those through here. But hey," the Toydarian chuckled, breaking the brief tension created by the thought that he might be getting suspicious. "I'm just a pad-pusher, right? Tell you what - - first person you'll want to talk to about that sort of stuff would be Adulla, the Hutt. At least if you're coming in to this starport. Coming in elsewhere ... that'll change," he shrugged. "But here? She knows everything."

"* _Including where three new arrivals are, maybe?_ *" Shi asked Fenrik mentally.

"* _They'll be coming back to their ship._ *" He reminded her. "Thank you. It's not my usual cargo, but I get enough requests to check them out when a get to a new port. It's useful to know where to go to fill an order."

"Well, I should be getting along to the next ship, let you get to work," the Toydarian said easily. "Good luck finding a market; we can always use more traders around here."

Fenrik nodded and smiled slightly as the official flew off without even asking his name or getting a bribe. "* _Back on board. For now, let's see if he comes back for the night._ *"

"Yes, Master," Shi smiled, breaking character only after the hatch was closed.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Jay purred deeply as he took in a Toydarian establishment named "Talon's". It had been Janos' choice for an evening of fun pretending Jay was his pet, unless someone else got too interested. The Wolf couldn't have been happier with the suggestion either. To have the one person he readily submitted to be his pet for the evening, in public no less, was an erotic event even before anything had happened.

While the staff was mostly Toydarian, the performers were not, and not a Twi'lek or Bith band in sight. Morphs and others that were exotic even to Jay's experience were in relative abundance, and the clientele was attractive as well.

"Mmm ... been a long time since I've been here," Janos rumbled. "But with the bankroll we're looking at now, I think it's worth celebrating."

"Even without pushing her, you're a very wealthy Wolf now, Master." Jay purred and nuzzled Janos as he hung on the Wolf's arm like so many pets did when they truly adored their owner, or the appearance of it was desired.

"Mmm ... it is a shame to give up a ship that good though," he chuckled, drawing Jay up for a kiss. "But we've got better still. Now ... what _will_ I do with you, hmm?" He rumbled, running a hand down Jay's side possessively.

"Let me pleasure you so they can all be jealous?" Jay suggested and leaned into the contact.

"That sounds like a good idea," Janos rumbled deeply, enjoying the absolute willing submission more than he thought was possible. This wasn't submission from fear, because the Wolf had or could beat someone into it, but submission because it was intensely pleasurable to the sub. "But let's get to our seats and get something to eat first," he chuckled, following the Toydarian server to their table before she buzzed off to fetch the drinks he ordered for the two of them.

"Mmm, an appetizer first, Master?" Jay rumbled and slid his hand up to brush the Wolf's groin.

"I think so," Janos grinned, his sheath already swelling as he sat and opened his pants, drawing Jay close for a kiss.

"Before we leave, you'll be sucking my cock with my cum dripping from your stretched ass," he promised the older kat with a deep, lusty rumble and felt the jolt of raw excitement the words drew from Jay.

The tom got on the bench and lowered his head to nuzzle the Wolf's groin. The move put his ass, clad in tight leather that concealed nothing, in the air for both Janos' appreciation and for the other customers.

"Mmm ... good boy," Janos rumbled deeply. He motioned towards one of the roaming performers, a Raccoon with a selection of assorted toys, to come over. A brief moment later, and he nodded, tracing his fingers lightly along the scars on the right-side of his mate's face.

"* _You don't mind toys, I hope?_ *" He asked with a mental rumble.

"* _Not at all, Master._ *" Jay shivered in expectation as he took one of Janos' heavy balls into his mouth to lavish it with attention.

"Mmm ... that one," Janos nodded to the Raccoon, indicating the large, thick, barbed plug he'd selected a few moments before. "Don't worry about prep." The Raccoon nodded easily and removed Jay's tight pants to reveal his tight ass for all to see. He then pressed the plug up into Jay's ass, slowly stretching it and skillfully maneuvering the tip up against the tom's prostate.

Before moving on, he took a moment to start it vibrating lightly, the tip jumping and working the sensitive nub inside Jay's body as his good ear was caressed by the Wolf whose balls he was suckling.

"Going to let that ... mmm ... stretch you out for a while," Janos rumbled, as turned on as much by what he was hearing along their bond as the physical attention and view. Force, it was intense to have a pet who got off on this so much.

Jay let one ball slide from his mouth and breathed deeply of the heavy male musk before turning his attention to the other side.

Janos' thick, lupine shaft hardened quickly, emerging from his sheath as he continued to give all the attention he could to his pet, occasionally favoring his injuries, now months old but still attracting attention from the occasional passerby.

"This is a good look for you," he rumbled deeply.

"* _It's a pretty good one for you too,_ *" Jay licked his way up Janos' cock, careful not to be too rough on the sensitive skin with his rough tongue. "* _Anything out there worthy of my ass?_ *"

"Mmm .... You might be in for a little company, yes," the Wolf rumbled, scritching the back of Jay's neck lightly as he looked around and picked out a couple interested patrons he wouldn't mind seeing inside Jay.

"* _Good,_ *" he slowly slide his mouth down around the Wolf's cock to set to the real effort of getting him off in a slow, controlled, explosion.

Janos groaned deeply, catching the eye of a Jaguar a few tables over who glanced down at Jay's exposed ass. The Wolf nodded and grinned, the spotted feline stood gracefully and came over, caressing Jay's ass for a bit before pulling the vibe out and turning it off.

"Got something that should feel better up there," he rumbled behind the older tom.

Jay could only whimper in eagerness and wiggle his ass a bit, his tail arched over his back in invitation. It was a feeling that drew another sound of pleasure from Janos.

Lupine hands caressed the back of Jay's head, powerful fingers running through his long hair as the Jaguar pressed his cock up into Jay's somewhat stretched body with an eager groan of pleasure, barb-hairs raking his entrance as Jay suckled Janos' swollen, throbbing cock.

It was a moment where Jay lost control, forgetting where he was and who he was with. Both males, one growing accustomed to it and one caught completely off guard, felt the complete ecstasy of the tom between them. The desire to be used and fucked until he couldn't move, to come and be come in until he couldn't take any more and then be pushed even further as he begged for mercy, for an end to the pleasure while he was still conscious washed over them in a call to action.

The Jaguar started to hammer against his prostate, reaching down to stroke his cock as Janos groaned, pumping his seed into his mate's hungry mouth.

"* _Want me to start taking numbers?_ *" He asked mentally through his pleasure. "* _You're starting to get a fan-club here._ *"

"* _Yes._ *" Jay roared mentally as he came, his mouth still around Janos' cock and his pleasure spilling over into the general area to draw everything with a libido that could feel it. Not many understood why this feline pet was so interesting, but they responded to his call eagerly.

The Jaguar roared, pumping his seed deep into Jay's ass, pulling out just in time to be filled by the next comer, a well-built Stallion with chestnut fur that sank into him with a soft whinny. A lean, red-skinned Zeltron slipped beneath him, the powerful pheromones she released as she took his barbed shaft into her sex only added to the atmosphere that was rapidly leading to a gang-bang controlled only by the Wolf approving partners for his ecstatic pet.

A slender Panther came over, shucking hir pants and looking up at Janos with a wink. He grinned, pressing against hir back and slipping into hir feminine sex while he fondled hir breasts, and shi pressed her barbed cock into Jay's eager mouth.

It was a cycle that continued until Jay was so worn out that his mental call faded and focused back on the Wolf he'd come in with. The shift from complete slut to monogamous mate was rapid and only subtly apparent to all but Janos, who felt it more than saw it when Jay started to crawl into his lap despite the eager Tiger with a hand on Jay's ass.

"Show's over, handsome," Janos rumbled to the Tiger, pulling Jay up onto his lap and licking his neck, pressing up into him and making the very few thrusts necessary to make the last few hours' worth of arousal pay off before he just held Jay against his broad body. It was intensely satisfying to know, right from the tom's mind, that despite being done with others, Janos himself was still a very welcome presence in Jay's body.

The softly purring, completely sated and submissive male in his arms, so happy to be taken care of and surrender his authority, felt as good as any of the orgasms of the night.

"Think you're up for dinner now?" Janos asked with a chuckle, watching the Tiger leave.

"Yes, Master." Jay smiled loopily up at him, a level of adoration evident in his amber eyes that caught Janos a bit by surprise.

"You really do enjoy this, don't you?" He asked, chuckling as he licked a little cum from Jay's neck. He'd been fucked every way imaginable by now, by about half the patrons in the club.

"Yes, Master." Jay murmured, his eyes drifting closed in a contentment he rarely felt.

They heard the door open and close behind some new arrivals, everybody returning to their tables, partners, and meals as things started to get back to normal for the place.

"Mmm ... I think I see a place over there, Master," Jay heard an achingly familiar voice say. It sent an instant ripple of tension down his body, but neither his mind nor body was particularly inclined to care unless it had to.

A few seats at the table next to theirs were pulled out, a Panther and scantily clad, blue-skinned woman sat down. Jay felt Janos tense up as he recognized the Panther, but he didn't do anything just yet.

"* _We're here for you, Jay,_ *" Shivasta told him mentally. "* _Please, come home._ *"

"* _My kits are here._ *" He replied quietly. "* _I'm not your kind anymore._ *" He nearly cried inside, the pain of going against everything he was born and trained to be fighting and loosing to paternal instinct backed up by voices he couldn't fight anymore, and wasn't convinced he wanted to.

"* _We can bring them back with us ... we can help you,_ *" Shi told him, her mental voice soft and soothing. "* _Jay, we still love you. Come back, it's not too late. I don't know what they've told you, but it isn't true. The Order isn't out to hurt you._ *"

"* _I'm past helping,_ *" he shuddered and closed his mind to her, but not before she caught an image of the Panthress he'd killed, and that he was violently against the Order touching his kits.

"* _We need to leave._ *" He told Janos, oblivious to the fact that he'd driven his claws into the Wolf's thick pelt and his body language was pure fear now.

"I'd guessed as much," Janos rumbled, wincing as he helped Jay disengage his claws and stood. He put himself between Jay and the two Jedi by reflex as an Alpha, even as he knew he couldn't beat the pair. Not without help at least, and he wasn't sure how Jay'd react to a fight right now.

"I'm afraid we can't let you do that," Fenrik rumbled, standing as well and meet the Wolf's eyes. "You're out-classed, Wolf. We don't care about you; we just want our mate back. Before you and your friend manage to destroy a good tom."

"Hey, no fighting in here!" One of the Toydarians protested, seeing the potential for violence in both Panther and Wolf.

"Then let's take it outside," Janos growled. "'Cause I don't think this is going to end any other way." He could feel the familiar rush of anger rising inside him. If this did turn into a fight, it would have to be a running one - but he couldn't much afford to be taken back himself, and Jay didn't particularly seem to want to go back with them.

Though to be fair, if he had, he would have sent him on his way easily.

All four Sensitives felt the Force rush into play a fraction of a moment before the tables and benches in the area went flying to crash into the Jedi.

"* _Run!_ *" Jay all but roared at Janos and bolted himself, his mind reaching out to get everything set up so they could take off as soon as they got to the Sharufa.

Fenrik snarled as he pushed the furnishings out of the way, he and Shivasta taking off after the Wolf and Kat.

"Damn it!" He growled. They chased both of them towards the lift at the end of the corridor, the doors staying open for the escapees. He leaped forward - just in time for the door to slam in front of him as Jay and Janos disappeared into the lift and started towards the hangar.

"Can you do anything to stop them?" Fenrik asked Shi, turning back towards her.

"Not here," she said, shaking her head. "A storm that would ground the Sharufa would endanger every Toydarian out there."

"Damn!" He repeated, growling deeply and making his way towards the stairs.

This was going to be a long climb.

* * *

Everyone glanced at the pair, one in the nude, that hit the starport at full enhanced speed, but no one did more than glance. Every one of them recognized the look of two dangerous people being chased, no doubt by even more dangerous people.

It was never smart to get involved in something like that.

Jay and Janos hit the Sharufa, climbing on board even as the engines powered up and the ship started to close up for space flight.

"Here's hoping the queue's open," Janos growled, heading for the cockpit. "We'll have to get out of here _fast_."

"It will be by the time we hit it." Jay reminded him of what he could do to computers, but there was honest fear in his voice more than anything else. Not fear of the pair chasing them, but fear of what they meant.

"What's going on?" Mina demanded, stepping out of the medical bay to meet Jay and Janos.

"Toydaria just developed a Jedi infestation," the Wolf growled, pulling up and away just as Shivasta and Fenrik appeared in the hangar. "Everybody hold on tight!" He gunned the engine, grateful to see most of the other ships get out of the way as they rushed through the crowded space-lane leading towards open space. "I'm going to have to get creative ...."

"So get creative." Jay grabbed the co-pilot's seat and began to work on helping out, and delaying the Kalrass as much as he could.

Fortunately, the ship still listened to him fairly well. The engines were shutting down, and the traffic pattern would keep it from following them all that quickly once Fenrik and Shivasta got them working again.

"I know you don't like the place Jay, but we're heading for Nar Shaddaa for a few days," Janos rumbled, plugging the coordinates in. Suddenly, the ship was rocked by a blast that hit it as soon as it left the atmosphere. "Shit!"

"Gurath." Jay responded and locked Sharufa's weapons on to the larger ship to return fire, targeting its weapons systems and engines.

"Whatever ship it is, knock it out fast," Janos snarled, the ship rocking again. "Shit ... setting shields to double-rear, that should slow 'em down."

The Sharufa's ion cannons fired, bright white bolts flying through space and impacting the Gurath's fixed guns. It didn't take much coaxing to shut them down entirely after that. Jay was sure that Doruth and Tes wouldn't use torpedoes against them.

"We're clear," Janos said, turning and keying in the hyperdrive sequence. The Sharufa slowed for a moment ... then stretched out, being pulled into hyperspace just as the pilot activated the cloaking device.

They were safe ... at least for now.

A moment later, when Jay was sure they were out of immediate danger, he sank forward and closed his eyes, his mind in turmoil between turning himself in to protect his kits and knowing that doing so was worse than giving them to the Jedi to raise. He had no one in this galaxy that could teach them what they faced, the choices they had. As dangerous as it was to everyone he cared for, he had to keep running.

"Nar Shaddaa will be fine." Jay spoke quietly, his tone one of having set his mind to something unpleasant.

"That doesn't sound much like an 'it's fine' to me," Janos pointed out. "I take it you've been to Nar Shaddaa before?"

"I grew up there, from eight to ten." He said softly. "The Jedi found me there. Same with Doruth, one of the Jedi hunting us."

"Bad part of Nar Shaddaa, I'm guessing," Janos said. "For what it's worth, we can _definitely_ afford better than that this time around. Hell, we could just about set up shop to rival some of the Hutts there. I've got the course set for the Ylesia system right now, by the way ... we'll use the ion drives to get out between Ylesia and Nar Shaddaa before cutting the hyperdrive back in to finish the trip. It's a pretty damned good route to keep folks from tracking you there."

"Good," Jay let out a small breath and stood, giving the Wolf a kiss. "I need _time_ to make modifications on Sharufa."

"What sort of mods?" Janos asked him, returning the kiss briefly. "* _And what was Mina doing in medical when we came back, if you saw?_ *"

"The kind to take us somewhere _safe_. These engines can't make the trip in acceptable time." Jay explained a bit evasively. "* _I don't know, but probably putting her pet back together._ *"

"Jay, what sort of place would be safe from the Jedi?" Janos asked pointedly. "I mean ... heck, we could even hide out in the Maw and they'd find us eventually."

"My home," he said simply. "Yes, they'll find us eventually, they have the directions as best as I knew them, but not before it won't matter anymore. No one else in this galaxy can build a trans-galactic ship."

"Trans-gal- now _that's_ news," Janos murmured, shaking his head. "And a good reason to head for Ambrintha after holing up on Nar Shaddaa for a week or two," he admitted.

"That and we have two pregnant females and I do _not_ want to oversee the delivery." Jay added and let a full-body shudder pass through him. "Right now, I need a shower and time to meditate on that design."

"No problem," Janos nodded. "We've got a few hours ... I could use some sleep as is. Just uh ... tell the ship to wake me up when we come out of hyperspace, however you is you do that."

"Done," he nodded and walked past Mina on his way to the shower and a lot of thinking even as a small droid flew in to clean up the co-pilot's seat where Jay had been sitting.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Master Zraii sighed as shi prepared to report to the Council. The bright-green Verpine had received the latest report from Toydaria just hours before, and while it was better news than before, it still wasn't good.

"Councilors, I have received news regarding the hunt for Jedi Clawson," shi began, stepping out into the middle of the circle. "Good, and bad."

"* _Begin,_ *" Essani nodded, her interest keen. So was that of most of the Council, those who knew him well and otherwise. Most had not been present the last time a Jedi had been successfully kidnapped by Sith.

"The good news is that he was encountered, face-to-face, on Toydaria. There were no fatalities linked to his presence besides a t'surr slaver who attempted to enslave one of his 'crewmates,' and he was not responsible for it.

"The bad news is that he did escape, disabling the Kalrass' engines terminally and the transceivers on both ships. The report I have was received via a borrowed hypertransceiver. Worse, it seems that Knight Clawson has been convinced that returning to Coruscant will result in negative consequences for himself, and for the kits he seems to have sired. He will not return willingly; both his mates did what they could to talk him into doing so."

"Did they encounter him alone?" Jamni asked, keenly aware of how being in the presence of a 'packmate' could influence such a conversation.

"No, but they did not report any attempt to convince Knight Clawson not to follow them," the Verpine pointed out, hir mandibles clicking. "Further, Master Doruth and his mate have to break off from the hunt to pick up their newest litter from Kamino soon. I believe that we must take a different approach to this mission, effective immediately."

Essani nodded. "* _You have a suggestion?_ *"

"I suggest that we send out a number of short range fighter-class vessels, armed with ion cannons, and equipped with a new sensor suite I have designed to search for the signatures of Stygian cloaking devices," Master Zraii explained, bringing up a holographic projector. "Base them out of an exploration ship converted to be a fleet carrier. Our explanation is searching for pirate activity, and following up on the confirmed Sith activity on Naboo.

"Further, I plan to send recently modified lightsabers I have designed to the best fighters with each set of fighters, and to Masters Fenrik and Shivasta." Shi changed the design, showing the relatively minor modification. "While not perfected yet, it will make it much easier to retrieve Knight Clawson without removing limbs needlessly. The design should work similar to a stun-baton, save that it is able to be used in a lightsaber duel effectively."

"What is its flaw?" Noloth asked evenly, knowing there must be one or it would have been presented to them by now.

"A secondary flaw is that it doesn't have the utility of a standard lightsaber," Zraii said easily. "It is a purely combat weapon. A graver issue, however, is that in simulations there's a one-in-ten chance that anybody with bioelectric tolerances below those of an average Jedi will experience a potentially fatal heart attack. However, for use against Knight Clawson and his 'crewmates,' it should function as desired. Bringing in unconscious, stunned captives, rather than dismembered corpses."

"Any additional risks to unborn young?" Master Jolani Panthera asked quietly, her focus on what would happen if they died due to a Jedi attack.

"I wouldn't recommend using it against the pregnant mate any more than I would recommend using a standard lightsaber," Zraii said seriously. "Mammalian design exposes the young to every risk the mother is exposed to, including ones they aren't prepared for. For the mate, I would recommend sedative grenades."

The Tigress nodded to that as the Council digested what it was being told.

"* _Any further concerns before this is set into motion?_ *" Essani looked around the room at her peers.

"Only that we will likely have to receive Senate approval before sending even the small fleet proposed out," Noloth pointed out.

"That is the beauty of officially sending them out searching for Sith," Zraii pointed out, her mandibles clicking in something resembling smug satisfaction. "Since the Jedi Civil War, we have had standing permission from the Senate to take any required steps to end the Sith menace to the Republic. They were too busy rebuilding to revoke said permission."

"Then I suggest we get the ships crewed as quickly as possible," Noloth nodded. "Before there are any additional corpses to explain."

"* _Agreed._ *" Essani nodded. "Master Zraii, I leave the organization of this effort to you.*"

"Very well, Master Essani," the Verpine nodded politely. Shi turned to leave, already contacting hir assistants to begin making preparations for the mission.

* * *

* * *

* * *

"So," Mina asked as she and Janos ate late that night. "How the hell are we going to talk him out of _this_?"

"What makes you think we can?" He shook his head and slid meat-and-eggs meal onto a plate. "We haven't exactly had much success so far."

"He's talking about leaving the _galaxy_ , Janos," she pointed out. "Now, I don't know about you, but I'm not sure about the idea of moving to a place where I know _nothing_ about the people."

"What's the matter?" Janos grumbled. "Afraid you won't be able to con them without being able to speak the language?"

"Fuck off," she muttered. "I'm serious here, okay?"

"So am I." He snorted and sat down with his meal. "The destination's the least of my worries. How he's planning to get us there is. They've got Wolves there, if we actually make it, I'll figure it out."

"You don't think I'm worried about that either? If he really is from another galaxy, then anything he used to get here before doesn't exist or he doesn't understand it - and now he's trying to recreate it. There's _got_ to be a reason he hasn't done it before. Besides ... some galaxies just aren't worth traveling through."

"The why is he hasn't had reason to." Janos informed her. "Those kits are why he's going now. I can't translate most of what he's been thinking, but what I can is all about getting those kits to someone who can raise them."

"And that's _not_ bad news?" Mina asked, her ears flattening. "In case you haven't forgotten, we kind of owe them to a certain insubstantial somebody!"

"And one dead former Master." Janos added. "What I'm not hearing is any suggestions from you on how to fix it."

"He wasn't planning on doing this until we ran into his mates on Toydaria, right?" Mina asked him. "He didn't say anything about this before?"

"Right," he leaned back with a sigh. "Something about that ... I think he's convinced they'll never stop hunting him now. Sooner or later they'll capture him, he's right about it. He's planning for that eventuality, for the future of his kits."

"Well he's not the only one planning for it," Mina growled slightly. "Maybe I should dig through Tembris' files for worlds he'd been planning on hitting _after_ starting to turn him."

"Go for it. It's better than what we've got so far." He nodded.

"Just _try_ not to piss off any local Darksiders we hook up with, okay?" She muttered, finishing her drink and standing up, starting off towards her room.

"Like _I'm_ the one most likely to piss them off," Janos muttered to himself. "Wonder what Vondra and the others are up too," he mused, working on his meal.

* * *

Vondra whimpered into Y'alla's sex, the young Wolf's ass in the air as Misha ever so slowly pressed her slender tongue into her body and she mimicked the action on the Twi'lek.

Skilled fingers worked her ears and the back of her head, Misha's claws teasing her clit playfully as the Minervan Mink worked her towards another orgasm. They'd taken a break earlier for a bit, but she'd recognized the slightly haunted look on Y'alla's face when she'd come in, and one thing had led to another.

On the other hand, this time, she wasn't about to complain about that.

The Twi'lek moaned, her pale blue fingers finding a spot on Vondra's neck that sent shivers down her spine as her body spasmed and flooded the Wolf's senses with arousal-scent.

"I see you three get along," a deep rumble dragged Vondra's concentration out of the pleasuring and to the muscular Wolf that had just walked in.

"Yes, Master Janos." Misha answered him easily.

The white-furred shewolf looked up at him, not meeting his eyes even for the brief moment she looked at his face before turning her head away. She shivered slightly, hoping that he wouldn't be mad about what he'd caught them doing without really having permission.

He reached down, gripping her slender muzzle and tilting her head up towards his with a surprisingly tender expression for a moment.

"Nobody said you couldn't play with each other," he rumbled softly before kissing her, tasting Y'alla's juices on the fur of her muzzle. "Just as long as you're up for playing with your Masters when they want."

Despite the words, she couldn't help but pick up on the fact that his interest seemed to have peaked when he realized she was a little afraid of him.

"Yes, Master." She whispered, not resisting him at all as she waited for him to give some indication of what he wanted her to do.

"Mmm ... why don't you and Misha come to my quarters for the night, hmm?" He asked her, standing and licking Y'alla's cheek. "I'm sorry for Mina," he told the Twi'lek softly. "The rest of us aren't like her, for what it's worth."

"Yes, Master," she nodded submissively.

"Jay's not going to need you tonight." Janos told the Minervan Mink, knowing exactly what her fractional hesitation was about, given it definitely wasn't about sex or him.

"Yes, Master Janos." Misha nodded and stood easily, not the least bit concerned by her nudity on the public walk.

Vondra seemed comfortable enough with it too, at least for the short distance to the master bedroom, where Janos started to undress. He peeled his jacket off, then his shirt, tossing them both to the side.

"C'mere, Vondra," he rumbled deeply, looking at her and spreading his arms. The move wasn't one she'd been expecting, or likely seen before, but she took the few steps into his embrace and nuzzled his chest in an attempt to do what he wanted before being told.

He rubbed her back lightly, kissing her forehead.

"They really did a number on you, didn't they?" He asked with a rumble. "You haven't been a Gamma for long, I'll bet."

"I'm not old enough to be anything, Master." She only just kept the bitterness out of her voice. "Not in my fam ... my former family."

"I was thinking about outside of it," he rumbled, licking her neck. The stiffness in her body did nothing to encourage him, even if she didn't do anything to resist either. He could feel that she expected to be taken, she was just uncertain how rough he'd be about it, or how much she'd have to beg before the pain stopped. "I know what it's like to have somebody try to break you like that. I can promise I won't continue where they left off ... but there is one catch. A small one.

"You're mine," he rumbled, lifting her muzzle up and meeting her eyes for the brief moment before she looked away reflexively. "Willingly." He kissed her, gently, trying to reassure her that he wasn't _that_ sort of abusive.

"Yes, Master." She responded when his mouth left hers. She knew an answer was expected and what was expected, and pushed the still rebellious thought that he had a hell of a lot of gall associating the word 'willing' to _anything_ a slave did.

"So, what have the two of you been up to?" He asked, accepting her answer for now and pressing her back towards the bed. He'd have to work on her in the future; he might not be the gentlest guy, but he'd be damned if he was going to treat her like the slavers probably had.

To have her lay down and spread her legs for him did little to encourage talking. She didn't make a display for him, or look like she expected to manage any more than to survive long enough to be allowed to limp away. She certainly hadn't been taught to enjoy her duties; she probably hadn't even been taught much more than how to not fight back as she was taken various ways.

He felt the strength of emotion there though, the hate and fire that reminded him a great deal of himself. The difference being that he never stopped fighting back and had the Force-talent to make his father regret it.

"I was teaching her that sex can feel good." Misha spoke up, sure that the shewolf wasn't going to. Vondra was already closing her mind off to what was happening to her body.

"Any objections to helping me continue the lesson?" He asked the Minervan Mink, laying down on the bed next to the shewolf and nuzzling one of her breasts lightly. Her skin rippled lightly at the touch, her nipple hardening slightly, but the shewolf herself was all but oblivious to what they were doing. "I think it's one she needs to learn."

"By all means, Master Janos." She nodded, her tone and manner in those words a lesson in contrast to Vondra's rendition. Misha meant it, and enjoyed her duties, be her partner male or female. "No male has ever touched her pleasurably." She added a bit off-handedly and began to gently finger the wet sex still thick in blood from the games in the other room.

Here though, it was only her body responding, not Vondra.

"Vondra," he said, making Misha stop and wait until he had his pet's attention, which did come quickly. "I'm not going to hurt you," he told her softly. "Pay attention, give me a chance to prove it?"

"Yes, Master." She nodded, though she bit her lip, leaving him little doubt how much she trusted him about it.

He couldn't blame her. It had taken him years to trust another guy; he still wasn't too crazy about bottoming.

All the more reason to handle this right.

He nuzzled her breast again, reaching down to join Misha in fingering her sex gently as he tongued her hard nipple, paying close attention to Vondra's reactions. He wouldn't be surprised to find out that the idea of foreplay with a guy as anything other than a beating was alien to her.

He knew, inside, that she was waiting for that to start, expecting that this was some kind of trick. Still, she did as she was told and it wasn't long before the first soft moan escaped her throat and her hips thrust up against his hand, seeking more of the contact that she couldn't deny felt very good.

For a brief moment, he saw the timid, far too innocent teenager of six months ago, before the beatings had begun and sex was something to dread.

He smiled softly, in what he _hoped_ was a kindly look, as he shifted up to kiss her. That was the reaction he wanted out of her, at least for now. It would be a long time before he could play particularly rough with her without breaking any progress he made, but he could handle being patient for that.

"That's good," he murmured to her, tracing around her clit with the blunt tip of a claw. "See? It doesn't have to hurt."

"Y-yes, Master." She gasped softly and arched into the small black hands playing with her breasts.

"Some guys are _very_ good." Misha added with a lusty rumble, her gaze lingering on the bulge in Janos' pants.

"Time for that later," he chuckled. 

"I do hope so, Master Janos." She licked her lips and went back to seeing how many whimpers of pleasure she could draw from the white shewolf next to her.

"Why don't you keep yourself busy up here, Misha, I'll see what Mink and Wolf taste like together," he rumbled, moving down to climb onto the bed between Vondra's legs. Her tail flicked up, in the way for a fraction of a moment, but moved to expose her again before he'd even formed the thought that it was there.

"You can trust me, Vondra," he murmured, nuzzling the lips of her swollen sex lightly before he brought his long, broad, velvety tongue up her sex, then up Misha's in the same lengthy lick. He was rewarded by a soft sound from Vondra, and a much more eager one from the Minervan Mink, who shifted to make it as easy on him as possible.

He grinned, nuzzling their bodies where their sexes came closest to touching, inhaling both their scents as he continued to work their bodies with his tongue. He paused for a bit, licking lightly at the furless puckers just beyond their sexes, pressing a thick finger into Misha's ass after a moment to a moan of pleasure.

He was pretty sure Vondra wouldn't be up for that just yet. His tongue, however, was well-received. He could feel her begin to quiver sooner than her sounds would have indicated. He couldn't say he was entirely surprised. Encouraging a male had never been on her agenda, before or after she'd been captured.

He reached out with the Force, caressing her body gently, stretching out to her mind with a light affection as he slipped his tongue into her, nuzzling Misha's clit as he worked the shewolf's sex and probed the Minervan Mink's ass with his fingers.

Misha cried out first, her voice high-pitched and uncontrolled as she clenched down on the finger in her ass. Her motions and sounds excited the shewolf under her; taking Vondra right to the edge that Janos pushed her over with a deep lick inside her slick sex.

He rumbled deeply, his cock hard and thick in his pants as Vondra's body clenched down around his tongue like a vise. He simply enjoyed their orgasms, the pleasure of them washing over him in wave after wave that went straight to his cock. He slipped another finger into Misha's sex while she finished up and grinned at her even more vocal encouragement.

When they were done, he pulled out of both of them, rolling Misha off of Vondra and sliding up on the other side of the shewolf.

"Better than you expected?" He asked with a rumble, licking her neck.

"Yes, Master." She murmured, still panting and slightly flushed.

"Mmm ... good," he rumbled, running his hand down her stomach, then he looked over at Misha. "Up for a show?" He asked the Minervan Mink with a grin, starting to undo his belt.

"Always, Master Janos." She grinned and gave Vondra a kiss before catching the way the shewolf glanced sideways at his aroused groin as it came into view.

"I think he'd approve." Misha whispered to her, nudging Vondra into action.

She rolled to her side slightly, one hand hesitantly outstretched to cup and feel his full balls.

"Mmm ... that's good," he rumbled, his cock fully aroused by now as he reached down to pet her head lightly. "You like, pet?"

She hesitated, not sure whether she really didn't mean the 'yes, Master' that was expected. It did feel good, to have this gentle approval. The heavy roundness in her hand felt good too; good enough that her fingers trailed up a ways to stroke his sheath.

"Yes, Master." She murmured, an admittance she was almost afraid of.

"Mmm ... nothing wrong with that, pet," he rumbled, scratching between her ears lightly. "Like I said; I won't treat you ... ooh ... like they did." A little pre dribbled down his shaft as she fondled him lightly. "You want to watch me with Misha, or just explore a bit more?"

To be honest, he was rather hoping she'd want to explore.

Her answer was in action. Her hand slid down to fondle his balls again and she leaned forward to lightly lick the hot, dry skin of his hard cock.

Janos' breath caught for a moment in surprise before a low rumble of pleasure escaped his throat.

"That's _very_ good," he rumbled encouragingly as Misha slid up behind the nervous shewolf and whispered in her ear while fondling her breasts.

It was enough to relax the still nervous shewolf into continuing her exploration of Janos' cock, one slow lick at a time as she tried to gauge what was going on with all the rules changed.

"Mmm ... it's okay," he rumbled, fondling her ears fondly. There was something about her that he liked, that made him _want_ to have her enjoy being his pet. "Go ahead, enjoy it." He caressed her body through the Force again, rubbing her clit lightly as she continued to lick his cock, gathering confidence as he let her do what she wanted and didn't force himself into her body.

"It's good, isn't it, to have him moan like that?" Misha rumbled in Vondra's ear.

"Yes," she admitted with a soft sound for the attention of the invisible hands on her body. She drew a breath and took the tapered tip into her mouth.

He moaned again, deeply, searching for every hot-spot he could find on her head, one hand moving to rub Misha's head just behind Vondra's.

"That's _very_ good, Vondra," he groaned, fighting the urge to take her head and start thrusting. She had little skill and less confidence, the grimace at the taste of his precum a reminder of why he was exercising so much self-control.

Misha whispered something in Vondra's ear and the mouth was gone from his cock as she licked her way down to his balls and then rolled over to her back to give him a bit of a show while Misha moved forward to take him with the skill of a lifetime and a love of sex of all kinds.

"Fuck," he groaned, taking Misha's head and starting to thrust lightly. Her, he could be more aggressive with, and intended to do just that. The Minervan Mink gave him no doubles that she adored the rough fucking just as much as the gentle. She was one of the few in the trade that was probably born to be exactly what she was.

He also intended to make _damned_ sure that Mina knew she wasn't supposed to _touch_ Vondra without him being there.

Misha began to use tricks and skills on him that he hadn't experienced before even as his eyes drifted down to Vondra's lower body where she was lightly fingering herself while her tongue worked his balls.

He reached down between the two of them with the Force, starting to play with Misha's body in a phantom promise of what he would do to her later. His pre leaked into her mouth as he caressed Vondra's sex lightly, helping her pleasure herself.

It was plenty of encouragement for the Minervan Mink, who went to work getting him off as quickly as possible, eager to have him fucking her hard.

He howled as her tongue lavished his slightly swollen knot with attention, his cock spasming in her mouth and pumping seed deep into her hungry throat. It was a bit like fucking Jay; the pleasure of getting him off and tasting his seed was quite real.

She licked him clean, then looked up, slipping his cock from her mouth with a wanton look. "Fuck me, Master?"

"With pleasure," he rumbled, pulling her up for a kiss. "Care to watch, or join us?" He asked Vondra, looking down at the shewolf between his legs.

"Watch, Master." She said softly, uneasy again, but not as much as when she'd first walked in the room.

"All right," he nodded easily, returning his attention to Misha, kissing her and rubbing his shaft against her pussy-lips, leaving Vondra to decide where she'd watch from. It was good, he had to admit, to have a female so enthusiastic about sex to sink into, and know that it wasn't faked in the least.

Misha groaned and squeezed down around him as she wrapped her legs around his hips, riding him even as he pounded into her.

In the periphery of his awareness he realized that the display was turning Vondra on pretty seriously. Watching the pleasure did make her want it herself. Her eyes were glued on where their bodies joined and the motion as primal and instinctive as eating or breathing.

Her next. It would be a faster payoff than he'd anticipated, but he was _not_ about to complain about that!

For now, he thrust up into Misha, rumbling and leaning his head down to lap at her breasts. His knot started to swell further as his cock quickly returned to full hardness, rubbing the sensitive walls of the Minervan Mink's pussy while she squealed and moaned in pleasure and did everything to make him feel good and fill her with his seed.

"You're _very_ good at this," he rumbled into her ear, groaning and fighting to hold back as much as she fought to make him come.

"Thank you, Master Janos." She grinned in real pleasure at the praise and moaned softly as he rubbed against her most sensitive parts.

His jaw clenched as he fought _not_ to howl in the Minervan Mink's ear as he pressed up against the rough patch of her g-spot, his cock spasming as he sprayed his seed directly against the sensitive flesh, growling lustily as he came. The intensity of the pleasure increased as she came around him, her body pulsing and squeezing him in a rhythm that hit him hard.

He was sure he came again, but it was so close on the heels of his last orgasm he couldn't be sure. His knot was almost fully swollen, and he pressed up further, tying with her as he claimed her mouth hungrily and tasted himself in her mouth as she returned the kiss just as eagerly.

After all, not like he'd do all that much else until it came down anyways.

It was then that he realized that twenty minutes or more could be a _very_ long time to keep Vondra aroused enough to still want him in her.

There were ways around that ... but he wanted to see if she wanted him in her _now_ first.

"Think you're up for the next round?" He asked the shewolf, looking over at her with a half-grin.

She look back with a hesitant smile, flushing under her pale fur as she realized he was aware of her focus on how he'd been thrusting into the small black female under him.

"Y-yes, Master." She finally murmured. Despite the hesitation, she did think she meant it.

"Mmm ... mind if we cut this short, beautiful?" He asked Misha, licking her muzzle playfully. "Maybe I can lick something that feels a bit better while you make sure Vondra's got some moral support?" He added with a rumble, reaching out through the Force to give her the mental image he had, of her straddling his face and making out with the white shewolf as she rode his cock.

"Not at all, Master Janos."

He felt the mental grimace Misha kept completely off her face and out of her voice at the pain involved in starting to pull off his hard knot.

He reached up to grab her shoulders and stop her. "I _do_ have a few tricks," he pointed out, focusing for a bit and forcing the blood out of his knot, making the swelling come down so she could get off of him without any pain.

"Thank you, Master Janos." Misha nuzzled him and gave his tapered cock a last squeeze as it slid from her body.

Vondra was nervous all over again, though the exchange made her a little more comfortable at the lusty look the other two gave her as she spread her legs and looked at Janos with a lump in her throat.

"It's okay," he rumbled, taking her hands and guiding her over his legs as he rolled to his back. "Any time you want to stop, say it, and we will."

He could see in an unguarded moment just how hard it was for her to grasp he had said that, much less that he meant it. Still, she nodded and settled over his groin, a moan escaping her throat as her swollen lower lips and clit rubbed against his slick cock and sheath.

It sent a shiver up her spine and closed her eyes for a moment before she lifted up to take him into her body from a position she'd rarely thought about and had never experienced.

Just the fact that he wasn't against her back, that she wasn't being _forced_ to do this, made it feel infinitely better than what she'd been used to.

Janos pulled Misha up to straddle his muzzle, licking at her dripping sex hungrily and kneading her ass with his fingers as he thrust lightly up into Vondra's movements, though he still let her control most of their play. 

It didn't take long for Vondra to get the idea of how to move and realize that it really _did_ feel good to be full of male when she was slick and aroused ... when she was _ready_ for it. It was a moment that froze her, that comprehension of how sex could feel so very good by reputation and had been so painful for her up till now.

Misha moaned and leaned forward, following Janos' instructions and kissing Vondra, drawing the shewolf back into moving with gentle, fondling hands on her breasts and subtly guiding her into a rhythm and position she knew would feel good for the white Wolf.

It didn't exactly feel _bad_ for the grey one beneath the two of them either. He rumbled, licking his cum out of Misha's body as his cock throbbed deep in Vondra's body. He reached out through the Force, trying to tap into what both of them were feeling, knowing from Jay how much of a rush it could be.

Misha, not too surprisingly, was enjoying his attention and playing with Vondra immensely. Even for her kind, the Minervan Mink was into sex a lot and had decades of training and experience to back her natural desires.

When he tapped into Vondra, he groaned deeply. The pleasure from her was less intense; she didn't know how to move or take advantage of what they were doing. It was, however, so new to her that every thrust brought a rush to her body and drew another sound from her throat.

It was an entirely different sort of intense, one he couldn't even remember for himself.

He took one hand from Misha's ass, reaching down to caress the firm curve of Vondra's thigh, almost whimpering as he devoured the Minervan Mink's dripping sex and tried to shift himself slightly to make it better for both he and his young slave.

The shockwave of pleasure so intense it was painful jerked his body up into the vice-like grip of Vondra's sex as she howled a near-cry to this new kind of pleasure of coming hard with a male so deep inside her. Right on its heels was a rush of fear at this new pleasure-pain and the complete lack of control it brought.

While he _wished_ there was something he could do about it, the feel of his knot tying with her sex as she came pushed him over the edge again, his balls emptying themselves into her hungry body. He moaned lowly into Misha's cunt, unable to do anything but enjoy the feeling of his orgasm and the too-rare feeling of his knot inside an orgasming body.

He groaned again when the worst of her fear faded with her orgasm and the pleasure of him still inside her and his knot became a warm presence in the afterglow instead of a source of panic.

Her hands moved down to slide up his broad body as she panted, trying to catch her breath and understand what had just happened.

"That's how it's _supposed_ to feel," he rumbled, moving his muzzle out of Misha's sex and nuzzling her clit lightly with his nose as the Minervan Mink moaned again.

"Yes, Master." Vondra panted, trying to recoup her composure, the back of her mind debating whether she actually liked the sensation. Her instincts told her yes, but the out of control feelings were a too potent reminder of earlier experiences.

"Good," he rumbled, nuzzling Misha's thigh lightly. He knew it'd take Vondra a while to convince herself that her earlier experiences weren't normal; she'd been told they would be, and if most of Adulla's customers had bought her, they probably would have been.

But then, he'd gotten over it for the most part. She could too.

"Mmm ... any reason you two couldn't spend the night?" He asked, more formality than anything else as he guided Misha off his face and down next to him, Vondra still tied to his shaft. To be fair, he didn't even have to ask, but he wanted to give them the choice tonight.

"Only if Master wants me." Misha nuzzled up against him, clearly quite content to be where she was.

"No, Master." Vondra looked down at him, and their tied groins, not sure how to ask how long she's be sitting like this. Or if he intended her to have pups. Between stress and conditions, she'd long ago lost track of when her next heat would be.

"Mmm ... well, for the next twenty minutes or so it's a moot point for you," he chuckled, drawing Vondra down against him for a kiss, rubbing her back. "Jay'll be out for the night, I'm sure, so I'd like the two of you to stay with me tonight." He snuggled up against Misha lightly, Vondra's slender body warm against his front.

Sleeping with Jay was good, but there _was_ something he enjoyed about being the unquestioned alpha, even in a furpile as small as this one.

* * *

Misha murred to herself as she cleaned up in the master bedroom's shower. Janos had used her with more pleasure than anyone in recent years, but now, with Vondra sleeping like a baby in his arms, he wanted to be alone with his pet. He was definitely a different kind of master. A very nice kind of master.

She hoped her master was as good, and it was time to find out. She was sure he hadn't left that one room, which meant he hadn't eaten recently. It was risky to bring him a meal, to interrupt him, but she hadn't survived so well this long by misreading her owners.

She smiled faintly at the two Wolves in the large master bed as she slipped out, clean and dry but naked, and went back to the room she shared with the other slaves to quickly dress in the silky harem clothes designed to conceal nothing and exemplify her assets and accessibility. It was a role she enjoyed greatly, to see the lust in the faces of those who looked at her and the way she could drive them insane with desire with just a few movements or a look.

Y'alla looked up slightly from where she was sleeping, then put her head down again when she realized it was only the Minervan Mink. Misha smiled at her before leaving for the small kitchen on the ship to fix something appealing for her master to arouse his desires even further than her body.

She wasn't a great cook, but she knew the best aphrodisiacs for all the major races and how to use them. The bottle of ryl powder on the shelf made her smile as she made short work of heating some meat with it as a dry rub, choosing a few other containers that smelled of the tom to go with.

Before long, the meat was sizzling in the pan, everything else for the meal prepared, and the rest of the ship silent save for the sound of the automatic systems running. It was odd ... it should have seemed peaceful, but the quiet was almost unnerving, tense.

This was _not_ a particularly happy ship to be on much of the time, she could feel it.

She couldn't help suspect that much of the ill feelings were somehow the creation of Mistress Mina. She was pregnant by Jay, but stayed in her own room while the males shared a bed. It wasn't a very normal arrangement, and Mina was sadistic as well.

That much Y'alla had confirmed. She just hoped the kittens would restrain her interest soon; she enjoyed sex, but needing to go to medical afterwards rather defeated the purpose.

While the food finished cooking, she hurried back to her quarters to fetch a small makeup brush, returning to the kitchen and dipping the fluffy bristles into the ryl powder, starting to dust her fur with it lightly. She focused on the spots she knew would make the scent strongest; she intended to get a good start with her new Master, and this would just about guarantee it.

With a throaty murr for what was to come she got everything on a tray and set towards the room her master was staying in. She balanced the tray on one hand once she got there, keying the button to open the door and quickly taking it in two again, holding herself to make a display that would appeal to any hungers her Master might have as it slid open.

She nearly dropped the tray as her mouth opened in shocked silence. Of all the things she'd expected ... she couldn't even begin to comprehend the speed and deadliness her Master was putting on display for no one but himself. Bright, blazing beams of light arced through the air, occasionally blinking as they passed by his nude body. She could tell where the scars came from now, seeing this - he would only have had to slip once. The opponents such skill required to make reasonable was nearly unthinkable.

Recovering her composure, she decided to wait for him. She certainly wasn't going to interrupt the display. It was rather fascinating to watch too. She'd always heard about Jedi and their lightsabers, but to see it ... and this was far more complex than what she'd heard described. Those were swords, this was two double blades.

She was almost startled again when his movement came to a graceful halt and the blacklight blades disappeared into their hilts and he was suddenly facing her, his face unreadable and his weapons vanished.

"I-I thought you might like some breakfast, Master," she explained, holding the tray up in explanation.

He smiled slightly, and motioned to set it down on the floor nearby, sitting easily just outside the mat when she did so.

"Have you eaten yet?" He asked easily.

"No Master," she admitted, bowing politely. "I wasn't sure when you would be hungry."

"Then sit and eat with me." Jay said simply and picked up a fork to begin eating. He paused before the first bite, his nose twitching. "Are you aware of the effects ryl has on felines?"

"Yes, Master," she nodded, sitting cross-legged and taking a second fork. "I hope I didn't use too much; I assumed the supply in the galley was yours."

"It is." He nodded and considered things before eating. All things considered, the distraction might do him some good. He didn't like where his meditation kept bringing him back to.

Misha ate quietly, assuming that his decision to eat was a good sign. For now, she would just let the drug and her scent do the job. He knew what was coming. 

It didn't take long, really, before the first visible signs of the ryl at work were clear. She smiled to herself when he leaned forward to kiss her, one hand sliding down her neck to cup her breast.

"Mmm ...." She returned the kiss, letting him control the speed. She murred lightly into his mouth, rubbing his sides lightly as his fingers worked her full, firm breasts. "Master appreciates my cooking, I take it?" She joked lightly.

"Yes," he chuckled and shifted to pull her to the mat, rolling on top of her to claim a hungry kiss and pinned her arms down.

She rumbled, everything in her body language submissive and encouraging as she spread her legs. She returned his kiss, suckling his tongue as he plundered her mouth, knowing that the ryl he'd eaten would only get stronger once the powder she'd dusted her fur with got into his system.

She moaned deeply when he shifted his hips slightly and drove his hard, rough cock into her body, his sheath pressed against her body with each motion as he began to thrust without reservation. She tightened around his body, tilting her head back to expose her throat to him as she milked him expertly.

She shuddered internally when his jaw locked around her exposed throat harder than just a demonstration of dominance required. He wasn't displaying the markings of a true sadist, not like the shecat did, but she'd be hurting before this was over in all likelihood.

She didn't try to encourage him too much in that, but she didn't protest either, rubbing his back lightly and whimpering softly in pain and pleasure. Despite the way his claws began to dig into her hips and his sharp teeth drew blood on her neck, he was also doing everything to make the pleasurable parts feel damn good to her.

She was half surprised to feel his claws retract some even as his fingers dug in harder, pulling her against his hips with each powerful thrust.

Half-surprised, but entirely pleased. She moaned lowly, her body clenching down around his cock like a vise as she came around him, milking him hungrily as his jaws came off her throat, his roar echoing in the small room as his seed flooded her body.

She moaned more loudly, clutching his back and working him with her sex. As her orgasm passed, she went back to work at pleasuring him and making a sensual display of herself.

The rumble of approval from above her as he nuzzled her neck was more encouragement that he liked what she was doing, as was the licking nuzzle that worked its way down to her exposed breasts, dusted with ryl.

Jay groaned as the pure dust entered his nose and mouth. A shudder passed through him as he let go and surrendered to the mindless intensity of the drug-induced rut rushing through him.

* * *

Misha panted softly, nuzzling her Master's neck a few hours later, when they'd finally both wound down and the ryl high was wearing off for him.

"Mmm ... you've never had somebody do that for you before, have you?" She asked him with a kiss, squeezing around his still-hard shaft.

"I have," he murmured, his mind snapped back to his Jedi mates and a rush of grief and loss. "It was a favorite on this ship not so long ago."

"I'm sorry," she said softly, nuzzling his cheek as she sensed the shift in his attitude. The scar on his face was a little disconcerting, but she'd seen far worse, and didn't let it bother her any.

"It's nothing you could have known," he murmured and nuzzled her back. "I hardly resisted the idea."

"Mmm ... very true," she murmured back, licking his cheek lightly. "You're very pleasant to serve, Master."

"Good," he actually chuckled a bit awkwardly. "I've never really dealt with slaves before."

"Mmm ... you're not particularly cruel, you're skilled in bed, it's not too hard to tell what you want ... it suits you," she chuckled, scritching his back lightly. "I've certainly served worse."

"You're unlikely to serve another." He rumbled and claimed a rather heated kiss. "Did I bruise you?"

"Yes, Master," she admitted, knowing he'd be able to tell. "It was worth it though," she grinned up at him.

"Mmm, let's see if you enjoy the fix to that." He gave her a bit of a wink and kissed his way down her body. While not completely recovered from the grief-heavy moment, he was working on perking up and putting it behind him.

"I have a feeling I will, Master," she smiled, rubbing the back of his head and the base of his damaged ear as he slid down between her legs to lightly rub her thighs while he focused healing energy through his tongue and bathed her badly bruised sex.

She moaned, first in a bit of pain, then in pleasure as she felt the damaged flesh heal and pleasure-nerves come back.

"Oh my," she groaned, scratching his neck lightly.

It earned a low chuckle from the tom. "Healing can be fun too."

"Mmm ... never had a Master bother with more than painkillers ... mmm ... before," she panted, licking her lips and spreading her legs wide.

"Have you ever had an empath for a Master before?" He asked between swirling his tongue around the rapidly healing flesh.

"No," she moaned, pressing up into his mouth. "Not that I know of ...."

"* _What you feel, I feel._ *" He explained directly to her mind. "* _It feels much better when you're enjoying it._ *"

"Nnngh ... then that must feel ... oooh ... _really_ good just now," she panted. "Master Janos the same?"

"* _It is pretty good,_ *" he rumbled with a mental grin and added a few images of her riding him as a 'what's next' idea. "* _Yes, he is. Not as experienced in using the talent, though._ *"

She moaned deeply, her body clamping down hard around his tongue as she came, nodding enthusiastically as he worked her through the orgasm, then slid up to kiss her and rolled to his back, a look of hunger on his face.

She slipped forward, then back onto his cock easily, returning the kiss as she started to work him with her sex.

"Mmm ... never really expected two Masters as nice as you and Janos when the old one got killed," she rumbled.

"I'll make sure Mina knows to keep her claws off you." Jay added with a half-growl, half-groan. "She's definitely not."

"Mmm ... I guessed," Misha nodded, kissing his neck lightly before leaning back to display herself to an appreciative set of eyes and hands that worked her body and breasts. "Oooh ... still up front, or want to try somewhere new, Master?" She asked him.

"What feels best for you right now." He rumbled, feeding on the thrill of her pleasure.

She pulled off his cock, slick with her fluids, and shifted forward to press his conical tip up against her anus.

"This," she grinned, then groaned as she slipped down onto his shaft, her breath catching with each barb as she rhythmically stroked her clit, one circle for each ring of barbs that entered her ass.

"Ohhh," Jay moaned, almost crying out as her pleasure mixed with his long affinity for being on the receiving end. He focused his actions on kneading her breasts and slid a small dildo of Force into her sex to rub up against him inside her as well as rub her in all the right places.

"Oh _yes_ ," she moaned back, squeezing down around both lengths inside her, rippling her muscles along his barbed length, not even questioning the how. She flicked her long, full tail against his balls, grinning down at him with her dark face and soaked in the real thrill of having a Master that got off on her pleasure so honestly and completely.

Life just didn't _get_ better than this.

Jay squeezed his eyes closed, all but whimpering in the abandon she had and his own desire to know it again. 

"So good." He encouraged her, offering her some of what he was feeling in return.

"Oh yes," she moaned, closing her own eyes in pleasure as she felt the circle of ecstasy between the two. She wasn't a sensitive, but Jay was still able to communicate just how incredible this all felt to him, which only made her pleasure stronger, feeding into his own.

All in all, it made for a _very_ pleasant perpetuating cycle that quickly pushed them both over the edge, filling her ass with his come and the room with their cries.

* * *

Janos' stomach rumbled shortly before he did, waking up to the feel of Vondra starting to stir around mid-day. He rubbed her back lightly, kissing her as his brain started to wake up, realizing first that he had a female in bed with him who'd been willing before.

Fortunately, his brain remembered that she might _not_ be as willing now before he'd done more than roll to his side, pressing his shaft against her thigh as he nuzzled her cheek.

The soft, slightly content sound she made encouraged him though. Even if she wasn't willing right now, she wasn't freaked out either as she responded to him, still half asleep but rousing quickly.

He tilted his head up, nibbling her ear affectionately as he worked a hand beneath her to fondle her breasts, working his other hand down to stroke the lips of her sex lightly. His efforts were rewarded by a soft moan of pleasure and her shifting to make touching her easier.

He could tell she wasn't completely awake, but she was enough with the situation to react badly if she was likely to.

She nuzzled him lightly, kissing his neck as he stroked her to slick wetness again.

"Where's Misha?" She murmured.

"Probably with Jay," he murmured back, nuzzling her neck lightly. "And having a fine time, if what I'm feeling is right. You remember last night?"

"Yes, Master." She blushed deeply.

"What do you remember?" He asked her with a rumble, curious what she'd taken from it ... and rather hoping it was pleasant.

She blushed even deeper and ducked her head a bit. She bit her lip before answering.

"You treated me like a lover." She managed to get out before her voice gave out.

"Did you enjoy it?" He asked her. He wasn't looking for details; those he could remember well enough, and she was already embarrassed enough. It was definitely cute, though. "Would you like that again?" He added, licking her neck. They way she shifted to give him a little more access was as good as any words. He could _feel_ her interest before she managed to form the words that said much less.

"Yes, Master." She shuddered at his light touches and opened her body language up a bit more. Both her upbringing and pleasure slave training screamed against encouraging him, that he was still her _owner_ and shouldn't be encouraged. At the same time, a pragmatic side of her added that an owner who treated her as a lover and mate, who cared about her pleasure, was a damn good thing and not to be put off lest he get rid of her to one who didn't. So what if he was probably twice her age? He was _nice_ to her. That wasn't something that could be said of much in her life recently.

He kissed her, slowly, his tongue running along her muzzle as he stroked the swelling lips of her sex, then parted them and pressed the tip of one finger up against her entrance, just stroking the moist ring of muscle briefly before he started to press into it slowly.

Her body language was unsure at this. It wasn't something anyone had done before, and as good as his cock had felt in the same place, this was a little weird. Kind of good, kind of just strange.

Picking up on her discomfort, he pulled his finger back, kissing her and rolling her onto her back. That might be something to work on eventually.

"You can tell me if you don't like something," he reminded her.

"It's ... just weird, Master." She murmured and spread her legs for him, a bit more eager for what was rubbing against her now.

"Mmm ... you'll get used it," he rumbled, rubbing against her slick pussy-lips for a few moments before shifting down to press up into her hot, tight sex with a groan of pleasure.

"Yes, Master." Vondra drew a breath of pleasure in and squeezed down around him without thinking. With a soft whimper she brought her knees as high up against his body as she could, her ankles crossed in the small of his back.

He started to thrust slowly, licking her throat and shifting his weight to brace on one hand, sliding the other between them to fondle her breasts lightly. He couldn't help but smile when she pressed into his touch, both on her breasts and between her legs. While there was still an element of this being required to her, she was enjoying the attention too.

He rumbled, thrusting into her, her tight, hot body clinging to his. Her juices leaked out around his shaft as he kissed her tenderly, licking her lips to coax them open. It wasn't difficult; she was fairly well broken, but she was also as willing as she could be right now.

He groaned deeply into her mouth as her arms came up to hold onto him tightly as her body clenched around him, a shudder passing through her and her legs pressing him even deeper. His knot swelled with each thrust, passing in and out of her until it was too large to do so anymore and drew a howl from him as it stuck inside her body with the unique pleasure nothing else could bring. 

With a deep, lusty rumble, he shifted to start grinding his pelvis against her clit with short, rapid thrusts that were meant to bring them both to orgasm quickly.

Vondra whimpered and shuddered, still unable to grasp the intensity of what pleasure could be even as it washed through her body and shot up her spine to block out everything but her focus on the sensations her body knew it wanted and still scared her pretty badly.

Janos howled again, pumping his seed deep into her hot, hungry sex, the sound echoing in the well sound-proofed room as his balls pulled up close to his body to spill their contents into a willing body.

* * *

* * *

* * *

"Y'know, every time I come back here, I promise myself it'll be the last," Janos chuckled, trying to make a joke out of it as they came in for a landing at one of Nar Shaddaa's numerous spaceports.

Jay had to admit one very uncomfortable thing as they'd flown in through the upper-class residencies above the slums. Add a few years of general neglect and smog, and Nar Shaddaa and Coruscant would be nearly indistinguishable, unless you knew the landmarks. They both had well-designed homes for the wealthy, places where they lived and did business and enjoyed themselves ....

And then you broke the skin of the apple, and found it was rotten to the core.

The big difference, at least for a Force-sensitive like him, was the glowing center of Light that was the Jedi Temple of Coruscant on one and wasn't on the other.

It was gray here. It wasn't a land of Dark yet, but there was no focus of Light on Nar Shaddaa.

Just desperation. How any Jedi could stand to live there for any period of time, like Doruth had, he really didn't know.

Probably the same way he had, by losing their sensitivity to it, or by being so desperate themselves that it wasn't that remarkable.

"You and me both." Jay added quietly.

"At least we're not going to be as limited in our movements as we were on Toydaria. And we've got enough money to stay out of the bad parts," Janos pointed out, reaching over to squeeze Jay's shoulder lightly as they touched down. "Just hole up for a few weeks, stock up on stuff we can sell for credits when we're back in the Republic, spend some time with the pets, and we'll be on our way to Ambrintha."

"And hopefully the last of seeing Jedi for a while." He nodded with a deep breath. He had to admit, most of his aversion to this place was the memories of those two years as a kit. He wasn't fond of remembering the time so close to when he'd still been with his family. It still hurt.

"This time I'm sure," Janos said certainly. "Scanners said that one of the ships was gone, the other seemed to be heading for _totally_ the wrong place after they followed us."

"Good," he murmured and reached over to squeeze Janos' leg as they set down, then stood to go greet the welcoming committee.

"Just hope Keval the Rat isn't working here any more," Janos murmured as they started for the hatch. "That wouldn't be fun at all." He noticed the door to the slave quarters closing quickly, and the white-furred muzzle disappearing behind it. He chuckled a bit; Vondra was _so_ not ready to be out and about around here for long.

"Think we'll go for an apartment?" He asked Jay conversationally as they waited their turn, a few ships ahead of them already.

"Any advantage to it?" He glanced at the Wolf, unsure why they'd want to stay off the ship.

"Space, mostly ... a bit more convenient to get around. That, and we've been staying on this ship for a couple _months_ now."

"I take it that's unusual for you." He actually chuckled softly. "Sure, we can get a place to stay."

"Jay, I usually stay on a ship long enough to get from one planet to the next," Janos chuckled. "Like most people. The Sharufa's a nice ship, but there's something to be said for a nice, comfy apartment with room service and a four-star galactic rating. I'll even pay the rent," he added with a wink.

He wasn't expecting the uneasy shift in Jay's body language for a moment before the tom caught himself, but a second later he realized he should have. Jay _was_ Jedi raised and had over half a century with the Order. That kind of luxury was probably as alien to them as it was generally believed.

"All right," Jay nodded, returning the slight smile. Neither one doubted he was doing it because he knew Janos wanted to be Alpha for a while, and the Alpha handled such things.

"Trust me," Janos rumbled, leaning over to lick Jay's unscarred cheek lightly. "We could all use a little pampering for a bit, you especially."

"Janos Miklar? It's been a while!" A cheerful voice said as a lean Ferret walked up to them. Janos' grin made it obvious that he both recognized it, and that it was somebody he got along with.

"Hey Tony," he called back. "So, you're working port now?"

"Yep," the Ferret nodded easily. "Better work than I was doing before, that's for sure. So, who's your friend?" He asked, glancing at Jay.

"Jay Miklar," Janos said easily. "Mate, met him a couple months back. The Azine still offering rooms? I know every time I come here the rumor mill's buzzing about some Hutt or another thinking of tearing the place down after it buys it."

"As if they'd tear down that money-maker," Tony snorted, shaking his head. "I think it's just an excuse to get people to fill up the cheap rooms, 'while they still can.'"

"Of course it is," Janos laughed. "The last three times it's been sold it's stayed in the same clan. And as I remember, every time it is, the rooms fill up in a day or two."

"Well, it's been a few years since the last time they sold it," Tony chuckled. "So it should be clear. Planning on staying there?"

"I've got two mates and four slaves to put up for a while, and I can't think of anywhere better to do it," Janos chuckled. "Jay, this is Tony Rendazza, an old friend of mine. Main reason I _do_ keep coming back," he winked at the Ferret.

"You're just saying that because last time it was to keep me from ending up _permanently_ belonging to Kobba," the Ferret chuckled, offering a small hand to Jay. "Good to meet you. Janos has pretty good taste, even if you're not the sort of guy he usually goes for."

"So what does he usually go for?" Jay chuckled and accepted the handshake.

"Younger, small - at least not built," Tony chuckled, winking at Janos. "Guys like me, fems - people he can put in their place when he's playing with 'em."

"That would explain his pet." Jay snickered easily.

"Hush you," Janos chuckled. "Jealousy doesn't become you."

"It's only jealous if you don't share," the Ferret grinned, glancing at Jay with a twinkle in his eye.

"Now that depends on our mood." Jay chuckled, giving the Ferret a more serious looking over.

"Mmm ... well, if you two end up in the right mood, Janos knows how to get in touch with me," the Ferret grinned, his own eyes roaming up and down both their bodies. "So, here to work, or just laying low for a while?"

"Laying low, and getting some trade goods so we can get credits when we're out of Hutt-space," Janos said easily. "I had a little run-in with some Jedi on Toydaria, managed to lose 'em but I'd really rather not find 'em again."

"Gotcha," Tony said easily. "Anything in particular I should be watching for?"

"Ship called the Kalrass and a Panther who was posing as a smuggler. His partner's a blue-skinned woman with a tattoo on her cheek, looks like a snowflake." Janos said easily.

"Also a Panther/shewolf pair on board the Gurath." Jay added quietly. "Jedi too, old ones. He'd probably pose as a gambler and drifter, she's a trader."

"I'm make sure word gets out that the ships should be given the red-tape special if either shows up," the Ferret nodded. "So I'm guessing you guys want to get moving pretty quick, huh?"

"Yeah, we do," Janos nodded, pulling out a small pouch and slipping five heavy peggat coins into his hand, passing them over to Tony. "So why don't we skip the formalities, you know I wouldn't be importing anything more dangerous than me."

"Yeah, but that means you could be hiding a baby rancor in there for all I know," Tony smirked back, putting two coins in the pouch reserved for official fees and pocketing the remainder. "The usual cabs'll be out there. Oh, and Janos? Watch yourself if you're heading down by Kobba's while you're around here. Keval's still steamed about the tail thing."

"Hey, not my fault the idiot tried to disarm me," Janos shrugged. "Thanks for the warning though."

"I think he got off easy if all you removed was his tail." Jay observed with a bit of a smirk for his mate.

"Long story," Janos chuckled. "But that's the part that really got him. See you around, Tony. Maybe we can hit a club some time," he winked.

"I'll look forward to it," the Ferret grinned as the two of them started up onto the ship to get Mina and the assorted slaves.

* * *

Jay looked at Janos dubiously when the large cab transporting the seven of them stopped at a high-scale clothing store.

"Trust me Jay, we'll want more than what we've got at this point to check in at the Azine," the Wolf said easily. "We're good enough to check in, but kinda close to the low end, and that's about all we could do."

"It _will_ be nice to have something that fits tight in the _right_ places," Mina mused from where she was sitting on the other side of Jay.

"All right," the tom acquiesced without debate and got out with his mates, their four slaves obedient and silent not far behind them.

"Won't take too long," Janos said easily. "I figure a set to wear in, an extra change, and then we can pick up more later if we want. Or have somebody else pick it up for us," he chuckled.

"Just how high-class _is_ this place?" Mina asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It's not the best, but it's one of the better places on Nar Shaddaa," Janos explained. "Hutts have been known to stay there on vacations from Nal Hutta, for what it's worth."

"Not much, if it's anything like that swamp," Mina pointed out.

"Not unless you want it to be," Janos said easily. "I've stayed there as a guard a couple times, it'll be good to be the guest for once."

"It has to be fairly high end if I don't have the clothes to check in with." Jay pointed out. "Or that we need to get them here." He added with a motion towards the store where a set of clothes could run a year's pay for Nar Shaddaa's working class in the neighborhood.

"Yeah, but we can afford it," Janos chuckled as they walked in. "So, ladies first?" He asked as they were approached by a well-dressed Mouse sales clerk.

Jay nodded, looking around at the various racks with a critical eye for both construction and appearance, while Mina stepped forward to claim her rightful place as the ranking female.

"Welcome to Etwin's. How may I help you?" The soft silvery-white Mouse asked with a polite bow to them.

"We need some more formal outfits for myself, my mates, and our pets," Mina explained easily. "Preferably some that will still work over the next few months," she added, brushing a hand over her belly with a nod to the even more obviously pregnant Cat behind her.

"Of course," he smiled easily and motioned for two others to come foreword. "Basana will assist you." He motioned to a sleek white shecat that stepped forward and bowed to Mina. "Rass can clothe your other pets." He indicated a prim white Rat fem. "If the gentlemen will follow me." He looked at Jay and Janos.

"And something sexy for them as well." Jay added.

"Yes, sir." Both female assistants acknowledged his request.

"Something that will make a good display of my state." Mina added more quietly to Basana with a purr and covert glance at Jay. "He very much likes to know he has kits coming."

"Certainly, Ma'am," Basana nodded, leading Mina off as Rass led the slaves to a slightly different portion of the store, leaving Jay and Janos with their clerk.

"Well, looks like we're on our own then," Janos chuckled. "Fortunately, we're not _completely_ hopeless when it comes to outfits."

"How much flair are you looking to have in them?" The Mouse asked, noting Jay's definite flair.

"A fair amount," Jay chuckled.

"It suits both of us," Janos said easily. "And being easy to move around in is a requirement."

"Understood, sir," the Mouse nodded. "I believe I know just the thing," he said, considering what both of them were already wearing for a moment before he led them off into another portion of the shop where the cloth and cuts were distinctly masculine.

* * *

"Well, looks like the girls are still shopping," Janos chuckled as he sat down next to Jay, dressed in a set of light robes that were cut close to his body. They'd still give him plenty of room to hide a blaster and his lightsaber later, and the dark-red fabric looked good against his grey fur. A couple similar outfits were already waiting to be picked up after they'd checked in; expensive, but he thought it would be worth it. "So, going better than you'd expected so far?"

"Yes, though getting to see the females try things on has its appeal." The tom chuckled with a wink.

"We can watch them at the hotel tonight too," Janos pointed out with a rumble. "And taking them off. Have to admit, I'm a little curious what they'll manage to find. Just hope it's legal in public," he chuckled.

"I'm hoping some of it _isn't_." Jay licked his whiskers back. "But most nightwear isn't."

"Of course not," Janos grinned. "But it _would_ be nice to show them off in public once in a while, yes?"

"And make everyone else jealous of what we have." He chuckled and relaxed on the plush bench even as he reached out with his mind to check on the progress the others were having.

"Of course," the Wolf grinned. "How're they doin'?" He asked him.

"Vondra's taken charge in her group, they're almost done. Mina's being a pain." He shrugged. "So what happened with that Rat?"

"Keval?" Janos asked, snorting a bit. "He's a merc who _likes_ to think he's better than me. Might be too, if we were in a dark alley and I didn't know he was there. We've had our share of run-ins; I've managed to piss him off each time."

"I know that one," Jay chuckled a bit darkly. "Mine's named Navik. Next time, I don't think I'll let him live."

"I wouldn't have let Keval the last time I ran into him," Janos chuckled. "But Kobba cut a deal with me. He needed a competent bodyguard he didn't have to pay more than he needed another slave hooker, so he traded Keval for Tony. So, as you might imagine, the Rat's _exceptionally_ unhappy with me."

"Yes, I can imagine." He nodded with a low chuckle. "How did Tony end up a slave?" He glanced at his mate curiously, not really up on the slave-laws.

"He was working for Kobba when the Hutt decided it'd be a good idea to not have to pay him anymore," Janos said easily. "He was just a dancer most of the time, but that wasn't enough to cover all his bills, and Kobba arranged to have his 'special' customers sent to other people for a few months. Tony ended up owing a lot of money and Kobba 'offered' to accept the debts when it hit the courts. Same scheme puts a lot of people like him in that position."

Jay could only shake his head slightly, wondering why the Hutts bothered to pay anyone if it was that easy to get a slave even as it still riled him to see such abuse of the system and people.

"So how'd you get Keval?"

"I went to have a few 'polite words' with Kobba about Tony," the Wolf shrugged. "Keval was working for him as a bodyguard. When things got frisky, I took off the tip of his tail with my lightsaber and basically dismantled him. He wasn't my slave at that point, but Kobba offered to give me Tony in exchange for not killing him, which meant Keval had to cover Tony's value to Kobba."

"And his own medical bills." He nodded, looking up as the shecat shop assistant came up to them.

"Would you like to see what has been picked out before accepting it, sirs?" She asked them politely.

"Yes please," Janos nodded and stood to follow her towards the changing rooms. "They're ready then, I take it?"

"Yes, sir." She nodded and led the pair to where the three pets were.

A first look at Misha, dressed in a deep burgundy that flowed into her black fur and accentuated her slender, rounded figure and natural sensuality, took Jay's breath away.

Janos was rumbling too; it was an excellent choice, and one that was perfectly legal to wear in public. He knew there were a few outfits here that wouldn't be, and that she had probably chosen some of them. The Minervan Mink wasn't the least bit shy about her purpose or her desires.

Y'alla came out next, wearing a pale violet dress that clung to her figure nicely. It looked good on her, but he had a feeling that it had definitely been chosen with Mina's tastes in mind; easy to remove, and it wouldn't be a tragedy if it was torn some night.

He had to fight to keep his jaw from hitting the floor when Vondra stepped out. The powder-blue dress she was wearing was a perfect example of understated elegance, especially on her. It was cut just low enough to give a hint of what was beneath it, and the fine fabric clung to her body like it was cut to it. Darker blue patterns were woven into the dress, seeming to shift as the light shifted on it, making each movement eye-catching.

It wasn't as intentionally sexy as Misha's or Y'alla's, but it would fit nicely in any of a thousand different places that were _far_ higher class than Janos would be interested in going. She wasn't overdressed for where they were going either, which was definitely a nice touch.

"Very nice." Jay rumbled in definite, unabashed approval of all three, though his gaze lingered on Vondra a bit longer than the others. Her choice, and what he'd caught when he'd checked on them, made him doubt she was even remotely as accustomed to her status as the others.

"Agreed," Janos rumbled. "Are the others similar to these?"

"One other set," the assistant nodded. "Do you wish to see the nightwear as well?"

No one could doubt that Misha wanted to show it off, and Vondra wasn't nearly so happy about the idea.

"If they want to," Janos said, looking at Vondra and hoping it was clear that she could say no if she wanted to. That could be a more private showing, as far as he was concerned. He smiled slightly when she stepped forward to slide in on his arm.

"You look good, Master." Vondra murmured in his ear as the other two disappeared into the changing room, Misha with a wink for her Master.

"And you're stunning," he murmured back, licking her cheek affectionately. "You picked this out?"

"Yes, Master." She smiled faintly, her body language much more comfortable than they'd seen in her before. "I recognize many of these designers."

"There is definitely more to you than I thought at first," he rumbled as he wrapped an arm around her waist. "I'm guessing that Misha at least strongly suggested what you should get for nightwear?" He chuckled lightly, having a good feeling that her dislike of the idea was probably at least in part a difference in opinion over what was sexy ... and what was completely inappropriate to be worn in public.

"Yes, and I even listened, though her taste in color is a bit more garish than I chose." She admitted with a slight shake of her head.

"I'd say she listened to you for daywear, then." Jay managed despite the deep rumble as his pet came out with an utterly unabashed saunter in a concealing-nothing 'outfit' in shimmering white that drew the eye to all the places it _didn't_ cover her sleek black fur. It was by no stretch legal anywhere outside a bedroom or sex club, and the Minervan Mink relished in it.

"Mmm ... we'll get something a bit more your speed later," Janos promised. "Though to judge by what she's wearing, I'm looking forward o seeing what she picked for you," he added with a grin for the Minervan Mink.

"It's not that exciting, Master." Vondra blushed deeply even as Misha grinned at her.

Y'alla was out next again, her dark, nearly black outfit concealing a bit more, but still making everything available that her mistress might want access to ... especially her back, where faint hints of scars from prior owners could be seen. Janos noted that it was similar to an outfit he'd seen on several Hutt slaves before, almost identical even. It was clearly a submissive's gown, tight and restraining motion slightly, barely legal outside a sex club, and easily made less so with little effort.

It was a view that drew Jay's attention too, though not quite in the way a pleasure-slave would have wanted. He was looking at her scars, and trying to find an appreciation of the constricting outfit and just not quite managing it.

Mina would love it, though, both males were sure of it.

"She has another outfit that you two will probably like better," Vondra whispered to Janos softly. The Wolf nodded slightly; they'd go for both. Y'alla _was_ Mina's first, in a way, it made sense she'd wear this one primarily.

"Is there anything else we should see?" He asked the clerk.

He was about to suggest showing the others, until he caught sight of Mina and Tami approaching them from elsewhere in the store. Mina was dressed to exemplify her figure and pregnancy, and _much_ finer than Tami, but that was appropriate too, given Tami was a general slave and not expected to go out to dinner with them. She probably would, knowing Jay, and her clothing was quite good enough for it, but she was by far the least well dressed of the seven.

He saw Jay study the pair for a moment, then felt the tom's decision not to challenge it, even as he felt Jay's very sexual and protective response to Mina's appearance. He had to give her credit; she knew very well how to manipulate Jay without saying anything or being overtly provocative.

"I think that will be all." Janos nodded.

"Very well sir," the Mouse nodded, pulling out a datapad quickly and totaling up the prices. "You will be staying at the Azine, yes?"

"Yes," Janos nodded easily.

"We'll have the extra clothes prepared for pickup shortly then. The bill will be waiting for you there, simply make payment when the other clothes are picked up," the Mouse said easily.

Which, Janos knew, would also be the time when the trackers that were undoubtedly in the clothes they were wearing would be deactivated. A very efficient means of guaranteeing payment, on this planet.

Mina strolled up to Jay, giving him a lingering kiss that was returned without a thought. She turned slightly to show her best side to him and felt his arms slide around her to run down her sides and press her belly ever so lightly against his hard body.

"You like?" She asked with a purr, knowing the answer already.

"Very much." He rumbled, obvious to Misha more for the Minervan Mink's protection than truly being _that_ enamored of the attractive shecat that was looking quite good to him.

"Come on you two," Janos chuckled. "Let's have Misha and Y'alla change back into their good clothes and go check in before I have to bail you out for going too far in public."

"Spoilsport," Jay teased him with a wink and allowed Mina to step back into a more acceptable embrace around the waist while the two pleasure slaves did as Janos had said. "I saw that look you gave Vondra."

"You also saw that it didn't go any farther," Janos pointed out with a smirk, giving his pet an affectionate lick. "And I'm the one who's _supposed_ to have self-control issues."

"Now boys, keep it civil." Mina purred teasingly with an easy laugh. "And suitable for public."

"Yes, ma'am." Jay rolled his eyes, though he remained in a good mood.

"First thing we've agreed on in a long time," Janos chuckled slightly, seemingly good-natured for all that the words came with a vivid memory of what he'd seen on Y'alla's back.

He'd be watching to make sure that extra scars weren't something he saw _too_ often.

* * *

Jay flicked his eyes around the grand entrance to the Azine. This was more palace than hotel to him, and it made him as uneasy as anywhere short of a Dark Side site.

None of them really fit in here. The slaves looked reasonably comfortable, at least, and Janos was clearly prepared for what he was seeing. Mina was about the only one responding with as much visible surprise as he was feeling. Vondra actually looked more comfortable here than she had since they'd first seen her.

He was _so_ glad Janos had talked him into a brief stop to pick up some clothes that would fit in. Even only a couple changes was better than showing up at a place like this in what they'd been wearing on the Sharufa. They'd all need a couple more sets for here, plus the normal clothing they'd need elsewhere. 

He had to admit, the relaxed look looked _good_ on Vondra, and Misha knew how to look hot as hell no matter what.

"Come on," Janos said easily, leading the way in, his mates close behind and the slaves behind them.

"Welcome to the Azine," the doorman, a prim-looking Weasel in hotel uniform greeted them as they entered and Mina and Jay tried not to gawk at the grand lobby, it's fine marble, chandeliers, paintings, statues and the people even more decked out than the decor.

Jay caught himself quickly, and Mina did a moment later, both well before they reached the blue uniformed staff behind the grand check-in counter.

"I believe you have a reservation for the Miklar pack in one of your suites?" Janos said easily.

"Ah, yes." A Vixen smiled at him. "The penthouse is ready for you. If you would sign here, please." She gave him a lightslate and pen.

"Thank you," he nodded, taking the pen and slate and quickly signing, adding the print signature that would confirm his identity. "Glad we were able to find a slot on such short notice," he chuckled.

Of course, the Rodian who'd been planning on staying there in two days would be surprised to find out his reservation had been cancelled, but Janos didn't much care and Jay had been all too gleeful to cancel it.

"How many keys would you like, sir?" She addressed Janos.

"Three," he said easily. "One for myself and each of my mates."

She nodded and quickly typed that in before handing three slender cards made of gold to him. "Your butler will show you to the penthouse." She motioned to a perfectly groomed black and tan Hound approaching them.

"Welcome to the Azine." The canine bowed to them. "I am Thomin, your butler. If you would follow me."

The seven of them fell into step behind the Hound, following him to a lift that would carry them up to their rooms, listening to his polished rendition of the services the hotel considered exceptional or unusual that it wanted its best guests to know about.

The lift opened directly into the penthouse suite, leaving Mina speechless and Vondra giving a soft sound of approval.

Janos and Jay both caught the butler's quick assessment that he was dealing with a group that was less than accustomed to dealing with such wealth. Janos, at least, was familiar with it ... and the benefits of it. He'd been in these suites before, courtesy of a few employers who wanted to lay low without living down to the level of the place they were staying at.

The entry room was pristine, done in fine marble with gold, stone and gem inlays along with decorations similar to the public spaces, but even finer. Just this room was worth a half a million credits in material and crafting costs. The rest of the two-story apartment would be similarly lavish. 

And no matter what happened, nobody would raise an eyebrow unless the Hutts took an interest in it. That was a benefit he didn't _want_ to use, but if it came up, it'd be helpful. He already knew they'd arrange body removals if something came up.

He could tell, too, that Jay was being polite by moving with the group as they were shown around. The Kat wanted to get moving and assess the place himself for escape routes and weak points.

The tour was over fairly quickly; Mina was able to get the slightly shocked look out of her eyes, and between Janos and Vondra, they were able to confirm that they knew how everything worked fairly quickly.

"Well then, will you be needing anything right away?" The Hound asked as they returned to the entry a few minutes later.

"Yes, actually," Janos nodded. "We have some packages at Etwin's that we'll need packed up, and I'll need a month's supply of Vetoril delivered as soon as it's possible."

"Of course, sir." The Hound bowed to him and turned to go to his small office to arrange for both.

"Vetoril?" Vondra stepped up next to Janos as Jay headed off to run his own tour of the place and the other females headed to stake out their respective spaces.

"Cycle suppressant for Wolves," he said easily, not sure if she didn't know what it was or was just surprised he was ordering it. "I'm not particularly looking forward to joining the expectant parents around here any time soon. Hey, Jay!" He called off to the tom searching the place. "Double check the alarms near the fire escape on the second floor when you're up there!"

"Turned on and hooked up right so far." Jay called back without physically checking them yet. "I'll give them this much, they're good at security."

"They have to be," Janos called back with a chuckle. "So, why don't we get everybody settled in, hmm?" He asked, looking around and stretching out. "Think we've got almost enough rooms for everybody to have some space to themselves," he chuckled.

"That will be a pleasant chance." Vondra rumbled and kissed his cheek before making a graceful departure to claim her own room for the stay.

* * *

Vondra Santross took a deep breath and settled into a role she'd thought lost to her. The trappings were very much like home; the restaurant in the Azine hotel was fine enough to suit any of her kin back on Corellia. She was dressed as she was used to; everything but the group walking around to her was very much like home had been.

Jay, to her surprise, had settled in and was looking and acting the part of long familiarity with wealth in every way. Maybe he had been at one point, and lost it. His ship certainly had a flair and quality that spoke of much money put into survival rather than decoration. Much like the tom himself used his energy and time.

Despite Janos being the accepted Alpha of them, she could see in the reactions that Jay was being taken as the true authority and that she was the Alpha female, not Mina. It was strange, and a little dangerous if the shecat ever noticed, but it was also appealing. Vondra was recognized for who she was; a lady of wealth and breeding.

She had some of that by right too, as the Alpha's bitch. Even as a slave, her position on Janos' arm gave her some real authority that her natural bearing and upbringing only enhanced.

Of course, the fact that Janos didn't like Mina at all didn't help the shecat's status any; she was sure that Mina was aware of _that_ , even _she_ was by now.

"Welcome," the maitre'd said easily as they walked up to the lean brown Rabbit behind the small desk. "You are the new guests, yes?"

"Yes," Janos nodded slightly, relatively familiar with the way wealth and such hotels worked from watching various employers.

"All seven at the same table, sir?" The Rabbit asked politely, directing his comments to Janos even though he could sense that Jay held the final authority and Vondra looked to outrank the male Wolf by her natural bearing.

"Yes," Janos said easily. There wasn't any particular reason to split them up; after all, it would rather defeat the purpose of _bringing_ their pets along to have them eat elsewhere, at least in his mind.

The Rabbit glanced down to double check the availability and picked up a handful of thin, small lightslates. "If you would follow me, please." He bowed to them slightly and headed into the posh restaurant.

The seven guests followed him, most of their noses working overtime to pick out all the various scents coming from the delicious food. They found their way to a large, round table in a relatively private room, taking their seats around it as the maitre'd handed them each a lightslate.

"Your server is F'rena; she will be with you shortly." He informed them by telling Janos. "Is there anything I can arrange for you now?"

Vondra gave Janos a look that was very easy to read; she did want something, but would not speak up without permission.

"Vondra?" He asked, giving her the permission as he surreptitiously glanced around to see what sort of drinks were being served without giving any outward sign he was doing so. Most seemed to be drinking some variety of wine, but stronger things and various non-intoxicants were apparent as well.

"Two bottles of vintage Resueneti shabinone resine for the table." She spoke smoothly with the easy manner of one who was familiar with what she was saying and exactly what it was.

"Of course, ma'am." The Rabbit inclined his head politely.

"That should do for a start," Janos nodded easily. "Mina, Tami, what would you two like?" He asked, knowing that even the wine wouldn't be particularly good for either of them at this point.

"Spiced hot milk." Mina decided after a moment's annoyance at having the wine off limits.

"Milk, sir." Tami said softly, much more submissive than any of the others.

"At once, sir." The Rabbit bowed to Janos and moved away.

"Good choice," Janos smiled to Vondra. "You're really taking well to this place."

"This is what I grew up with." She said simply.

"It shows," he nodded slightly, not bothering to ask how she'd ended up where he'd found her if that was the case. "Unusual, but helpful. Especially with me," he chuckled.

He caught that she held a comment back, something fairly sharp given the flare of hatred and something else from deep inside her, but there was no indication of it if he wasn't paying attention to the minds around him. Her manner remained flawless as a chestnut Mare delivered their drinks and poured the wine with an easy hand.

"I know some exceptional places on Corellia if we ever visit there." Vondra said easily.

"Maybe we will," he nodded, not sure if he wanted to ask about the comment later or not. Probably not, at least not yet. "A glass for the two mothers to be as well, please," he told the waitress politely as she prepared to leave the bottle. "One glass shouldn't be a problem."

After all, at least for a little while it wouldn't do to tick Mina off too badly.

The Mare nodded and easily filled the last two wine glasses on the table to the same level as the others, finishing off the second bottle of the wine that she'd brought for them before leaving with both empty containers.

Janos was about to pick up one to taste when he caught Vondra go stiff inside, a reaction that was quickly followed by Jay fixating on something nearby as he began to taste her fear.

His eyes shifted to what he felt most certain was the source of Vondra's reaction, the rest of his body concealing the motion. A buff white Wolf, coming in the main entrance. He was dressed to the nines, clearly comfortable with the wealth.

If it weren't for that and the color, Janos would almost have thought he was looking at a version of himself. He didn't think the newcomer was a sensitive, but that just made the aura of arrogance, and the nearly-visible promise of pain to anybody who challenged it, all the more disturbing.

Nobles were like that a lot of the time, but usually not so much you could _feel_ it.

His hand beneath the table shifted slightly, resting on the grip of the holdout blaster hidden in his clothes. If it was necessary, he wanted to be able to fire quickly. He knew Jay was, both physically and with a set of Force-skills that Janos wasn't quite so comfortable using in public.

Despite her internal reaction, Vondra was still flawlessly composed to the eye. She was trying not to look at the newcomer, who was now clearly headed for them, but she wasn't nearly as skilled at it as the males.

"You must be the Miklar Alpha." The white Wolf rumbled with a manner than did more than just hint that he didn't consider it of that much consequence.

"I am," Janos said, looking up at him and meeting his eyes. There was a force of personality and natural domination there that actually made it a choice not to look away. "Though it seems you have me at a disadvantage."

"* _He's trouble._ *" Jay rumbled, not liking the newcomer at all.

"Vondrich Kamarn." He introduced himself with an easy arrogance. "It seems you have come into possession of something of mine."

"I was _never_ yours, ken'thu." Vondra flattened her ears with the low growl, the first sign of aggression any of them had seen from her.

Only Janos had any idea how much of an insult she'd just given, but Vondrich's bared fangs clued the others in quickly to how much she'd succeeded.

"And even if she was, that situation has changed _several_ times since," Janos rumbled, standing. It never did to deal with a dominance issue when you were beneath the challenger. Standing, he was on a more even footing - a couple inches above the other Wolf. "Personally, I'm inclined to believe her."

It was a moment that could have turned into a fight, and everyone in the area was watching cautiously least they had to get out of the way of the two Alphas if it came to blows.

"She is your pet now," Vondrich acknowledged, gathering his wits about himself quickly. "I can offer you more than she is worth to you."

"How much?" Janos asked with a bit of a chuckle in his voice. Not that he had any intention of selling her just now, least of all to an ass like this, despite her complete panic that the conversation had gotten this far.

"Five thousand." The white Wolf offered, his tone that of a beginning price, not a final one, as Vondra's heart sank. She knew just how many times that was the price of a top slave.

"Hmm ... let's say you're not _completely_ insulting me and giving me your top offer, and that you'd go up to maybe double that ... you're still talking pocket change to me, pretty boy," Janos smirked, knowing he was getting under the other's skin already. "Even if you're right that it's more than she's worth, I don't feel like selling a new pet for an offer that rates petty cash. Why don't you go find yourself somebody more in your price range? Kobba's major domo usually has some cheap playthings on offer."

It was an insult not lost on Vondrich, who bristled.

"You should take the offer, ken'thu." He rumbled darkly. "Lest you get nothing for her."

The insult didn't matter in the least to Janos; he knew he wasn't blooded, and didn't really give a shit.

The fact that he picked up on the thinly veiled threat not just to himself, but to Vondra, he _did_ care about.

"You listen to me, Dog-blood," Janos rumbled softly, baring his teeth for a moment as he brushed the pocket with his hold-out blaster up so the other Wolf could feel the barrel against him for a brief moment. "I'm going to pretend you weren't thinking what you were," he continued in a near-whisper. "But if you think for an instant that you're going to threaten me, my friends, or anybody in my pack, then you'd better go have a word with Keval about what happens to people who try that sort of shit with me."

"You will regret that, ken'thu." Vondrich growled and turned on heel to leave, giving a final insult by ignoring the very real threat that Janos represented by turning his back on the warrior.

"He'll be back." Jay commented dryly, a bit riled himself.

"I don't doubt it," Janos rumbled, taking his seat and shaking a bit to flatten his fur out. "If he does, I'm sure he'll give me ample excuse to rearrange his smug face for him. You two have history?" He asked Vondra.

"He made his fortune in the slave trade out here," she said quietly, taking a bit too deep a drink of wine to settle her badly rattled nerves. "He's been courting the daughters of several reputable families to gain access to the respect and access their name brings."

"Bastard," Janos muttered, shaking his head. "Well, if he tries anything, he'll be learning a very painful lesson."

"He's persistent and ruthless," she warned him quietly and got her flawless exterior back in place in time to face their server.

"So am I, when I want to be," Janos rumbled, settling in and getting ready to place their order.

* * *

Jay dropped onto one of the deeply padded armchairs in their suite with a soft, content sigh. Good food, a fairly relaxed meal, being treated like he belonged ... he couldn't remember the last time he _hadn't_ drawn looks. Here, no one looked at him unusually. He wasn't Jedi, he wasn't treated like he was scarred, he wasn't anything they weren't expecting.

He couldn't help but purr softly when Misha settled herself along his side, snuggling it up against him and just as content as he was.

It was a good day to be alive, the first he could recall in some time.

"Now _this_ was a good night, Vondrich aside," Janos rumbled, taking a seat of his own and trying to coax Vondra into his lap briefly. He couldn't help but be privately surprised when she settled there, though she maintained the prim manner her dress brought out in her. He felt her shudder at the other Wolf's name.

"True, though at least he backed down before it turned into a fight." Jay smiled and nuzzled his Minervan Mink.

"If he hadn't, it would've been his corpse," Janos chuckled, setting his blaster to the side and nuzzling Vondra lightly as she slowly relaxed into the more submissive, sexually available role she had in private.

"Mmm ... though he _will_ be back," Mina pointed out with a purr, gratefully sitting down and leaning back with Y'alla kneeling between her legs on the floor. "At least as long as we're on Nar Shaddaa."

"It's not like he's that much of a threat." Jay pointed out, both his mates realizing at about the same time that he liked the way he was treated here by the staff and other guests. "Guy's not even a sensitive."

"Hey, I'm not gonna argue with that," Janos chuckled. "I figure we've got a good chunk of time before we have to worry about him seriously. Doesn't much matter what sort of money he has, unless he goes and hires a good chunk of the Exchange to come down on us, we can handle it. And I really don't think he's crazy enough to bankrupt himself over something like that."

"He's much more likely to hire an assassin." Vondra murmured uneasily. "He doesn't accept loosing. Not anything this valuable."

"And you won't be going anywhere you can't be protected," Janos reassured her, kissing her cheek lightly. "Like I said, unless he brings the whole Exchange down on our heads, assassins and bounty hunters alike, he won't be getting anywhere."

"I hope not." She tried to sound reassured, though she really wasn't all that much. Then she nuzzled him back and licked his ear. "Why don't we head to bed?"

Nobody missed the surprised expression on his face, but he returned the affectionate lick and helped her to her feet.

"Sure," he rumbled, standing after her. "It's been a long night."

"Yes, it has." Vondra smiled shyly and ghosted a hand along his side as they stood.

"Let's go," he rumbled, wrapping an arm around her side and leading her into their bedroom. "You're in a good mood," he rumbled, kissing her gently as the door closed behind them. He found the returned kiss a bit bolder than usual and opened himself up to her surface thoughts. He couldn't be surprised that she was grateful that he hadn't sold her, even for the outrageous sum. He was a little surprised that it made her more comfortable with him ... more confident in her place and herself.

"Maybe I'm getting used to you." She smiled shyly and slid her hands down his chest to lightly fondle his groin.

"Mmm ... maybe I need more people to try to buy you from me," he chuckled, rumbling and caressing her back as he looked for the zipper on her dress. "Though I like the idea of you getting used to me." He growled as the door buzzed slightly.

"Just a moment," he grumbled, pulling back slightly.

"The Vetoril you requested, sir." Their butler said calmly as the door opened, offering a small packet of pills in one hand.

"Ah, thank you," he nodded, taking the packet and closing the door as the Hound left.

"Will you need something to drink with this?" He asked Vondra, popping one of the pills out for her.

Vondra's dress slipped off her shoulders as he turned around, an almost wanton look for her on her face as she stepped up to him again and licked the small pill from his fingers.

He rumbled deeply as she swallowed it, caressing her muzzle and reaching down her body to stroke the lips of her sex lightly.

"That answers that," he rumbled, kissing her again. "You're definitely in a better mood."

"And you have too many clothes on." She quipped as she knelt to nuzzle his groin, leaving his hand near her breasts as she kept his attention on what her muzzle was doing while her hands loosened his pants.

"One way to fix that," he rumbled, petting her head before he started to undo his vest and shirt. He wasn't _entirely_ sure what the change was about, but he was _not_ about to complain about it.

He drew a sharp breath when he felt her tongue on his balls just before one was drawn into her mouth to be lavished with more attention.

"Oh fuck," he groaned, pausing for a moment to just enjoy the sensation before he kept working on pulling his top off, reaching out to sense Vondra's thoughts and reaction. It was a sharp reminder of how young she was and how inexperienced at doing this voluntarily. Her mind was focused on what little she knew about his pleasure and mostly on trying to do things she'd only heard about.

She was doing a pretty good job of it though; she'd get better with experience.

"Good girl," he rumbled, kicking his pants off and stroking her ears as his cock swelled and pressed against her muzzle. That was a moment when he truly comprehended how effective praise was on her. She had heard so little of it in her life she was very eager for the simple reward. It, and her own ideas, brought her mouth up to pay attention to the soft, bare skin until there was enough of it to fit between her breasts and still lick at.

"Mmm ... feel like experimenting tonight?" He rumbled, scritching her neck and groaning with pleasure as she found a particularly pleasant spot. He had to give her credit for paying attention too. She went back to that spot shortly after she'd processed his reaction.

"Some, Master." She answered before taking the top part of his cock into her mouth while she pressed her breasts around the lower half to enclose it in a furry cocoon that rubbed along the sensitive skin with every movement either made.

His only response was to groan, pumping his seed up into her mouth as he fought the urge to thrust up more, her breasts teasing his knot as it swelled.

He couldn't help but know that she really didn't like the taste flooding her mouth, though she did her best to swallow it and lick him clean, something she'd been trained to do and definitely didn't enjoy.

He pulled her up for a kiss, licking her muzzle affectionately.

"Mmm ... it's an acquired taste," he rumbled as she melted in his arms, and act of trust and desire more than the fearful submission of the first time. He guided her to the bed, nuzzling her neck.

"Such a good pet," he rumbled, rubbing her back. "So, how adventurous are you feeling?"

A spike of fear that this was a trap was quickly suppressed as she nuzzled him back and relaxed again.

"Fairly adventurous." She murmured.

"Okay," he rumbled, shifting down to kiss her breasts as he slid open one of his bags and pulled some of the lube out of it. "Remember, you can ask me to stop if you don't like it."

"Yes, Master." She arched into his touch with honest desire even as she slipped a little further into the pleasure slave mentality.

He reached down as the lube set down next to the bed, opening the jar before starting to stroke her clit, licking and nuzzling his way down her body to a series of moans and whimpers. He didn't have to watch her mind to know she wasn't faking it, though he kept an eye on how she was reacting inside.

It was a shame she wasn't as willing to take the lead just now, but then, with what he was looking for it wasn't really a problem.

He dipped his fingers into the lube, slicking them down nicely before he started to spread the thick gel around her furless pucker.

The reaction was instant and as far from positive as he could think of, though she didn't say anything. Her body tensed against her wishes, memories ripe with the agony of her training unwilling to leave as she squeezed her eyes shut and tried to push them away.

"I can stop," he told her softly, looking up at her. "I won't hurt you like they did though, if you want me to keep going."

"I -- will try." She said with difficulty, the trouble in her memories, not with him.

"All right," he rumbled, licking her sex tenderly, working his fingertip around her anus to get her used to being touched down there, taking his time and keeping a close eye on her real reactions.

It really was rewarding to know, right from her mind, that her reactions were scars from others and her upbringing that this was a dirty thing that only guys did, rather than anything to do with him. She was fighting to please him, because she _wanted_ to please him.

"You're doing well," he reassured her, gently starting to press a finger into her, licking at her clit and trying to distract her with pleasure. 

It worked too, to an extent. Vondra moaned and shivered, pressing into his muzzle without thinking even as her body tried to push his finger out.

He could feel that this wasn't anything she associated with pleasure, that it didn't feel good, but it didn't hurt either. That, in and of itself, was an important victory.

He remembered all too well trying to teach himself that it wasn't about pain, and knew that he could work around that over time. She just needed a good experience to start her that way. That was something he knew he could do if he let her, and it looked like she would. 

He worked his finger in and out of her slowly, letting her adjust to it and working to pleasure her clit and sex as he did so, gradually working his finger in deeper.

She wasn't relaxing, but she wasn't hurting either. As long as it didn't hurt, he was making progress. For a first time after her training, she was doing very well.

He caught her low whimper as she bit her lip. He probably wouldn't get much further tonight, but she was still holding on to giving him the chance to teach her it could be good.

He worked his single finger into her up to the last knuckle, just holding it there for a bit, before he started to work in earnest on stretching her enough to accept another finger while she was still willing.

He pressed his tongue up into her sex as he did so, fingering her hard clit to keep her feeling pleasure along with any small amounts of pain.

This moment, more than almost any other, he was grateful he could read minds. Her pleasure was a minefield almost as bad as he'd been when he'd finally stopped his father's abuse.

He slowly pressed a second finger into her body, and knew an instant before she opened her mouth that this was over for the night. It was simply too much for her yet and she whimpered softly.

"P-please stop, Master."

He pulled out quickly, moving up to hold her close comfortingly, rubbing her back and nuzzling her neck.

"You did good, pet," he told her with a soft rumble. "Better than I expected."

"Thank you, Master." She breathed and shifted to rub against his body even as hers tried to make the open feeling in her ass go away.

"It'll get better," he promised her. "Promise. It'll take a while, but it _will_ get better." He kissed her gently, and then nuzzled her neck, inhaling her scent. For all that she was unsettled by their experimentation, she was definitely still aroused. "Something a bit more normal perhaps?"

"Mmm, yes, Master." She rumbled, eager to encourage him in what she knew would feel good with him.

"Good," he rumbled, shifting back on top of her with an affectionate lick to her neck. He pressed himself up against her entrance, kissing her again.

"Ready?" He asked her.

"Yes, Master." She moaned softly and shifted her hips to urge him to slide into her. This kind of sex she'd already learned to enjoy with him.

He started to slide into her, moaning lustily as her hot, tight body accepted him, and he started to thrust slowly, savoring the feeling.

"Like ... mmm ... this side of you," he rumbled, kissing her hungrily.

She kissed him back with a growing fire, already beginning to accept that pleasure from his acts wouldn't be used against her and that pet or not, he did actually care about her and her desires.

It was more than she'd expected in a husband, for all her parents were picky for her. To find it in a slave-owner, and _her_ owner no less ....

Janos rumbled, using the Force to caress her body lightly as he mated her. He shifted his thrusts a bit, searching for angles that made her feel particularly good.

It wasn't a difficult task. She had no concept of the idea of holding back, and knew he liked it when she made her pleasure clear. It was still a bit of a shock to them both when he rubbed against her g-spot and she howled sharply.

The older Wolf grinned, starting to hammer the rough patch with his shaft as his knot swelled and tied with her and her body tightened rhythmically around his. She brought her legs up to wrap around his hips and whimpered and howled as the pleasure overwhelmed her again.

He howled with her, the sounds harmonizing as he came with her, his shaft erupting inside of her and filling her tight sex with his seed.

* * *

Jay watched Janos leave with his pet, and gently scooted Misha off his lap to stand behind Mina's chair. He slid his hands down her chest and licked her ear playfully. "Why don't we let the pets play, and spend the night together?"

"Mmm ... or we could go for three," she rumbled, flicking her ear playfully and reaching back around the chair to rub his thigh. "I think you could do with having two attractive women tending to your 'needs,' don't you?"

"And you would enjoy having one to tend to yours." He chuckled lightly and tipped her chin up for a light kiss. "Which one?"

"Of course I would," she smiled, kissing him back and reaching down to stroke Y'alla's lekku lightly, earning a light shiver of pleasure from her. "Mmm ... you've never been with a Twi'lek before, if I'm not mistaken? Why don't we change that?"

"No, I haven't been." He consented as his hands slid up to cup her swollen primary breasts and played with them lightly, earning a lusty purr. "Misha, if you feel like finding company, you may go find it."

"Thank you, Master," the Minervan Mink smiled, moving towards the door. "Enjoy yourselves," she winked before heading out the door, leaving the three others behind, Tami discretely disappearing to her room.

"Mmm ... so, I believe the master bedroom is still unoccupied?" Mina purred, reaching up to rub the back of his neck.

"Yes, it is." He chuckled and drew her to her feet for a kiss. "I can already feel their life." He breathed, his fingers spread across her growing belly.

"Mmm ... in a few months, you'll be able to feel more," she promised, turning into the kiss as Y'alla stood obediently. "Let's go make sure they know who their father is, hmm?"

"And you feel too good to forget," he rumbled deeply and licked her ear as they walked to the master bedroom, Y'alla behind them.

"Sounds good to me," she purred. "You're in a good mood tonight," she observed, the door sliding open to admit them as she started to strip off her large dress. It was debatable whether Jay was more help or hindrance, but his hands and mouth moved across her body with little concern for whether there was bare fur yet or not. He just wanted to touch and taste her more than he wanted her naked.

"I suppose I am." He murmured across her lowest breasts.

"Mmm ... I'm not complaining," she purred, using the Force to ghost a touch along his body, paying particular attention to his crotch as her hands worked on his sides and shoulders. "Y'alla, a little help?" She asked. The Twi'lek moved to help Jay start to undressed as she could. While he didn't resist her efforts, he was far more interested in his mate's body than what was happening to his own.

"Good." He grinned and sank to his knees to lightly kiss her sex as Mina's dress pooled around her feet.

"Oh yes," Mina groaned, spreading her legs to let him at her more easily. "Mmm ... you like the way I taste?"

"* _Yes,_ *" he rumbled with a shiver, his tongue working her clit in a slow swirl designed to draw out the pleasure while the caressed her breasts and gently slid his tongue inside her body.

She moaned softly, the muscles of her thighs rippling. She moaned again, more deeply, as Y'alla knelt behind her and rimmed her furless pucker lightly. Her black-striped tail locked up off to the side as her pleasure mounted, her mate and pet working her expertly to a drawn-out orgasm.

Mina cried out in pleasure, her body rippling as her juices flowed down her thighs and around Jay's chin. Y'alla stroked her hips gently, pale blue fingers playing through her fur as she worked with Jay to milk her mistress' orgasm out as long as possible.

"Mmm ... going to stay down there?" Mina asked Jay after a few moments, panting happily.

He chuckled softly and licked her lower lips in one slow motion as he picked up what she had in mind. "I like that idea."

"Oooh ... good," she purred, sitting on the edge of the bed as her legs started to get weak, spreading her legs. "Y'alla, why don't you occupy yourself pleasuring your master, hmm?"

"Yes, Mistress," the Twi'lek smiled, moving around to work Jay's pants off, kissing the back of his neck as he moved to get back at Mina's sex.

This time he gave her some assistance in getting him undressed while still paying attention to Mina. It didn't take long before Y'alla got a look at his fully hard cock and began to stroke it lightly to a soft moan of pleasure almost lost along Mina's.

The skilled pleasure slave kissed and nuzzled Jay's neck and shoulders, her lekku helping as she searched out his pleasure points, stroking his cock lightly as he ate out Mina, her pleasure at giving him pleasure clear and brought a pleasure of it's own to him that even she picked up on.

That was encouragement enough to him to turn part of his attention in the Force to stroking Y'alla's body and learning its pleasures. 

It wasn't lost on Mina that he wanted to be inside that powder blue body tonight, memories of another blue-skinned mate just below his conscious level.

"* _Mmm ... you can take her, you know,_ *" Mina pointed out, moaning in pleasure as she tightened her body around his tongue. "* _We can both enjoy her._ *"

"* _Now?_ *" He rumbled, a mental image of the Twi'lek bent over on the bed with her face between Mina's legs and Jay between her own. It was a thought that sent a bolt right to his cock even more effective that the mouth currently pleasuring it.

"Oh _yes,_ *" Mina moaned, enjoying the image as well as Jay's pleasure. Y'alla gave Jay's cock one more lick, then looked up at him as she sensed that they wanted something different.

"Your turn to be in the middle." Jay rumbled eagerly as he drew the pale blue woman to her feet and kissed her deeply.

"With pleasure, Master," she rumbled back, returning the kiss and reaching down to shed the short skirt that covered her below the waist, revealing her pale-blue sex, as hairless as the rest of her, as she caressed his neck with her lekku. "My mouth is for Mistress then, I assume?" She asked with a whisper.

"Yes," he nuzzled the appendages and caressed her body before lightly fingering her lower lips as Mina set herself up on the pillows, her legs spread for the pet that would be between them soon. "Do you want lube?"

"Oooh ... no need, Master," she moaned softly before she climbed on the bed to lick Mina's sex, long and slow. She spread her knees, her ass in the air, as the pregnant shecat reached down to rake her shoulders lightly with her claws, both women moaning.

Jay watched a long moment, savoring the pleasure that was so thick in the air, and got on the bed himself to finger Y'alla's sex until the Twi'lek shuddered in pleasure before pressing into her with a deep groan.

Y'alla moaned into Mina's sex, tonguing her hungrily as her body milked Jay's barbed length. She teased the shecat's anus with one of her lekku, rubbing her thighs and lapping up her juices as Mina shuddered with pleasure, digging her claws into the Twi'lek's back, a little blood seeping from the wounds.

The Twi'lek's pleasure at the light pain was more than enough to send Jay over the edge with a roar, the sensations of now mixing with memories from what seemed to be another lifetime to leave him shuddering with each thrust that pumped more hot come into Y'alla's willing body.

She came with him, crying out into Mina's body as hers spasmed, pulling at Jay's barbs as she drew his seed deep into her body.

Jay felt a thick presence wrap around his cock, stroking him inside of Y'alla and helping him fuck the Twi'lek through her orgasm. Mina panted, spreading her legs and grinning up at him over her belly.

"* _You like?_ *" She asked him.

"* _Force yes._ *" He shuddered and almost peaked a second time right on the heels of the first. It had been _so_ long since anything truly new had entered the bedgames he'd forgotten what it was really like.

"Oooh ... good," Mina groaned, her own body rippling as her juices flowed from her sex, her claws raking a short track through Y'alla's skin, a cry of pain more than pleasure coming from the Twi'lek before she caught herself.

Jay's reaction to soothe the pain and heal the wound was as much reflex as Y'alla's. He didn't even think about it, or have it distract him from his own pleasure, but he would remember in the days to come.

The confusion it caused in the Twi'lek was something else he would remember later, but Mina at least took the message, retracting her claws and caressing Y'alla's lekku lightly so pure pleasure echoed in the Force before Jay did begin to think about what had happened.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Nine days of being treated like he belonged had done wonders for Jay, and both his mates could feel him settle and begin to relax. They both also felt the Dark begin to creep into him more, now that he wasn't half-panicked all the time. It was a moment of realization that did wonders for Mina's future plans, now that she understood the primary keys to manipulating him in the long run.

Janos wasn't so sure he liked it, largely because Mina did so much, but he wasn't worried either.

Still, that morning came with surprises as Jay nuzzled him when they'd finally worn each other out.

"Feel like hunting today?" Jay murred.

"Depends - hunting what?" Janos asked with a chuckle. "Certainly plenty of vermin around here that'd be fitting targets."

"Well, there are some suitably dangerous critters around, or we can hunt the two-legged kind of vermin." Jay grinned, his preference for the latter very clear to his mate.

"Mmm ... been a while since I checked up on the local bounties," Janos mused. "Looking for challenge, or doing something 'practical'?"

"A challenge," the tom purred. "And a good workout. We hardly need the cash."

"Vrblther?" Janos asked him with a grin. "You familiar with 'em?"

"Yes," he rumbled eagerly after picking the image from the Wolf's mind and matching it with the Republic name of the large green-skinned ape-like creatures with claws as long as his hand. "Good hunting, poor eating."

"Very poor," Janos chuckled. "Then, there aren't that many critters around here that you'd hunt that _are_. You know how to use a blaster rifle, right?"

"Never needed one," Jay shook his head. "Why?"

"Maybe never needed one before, but do _you_ want to wade into a pack of those things with just a lightsaber?"

"Love, it's what my style was _designed_ for." He chuckled easily and kissed him. "It's not like they're lightsaber resistant."

"And how, pray tell, am I supposed to have any fun watching you go slaughtering packs of vrblther, hmm?" Janos chuckled, kissing him back. "Your style might be good for it, but mine? Not so much."

"Where's the fun in shooting them, though?" Jay cocked his head a bit.

"Besides the challenge of having to drop most of the pack before it hits hand-to-hand range?" Janos chuckled. "There's more to challenge than raw danger factor, y'know."

"Such as?" Jay raised an eyebrow. While not quite a challenge to the idea, it wasn't anything the tom had considered in a long, long time.

"Skill?" Janos suggested. "Contrary to popular Jedi belief, a blaster isn't something the average idiot just picks up and bullseyes his target with at range regularly."

"Maybe not, but I can." He said quietly. "It's been a long time since skill came into play for me."

"You also said you've never used one before," Janos pointed out. "You might be a bit surprised."

Jay gave him a very doubtful look, but nodded. "It's technology, it's not likely to be a challenge."

"If we were target shooting, I'd agree," Janos chuckled, privately amused to have found such a simple thing that could confound the tom. "But we're talking about targets that tend to _dodge_ here. And are surprisingly good at it."

"All right," he finally agreed, deciding it would be novel if nothing else. "Blasters it is."

"At least for the primary work," Janos chuckled, nuzzling him. "We'll take the 'sabers along just in case, okay?"

"Never go anywhere without them." He quipped with a shake of his head and slid out of bed. "A nice, leisurely shower, then see what we can hunt up?"

"Sounds good to me," Janos grinned, turning to kiss Vondra lightly as he slid out after Jay. "You've got the day off, pet," he rumbled to her lightly, following Jay into the bathroom.

* * *

Jay looked around the target range in the Nar Shaddaan slums that Janos had taken him to. The place had clearly seen better days ... of course, it had probably seen worse too. A lot worse, to judge by the repairs that were plainly visible to him.

"Just going to get in a little practice, make sure you've' got it all down," Janos said easily as they walked in, each of them with a well-used blaster rifle slung across their backs and dressed in drab hunting garb that blended in much better than what they'd been wearing.

"Do they have moving targets somewhere?" Jay asked as he spotted several people practicing in the simple setup.

"They should, though not ones that move quite like living targets," Janos confirmed, walking up to the counter and waiting for whoever ran the place now to come out. "That's a little harder to reproduce inexpensively, after all. Even combat droids tend to forget to duck."

"True," Jay chuckled deeply as a veteran of the combat zones came up to the counter to greet them gruffly.

"Two on the advanced range, Sparks," Janos said easily, recognizing the grizzled Badger, pulling out the coin for it. "'Bout a half-hour probably. Want to get in a little practice before hunting later."

"Right," the Badger nodded, pocketing the coins and jerking his head back towards the hallway that led to the area in question. "I'll be back to check on you when your time's up."

"There is a warped logic to having an owner who's more dangerous than most customers." Jay commented absently as he followed Janos into the advanced shooting range.

"A lot of the customers expect it," Janos chuckled. "Besides, if you had to enforce the rules somewhere everybody's armed, would _you_ want to be doing it if you weren't a bigger threat than any three average customers?" He pulled his rifle down off his back, carrying it with practiced ease as they approached the far more private area in the back where they'd be working.

"Never really thought about it," he admitted, his rifle remaining on his shoulder where it was easy for him to move with, and made him seem less dangerous than his companion. It wasn't as if the firearm was going to be used if they _did_ get into a fight.

"Well, as far as I know they haven't had any serious troubles down here in a long time, but it's usually a case of 'better safe than sorry.' And the fact that it usually changes hands because of intimidation," the Wolf chuckled, walking up to a shooting station. "Well, here we are. You want to go first, or watch me take a round?"

"Go for it," Jay nodded to him, his attention focused more on the technology and Force than the physical world.

"All right," Janos nodded, keying in a target sequence he was familiar with before raising his blaster to his shoulder and waiting for the first targets to drop.

He was aware of Jay's scrutiny through the entire sequence. While he had a solid performance, he couldn't help but wishing he'd done a bit better with his mate watching. The Kat was just too damn confident in his ability to do well with a weapon he'd never touched.

He might manage it, but there was a part of Janos that seriously hoped he didn't do _too_ well. Not for ego ... well, not entirely ... but more for the fact that he didn't want Jay to be too cocky when they were hunting targets that fought back.

"Remember it kind of defeats the point to tweak with the automated systems." He added as Jay took his place.

"Right." The tom nodded and swung the rifle from his shoulder into position with a grace that came from knowing his body and physics on an instinctive level rather than an understanding of this particular item. "Pick anything."

"Okay," Janos nodded easily, cueing a different sequence that was at the same skill level he'd just used. Going too much easier would probably be dull for both of them.

Jay hadn't been lying, for all he hit all but one target. He really didn't know how to handle the weapon and it was painfully obvious to the experienced merc. What he did though, surrendering to the Force and his own instincts as a Clawson and well-trained Jedi warrior, still made for impressive results.

Results that irritated the tom, when it was over.

Janos shook his head at Jay's reaction.

"Y'know, given that this _is_ the first time you've used a blaster rifle, most people would be floored that you managed that well," he pointed out. "A dozen targets, moving fairly rapidly, in a pattern you don't know? Takes some folks who _do_ have training time to manage that."

"Most people don't have my training or my natural gifts." He said simply. "Hitting what you aim at is what we _do_."

"What training?" Janos pointed out seriously. "You picked up the rifle, wore it in, and used it for the first time. Talent only goes so far. Bet you'll peg it the next time we run the sequence, if you want to go for it."

"Jedi, and I would." Jay nodded. "How to let the Force direct your movements and knowing myself well enough to do what I try to."

"These aren't living things, Jay," Janos pointed out with a chuckle. "Force anticipation doesn't work as well with 'em. I'll start your sequence, then cue up an advanced one over here for myself, okay?"

"All right." He shook his head a bit and tried to lighten up. It was hard though, when he wanted to hunt real targets with his bare claws.

* * *

Jay flicked his gaze to the right, feeling the presence of a much more challenging prey than the easily killed, only semi-intelligent creatures Janos wanted them to go after. A soft rumble echoed in the darkness of the Nar Shaddaa night as he licked his whiskers back and focused on his mate.

"I'm going after more challenging prey." Jay grinned at him.

"Hold on, what?" Janos asked, looking over at him after dropping the last vrblther in the pack he'd been working on. "What'd you spot?"

"Something Dark." He rumbled, hungry for real action, his attention primarily on what he was after.

"You want backup?" Janos asked him quickly, hoping to get an answer before the tom took off.

"No," Jay murmured after a moment's hesitation. He knew, deep down, that the Wolf wasn't ready for this. "I want to be solo for a while."

"Meet you back at the apartment then," Janos nodded slightly. "See what Vondra does when she has time to herself," he chuckled. "Just be sure you call if you've got some trouble."

"I will," Jay promised and took off at a quick lope, his body low and focus as much in the Force as in the physical world as he tracked his prey.

It didn't take long for him to disappear into the dark tangle of Nar Shaddaa's slums. The area was rife with possible prey; criminals, thugs, bums, all manner of different people and things that wouldn't be missed. The buildings extended for kilometers, the shadows thick and giving him plenty of places to hide as he stalked his target.

The Rodian had once been a powerful hunter, Dark as many of his kind who were sensitives and survived long on their world. But it was the scent of his kind that drew Jay to him. His nature was of secondary concern; the tom didn't even care that he really was after dangerous prey now.

He could see him now; the Rodian's green skin was cracked in some places. It was clear that he'd been a Dark Sider for some time; the anger in him was almost palpable, as was the growing fear that his skills were weakening him while he was condemned to a place where weakness meant death.

He was a killer, had likely been a dangerous hunter before. Now, he was a challenge, but little more. He didn't even sense that Jay was there until the tom pounced on him with nothing more than Force-enhanced claws and jaws and a lust for blood.

The Rodian struggled, calling the Force to try and force the tom off of him, but to no avail. He rocked Jay back, but sharp claws bit into his hide just before Jay bit down on his throat, crushing his windpipe. The look and smell of shock and fear in the Rodian's eyes sent a rush through him like very little else could, an intoxicating sense of terror and pain and _power_ like he'd never imagined.

That rush brought to mind the rush of killing in an orgasm that he'd learned not so long ago. He licked some of his fur clean and lifted his nose to the stale air, seeking a suitably female target to indulge himself with.

He caught a familiar scent in the air, mentally filtering out the blood and gore of the Rodian's death. Cheetah ... female, he thought. Something odd about it though ... and familiar.

A scream from the scent's direction decided it for him and he headed in the direction at a fast pace.

Even if _she_ wasn't worth it, what was causing her scream was going to be amusing.

Darting through the buildings, he found the scene quickly, the Cheetah backed into the corner of an alley by a Skunk and a Hyena. None of them were particularly well dressed; they'd all clearly seen better days.

"C'mon, bitch, you know the deal - you find something, you share it, down here," the Hyena told the Cheetah, a makeshift knife in hand.

Jay licked his lips and hung back, angling for an appearance that would have the most impact on his targets.

"Get away! I haven't taken anything from you!" The Cheetah protested, the fear in her scent powerful. From this distance, Jay could tell what the difference was too.

She was really a shi.

"Yeah, well that's no reason for us not to get our share," the Skunk growled.

No reason but that they stood between a true hunter and what he wanted.

Jay grinned and snuck up behind the pair trying to get money from his quarry and grabbed the Skunk, pulling him back into a precise neck bite that paralyzed without killing.

The Hyena turned, shouting in surprise as the Skunk went limp and lashed out at Jay with his knife.

"Who the fuck are you?" He snarled as Jay moved with the speed and agility that just weren't seen there often.

"Jay Clawson." He smiled dangerously and made a lighting-quick move that ended with the makeshift knife on the ground and the Hyena's arm broken in two places before he went to the ground with a sickening crack of bones.

The Cheetah was terrified, watching, hir eyes wide as saucers as the Hyena howled in agony, the Skunk staring mutely as he was forced to watch the proceedings. A swift motion later, and the pained howl was silenced forever.

"Are you all right?" Jay stepped closer to the Cheetah, his mind carefully scanning hirs for the best way to get what he wanted.

"I - yes - you - why?" Shi stammered. Shi was grateful, he could tell, but the dirty Cheetah was suspicious too.

But he could sense that there was hope, under the suspicion.

"Habit," he admitted the not-exactly-a-lie and looked a bit embarrassed by it. "It's hard to pass someone in trouble and not interfere." He glanced at the dead Hyena and the Skunk who might as well be. "Overreact sometimes."

"Th-thank you," shi said, still looking a little scared and not the least bit ignorant of his deep scares or the fact he was soaked in blood from an earlier target than hadn't gone down so cleanly.. "I- they would've killed me ...." Shi was dirty, scrawny, but looked like shi would probably clean up fairly nicely.

Exactly what he was looking for.

"Look, why don't you come to my ship. We both need to get cleaned up." He offered with a gentle smile. "We can get a meal there too."

"Really?" Shi asked, extending hir hand to him. "I ... I don't have anything," shi said cautiously. He could tell that, in part, shi wasn't _entirely_ sure shi could trust him.

He also knew that shi didn't think shi had all that much to lose.

He took hir hand in a gentle, reassuring grip. "Yes, really. I have plenty to share."

"Thank you," shi smiled shyly. "Where is your ship?"

"Local spaceport." He guided hir by homing instinct more than knowledge of the area.

"You're from up top?" Shi asked, clearly more interested now. "What are you doing down here?"

"Hunting vrblther," he chuckled slightly.

"Hope you had good hunting then," shi chuckled with a smile. "I've had to run from them more than I like."

"Twenty nine from three packs before I heard you." He said easily and paused in an open space large enough for Sharufa to land in.

"Whoa," shi murmured, impressed. Shi was only more impressed as the Sharufa arrived a few moments later, flying on down to meet them.

"Your shipmates are on board?" Shi asked him.

"No, that's autopilot." He chuckled as the hatch opened for them. "She's used to having to pick me up in weird places."

"Whoa," the Cheetah blinked, following him up onto the empty ship. He could tell that the Sharufa was glad to see him and he responded with warm feelings for the ship. It was very obvious to him that his companion wasn't accustomed to being on a ship.

He could also sense that shi was already scheming ways this encounter might get hir off Nar Shaddaa. Shi really had no clue what shi was in for, but hir intentions would make it that much easier to bed, and kill, hir.

"Come on, I definitely need a shower right now." He told hir easily. It was the truth too. He was soaked to the skin in Rodian blood.

"You want me to join you?" Shi offered, leaning against the wall as the Sharufa pulled away.

"If you'd like," he purred softly before heading back towards the master bathroom.

"I could use one too," shi admitted easily, following him. Now that shi was out of the filth of Nar Shaddaa's bowels, Jay could definitely agree with hir. Shi probably had fleas, possibly other things ... but he was pretty sure most of it would clean off with a hot enough shower and the shampoo he kept on hand for post-mission scrub-downs. "Where should I put my things?" Shi asked.

"If you don't mind fresh clothes, the trash." He said almost apologetically and motioned to a circular spot in the floor that opened at his words.

He could feel the surprised blink, and the pleasure at the offer, before shi stripped hir threadbare, dirty clothes off quickly, pausing for just a moment to check hir pockets and pulled out the handful of wupiupi coins that shi had nearly been killed for.

"Thank you," shi said sincerely, before putting the rest of the clothes into the trash, complete with any other occupants. Shi blushed shamefully as Jay noticed a small black speck hop up into hir fur from the discarded clothes.

"The shampoo will deal with them." He told her easily and turned on the hot water in the shower designed for three to comfortably play in and stepped under the hot spray with a groan of pleasure.

"Thank you," shi said again, nodding and following him in, drawing a sharp breath at the unusual sensation of the hot water beating through the thick dirt in hir fur. He could tell that shi'd probably groomed hirself for years. Where shi had been it didn't pay too look too attractive or well off.

He shifted a bit to put the streaming water on hir more directly and poured a large dollop of shampoo onto his hand. "Just relax and let it do its work." He purred at hir, already more than a bit excited from the kills and what he planned to do to hir.

"All right," shi nodded, hir sheath filling out a bit as shi picked up his scent and the excitement in it. Shi tried to make an attractive display of hirself as he started to clean hir up, though shi clearly wasn't too practiced at it. "Do you have anybody else on the ship with you most of the time?"

"Yes. They're enjoying hotel life for a couple weeks while we're here." He explained simply and began to work on hir fur and tense muscles. As exciting as the prospects of what would happen when he got hir to bed, this was very pleasurable too. "So Sharufa's good for a little privacy."

"Oooh ...." Shi couldn't answer with more than a wordless moan of pleasure as shi was cleaned, hir fur clearing up nicely. Now that shi was getting clean, the shampoo killing off the parasites in hir fur, Jay could tell that shi was older than he'd first thought; in hir late 20's at least, possibly older. Still, shi was attractive enough, for all that he could feel each rib easily beneath hir fur and lean muscle.

"It's nice to be touched like that, isn't it?" He murmured and nuzzled hir lightly, his hands a little bolder in feeling hir body beyond just cleaning hir up.

"Yes," shi murmured softly. "So long ...." Shi pressed back against him slightly, hir slender body trying to entice him with marginal skill. Despite going basically on instinct, shi could feel his increasing interest and the hard feline cock against hir back.

Jay slid one hand down hir body to lightly rub the heel of his hand against hir sheath while his fingers slipped under hir balls to stroke hir lower female lips lightly. The other moved up to cup and fondle one breast while he nuzzled and nibbled at hir neck.

Shi mewled softly, pressing against his hand as unfamiliar pleasure filled hir body.

"I've never been taken there before," shi murmured to him as he stroked the lips of hir pussy and rubbed hir swelling sheath with skill born of decades of practice with both genders.

Shi could feel the surprise ripple across his body, then the soft rumble of excitement.

"Do you want to be?" He murmured in return, giving her an honest choice despite his intentions for hir later in the night.

"Ooh ... m-maybe later?" Shi offered, hir cock peeking out of hir sheath. Shi rubbed his cock with hir soaked tail, shifting it out of the way. "I should thank you properly first ...." Shi rumbled suggestively and reached back to stroke him with a hand.

"Then maybe a good meal." He rumbled and thrust lightly into hir hand as he focused on pleasuring hir female parts.

"Sounds wonderful," shi smiled shyly, turning around to kiss him tentatively as shi stroked his cock and reached down to fondle his balls.

"Mmm, this you've had a little more experience with." Jay licked hir muzzle, then kissed hir again as he surrendered to the pleasure of hir attentions.

"Yes," shi rumbled, kissing him back with a bit more confidence. "Up front's about the only way I _haven't_ been taken before," shi admitted, teasing his barbs skillfully as he groaned and shuddered. Hir hunger drove him to give into the building pleasure with a roar quickly, covering both their fronts with his seed.

Shi stroked him through his orgasm, and then knelt in front of him, licking his shaft clean and teasing his barbs before taking him into hir mouth.

That earned hir a moan of surprise before he reached down to gently stroke her ears and long white hair while his body responded eagerly, well-accustomed to multiple rounds, especially in the shower.

Shi rumbled, bobbing hir head up and down his cock, hir own shaft hard between hir thighs. Shi teased his barbs with hir tongue, fondling his balls as shi took him deep in hir throat.

"Oh, yeah." Jay rumbled and shivered in pleasure as shi worked him to a second orgasm on the heels of the first.

The Cheetah rumbled around him, squeezing his balls lightly and suckling him, then pulled back to nuzzle his length, the short fur of hir muzzle teasing him as he panted and leaned back against the shower wall, hot water raining down on them in a scene that hit almost every kink he had right now.

"You've definitely had some practice at that." He rumbled appreciatively.

"Mmhmm," shi smiled up at him, giving his shaft a long, slow lick. "Mmm ... I could get more, if I had time," shi suggested, kissing hir way up his body.

"The time it takes to get off this rock?" He chuckled knowingly and scritched hir ear before kissing hir again with a bit more possessiveness. "I can go with that."

"Mmm ...." Shi nearly purred into the kiss. "Sounds good. You mentioned dinner?" Shi asked hopefully.

"Yes," he claimed another kiss and reached down to stroke hir hard cock. "Do you want to get off first?"

"Oooh yes," shi moaned shamelessly, thrusting up lightly into his hand as shi wrapped hir arms around him, pre and water making hir shaft slick to his touch, hir barbs stiff and sensitive.

The position made their size difference, that shi wasn't even half his mass, very clear to them both as he worked hir cock with the skill of decades with a male lover and an honest desire to pleasure hir.

Shi pressed close to his body, moaning with ecstasy as hir balls pulled up close to hir body and shi sprayed hir semen up between them, onto both their bellies.

"Thank you," shi murmured into a gentle kiss he claimed as shi came down enough to stand on hir own.

"You are welcome." Jay smiled gently and shifted to get a bit more shampoo. "A quick clean-up and we'll get a good meal."

* * *

Jay couldn't help but chuckle to himself and wonder just how long it had been since shi'd had a real meal with good meat as he cooked a basic meal and shi tried not to salivate too much. Shi probably hadn't even heard of ryl, which was good. It would make its impact from the meat rub and spicing on the vegetables all that more potent.

Shi watched, trying not to look like shi was as eager as shi was. Jay smiled a bit; it was familiar, from what seemed like several lifetimes ago and was definitely a very different Jay Clawson. Shi brushed hir long white hair back out of hir face, still looking just a little dirty from the years of poor treatment. One washing hadn't really been enough to get it _all_ clean.

"I wanted to say 'thank you' again," shi said shyly as he started to plate the meal for them both.

"You never did tell me your name," he commented with an indulgent smile as he set the plates down.

"Only name I remember is Sprint," shi admitted, blushing a bit as shi started to eat hungrily. It was clear that shi enjoyed the well-spiced meat especially, and just as clear that shi was probably half-starved, but trying to be polite. "Had another, but ...." Shi shrugged a bit.

"You've been down there since you were very young," he murmured softly, a level of empathy than surprised even him as he sat down and ate more lightly to savor the feel of the ryl starting to take effect. "I never lost my name."

"You used to live down here?" Shi asked him curiously, as much about him as the heat shi felt growing in hir body. "Or further up yet?"

"I wasn't this far down," he said easily, pleased by her reaction to the ryl and its effects. "I was hardly on the surface either."

"Long way between the two," shi nodded. "I ended up in the gangs when I was about six, Sprint was more useful than the name I had so it stuck. Most of 'em got wiped out over the years since."

"I doubt anyone I knew is still alive," he shook his head slightly. "Hell, I doubt any of their grandchildren are still alive. A Panther thought I was useful and took me away when I was ten. I haven't been back much since."

"Don't blame you," shi chuckled, shaking hir head. "Mmm ... this is _very_ good," shi smiled, finishing hir meal. "What was the spice you used with it?"

"It's a mix, but the primary is ryl." He said easily after checking to make sure shi didn't actually know what it was.

"It's good, whatever it is," shi murmured. "Getting kinda wound up again," shi added with a blush. "Must've been too long since I've had a decent meal ...."

"It's hardly a bad thing to be wound up here." Jay chuckled and stood to walk over to hir and nuzzled hir neck and run his hands down hir sides.

"Mmm ... especially when you're interested to," shi rumbled, nuzzling his neck as shi stood and inhaled his scent. "Guess today's my lucky day, hmm?" Shi giggled, rubbing his back.

"It's not a bad one for me," he rumbled and slid his hand in to cup and fondle a small breast through the soft cloth of hir new clothes.

Shi kissed him tenderly, licking his lips submissively.

"Mmm ... right here?" Shi asked him with a near-purr, imagining just about anything he might want to do with hir. It wasn't so much that shi wanted something in particular just now, but hir scent and mind made it clear that shi wanted _something_ to help work off the building arousal because of the ryl.

He smiled and urged hir to stand as he undid his pants just enough to let his rock-hard cock escape but not so much that they slid off and helped hir get hirs down around hir ankles before he pushed hir to bend over the table and pressed one finger into hir ass, still acting concerned with hir pleasure.

Shi moaned needily, raising hir tail high, the black tip twitching.

"Mmm ... have any ... oooh ... lube?" Shi asked, hir sheath already swelling, the sense that the simple request was one for a luxury shi wasn't used to clear in hir mind.

"Yes," he rumbled and leaned forward to lick hir ear before focusing on the drawer where it was kept in this room and floating the small bottle over. He slicked his fingers before going back to stretching hir ass.

"Thank you," shi moaned. "Feels good," shi added, hir tail swaying as shi squeezed down around his finger.

It earned a rumble of desire from the bigger male over hir and a second slick finger pressed into hir body to work hir open quickly. He brought his tail up to brush along hir sex, balls and hardening cock.

"Oh yes," shi hissed, pressing back into the touch, hir cock quickly hardening as shi milked his fingers. "Fuck me, please!"

"Anytime," he rumbled, the pleading sending a spike of desire through his body as he removed his fingers and pressed into hir with a single hard thrust and groan for the delicious tight heat.

"Ah!" Sprint cried out in pleasure, hir body tightening down around him, his barbed length spreading hir tight, slick ass as hir tail flicked against his chest as he began to thrust, giving into the ryl-heightened desires and thrusting hard and fast, his hands on hir hips to hold hir against him and keep from driving hir against the side of the table.

"Very good." Jay growled deep in his chest, his balls already beginning to draw up against his body.

"So good," the Cheetah agreed, hir cock rubbing against the bottom of the table, pre dribbling from hir tip as he hammered hir prostate and taught hir again that he was interested in hir pleasure too. Even when he was so close to his own orgasm, he made sure shi was enjoying it too.

Shi cried out, throwing hir head back and moaning ecstatically as shi sprayed hir seed against the bottom of the table, the thick fluid landing audibly on the metal floor beneath it.

Hir pleasure, and the muscle spasms that accompanied it, quickly pushed Jay over the edge to flood hir body a moment later with a roar.

Shi moaned, milking his cock with hir ass as shi enjoyed the feel of his seed flooding hir deep inside.

"Oh yes," shi panted when he slowed down and leaned forward to nuzzle her.

"That's what it's supposed to be like." He murmured as he caught his breath.

"Lot better than raw, fast, and no prep," shi murmured. "Mmm ... _lot_ better."

"Still fast," he chuckled and pulled out of hir with a throaty groan. "Come to bed, and I'll show you."

"Sure," shi grinned, following him after tucking hir tail up between hir legs to keep from dripping too much as he led hir back to the master bedroom.

"Have you ever been tied up before?" He asked as he pushed hir down on the bed and kissed hir heatedly, rubbing his still-hard cock against hirs.

"Not willingly," shi admitted. "Willing to try though." He could tell the idea didn't thrill hir, but shi _was_ willing.

Hell, shi was willing to try just about anything to keep him interested enough to get hir off this rock.

"Maybe later then," he rumbled and shifted to spread hir legs so he could sink back into hir ass for a little more fun before he got serious about fucking hir to death.

* * *

Jay lightly traced his fingers along Sprint's chest, staring at the passed out Cheetah herm with a frown.

Shi should have been so delicious to push and punish. He wasn't nearly as over his rape decades before as he'd led everyone, even himself, to believe at the time. He'd just pushed himself past it, not truly healed from it.

Then this perfect subject appeared and he couldn't bring himself to hurt hir all that much. Shi'd whimper in pain and he'd back off before he'd even thought.

This was _not_ how it was supposed to happen.

Shi murmured softly, shifting in hir sleep to feel his touch. Maybe it had been a bad idea to pick somebody so much like what he could've been. Shi was a perfect subject ... looking at hir now, he could _almost_ see "Stacey" there instead.

But the more he looked at hir, the more he saw hir as somebody else, who didn't do anything to deserve it. Somebody who'd been on his end of a rape more often than once.

Someone who's life was over before it had even begun.

It was a sad thing. A life without a purpose, without meaning ... no one would miss hir when shi died, or care how it happened.

No one but who killed hir, if that.

At least he'd managed to show hir a bit of kindness and pleasure before the end. It wasn't much, but it was all he could offer hir.

He just couldn't find it in himself to _want_ to hurt hir anymore.

The only thing he had left to offer hir was a quick, clean death while shi slept.

He reached out to hir mind and soothed hir into a deeper sleep before he stood and slid from the bed to retrieve the most potent sleep-aid on board and prepared an injection strong enough to put hir to sleep permanently.

Shi winced slightly as the needle pierced hir skin, but that was all the reaction shi made. Before long, hir breathing slowed, hir body shutting down permanently and hir muscles relaxing.

Within a few minutes, Jay had a corpse in his bed for the second time in his life. This time, shi'd gone with something a bit closer to dignity.

It left the tom deeply dissatisfied and even more disturbed than before.

He put the supplies away and walked into the bathroom for a quick shower before dressing. He'd have to dump hir body where he found hir, and then he was going to do some house-cleaning on Nar Shaddaa's population.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Vondra rumbled softly to herself as she started to wake up, snuggled up against Janos' back comfortably. The past couple days had been surprisingly pleasant, the two of them taking some time to get used to their respective roles in their unusual relationship. She expected much the same today ... until she became aware of the powerful scent of blood in the bed with them.

Her eyes snapped open in alarm, revealing Jay on the other side of Janos. The tom was covered in dried blood from at least a dozen different species, to judge by the scent.

The white-furred shewolf trembled for a few moments, her eyes wide as she tried very, very hard not to scream, her panic and distress increasingly obvious both in her mind and in her scent.

"Nnngh ... what's wrong?" Janos murmured, starting to wake up, his nose working as he picked up the unusual scents in front of him.

"J-Jay." She managed to stammer, shaking badly against his back. "Blood."

Janos was awake in a flash, sniffing at Jay and feeling him to try and make sure it wasn't his. It was enough to wake the tom somewhat, mostly a half-conscious protest to his much-needed rest being disturbed.

"He's all right," he reassured her. "Damn ... he wasn't talking vrblther down there ...." The Wolf shook his head, his _lack_ of surprise at the discovery almost as unsettling as Jay's condition as the tom settled back into a deep sleep. Janos doubted he'd so much as slowed down since they'd parted company. It certainly made the rumors of the vrblther being particularly vicious right now make sense.

"If you want to move to a different room, go ahead," he told Vondra softly. "He needs sleep, and he'll want me to stay here. We'll sort out what happened later."

"Th-thank you, Master." She hurriedly got out of the bed and pulled on a concealing, though still sexy, nightgown and tried not to bolt out of the room on her way to Misha's.

Janos sighed, shaking his head and shifting slightly away from Jay. Most of the blood was dry, at least ... there was still some that was wet, and he'd need to get them both showered and the sheets changed later. He couldn't really blame Vondra for reacting the way she did either.

He just hoped this hadn't been as nasty as things had been on Naboo.

"What have you been up to?" He murmured softly. After a few moments, he decided that Jay would just have to get his rest _after_ getting cleaned up; there was no way he could sleep with that sort of mess in his nostrils. Janos took Jay's shoulder and shook it lightly.

"Jay? Need to get you cleaned up," he said softly, just loudly enough that he thought the older tom would hear him.

"Mmmurrrph," the tom grumbled, though whatever had driven him to slaughter so many people had run its course. He wasn't going to be any more dangerous than usual, and that the Wolf could handle.

A couple more tries got Jay to open his eyes reluctantly.

"Wha?" He blinked a few times, trying to focus on the face in front of him.

"Should be asking you that," Janos pointed out. "You're covered in blood and at least the majority of it isn't yours. Vondra's more than a little freaked, and I think you've made the news lately. Want a shower?"

Jay blinked a couple more times, then nodded as it registered that he _should_ take a shower. He just hadn't had the energy to do more than crawl home. He vaguely recalled thinking he was crawling in with Fenrik during one of those bad missions where one of them did sometimes come back looking like that at night.

Gods ... there were times those days felt like they'd been decades ago.

In a very real sense, it was another lifetime.

Not even his lifebonds from that time were intact anymore, and his mind wasn't far behind them.

"Come on," Janos told him, helping the unresisting tom out of bed. "Let's get cleaned up while somebody gets things changed in here.

Jay nodded again and did his best to get himself to the shower, though it was clear to Janos that he needed the support a couple times on the short walk there. Jay's movements were from stiffness and recently abused muscles rather than injuries.

At least there was that much.

He helped Jay into the shower and turned the water on for him as the tom leaned forward to brace on outstretched arms as the water rained down on him and turned from a spray of clear water to a river of red.

"I'll be back in a minute," he told Jay, giving him a quick kiss before heading out to tell the butler to get the bedsheets changed and have somebody clean the door and rugs.

There was something to be said about a place where you could ask people to clean up a blood trail and they wouldn't bat an eye.

A moment later, he was back with Jay, climbing into the shower with him and found that he hadn't moved a bit, though he was significantly closer to his natural coloration.

The Wolf grabbed the shampoo, starting to work it into blood-caked fur and massage sore muscles to slowly more noticeable sounds of appreciation as Jay's body relaxed.

"What have you been up to?" He asked him, despite having a pretty good idea already.

"Burning off frustration," he murmured and closed his eyes, grateful for the help getting cleaned up. "Ending a lot of hopelessness."

"You got a pretty good bounty put out on a rogue vrblther," Janos murmured, cleaning Jay's fur. "Almost think there's more blood on you than fur right now ...."

"Quite possible," he accepted the statement, still pretty subdued. "Being down there got to me, I think. So much living without a point."

"Y'don't have any bodies on the Sharufa we're going to have to get rid of, do you?" Janos asked him, singularly nonplussed by the news. He had to admit, he knew what Jay meant. "I'd rather stick around here for a while yet, myself."

"No, no bodies on the ship." Jay shook his head and moaned softly as a bit pleasure at his mate's touch began to creep into the simple gratitude for the touch and cleaning. Now with the blood mostly gone, it was good to be clean again.

"Good," Janos murmured, moving him under the water to rinse his fur. "That came out easier than I'd thought it would," he chuckled slightly.

"It does when it's fresh," Jay nodded. "It's when it's had a few weeks to set that it takes a while to look like yourself again."

"Heh - yeah, I know that one," Janos chuckled. "Caught in the field once, only the occasional stream to clean up in, took a month before people believed I wasn't really part red Wolf. You might have a little trouble with Vondra for a while," he added by means of warning. "Nothing serious, but she was pretty freaked out when she woke up."

"I bet she'd never smelled blood like that before." He nodded in acceptance. "Not my intent, I just wanted to sleep somewhere safe." He added the apology in a murmur as his purr slowly increased to the dominant sound from his body.

"Hey, no problem," Janos smiled. "I know that feeling too. She'll just need a bit to get over it." He reached around to turn off the water and turn on the blow-dryers. "You're really beat, aren't you?"

"Yeah," Jay nodded and fluffed his fur a bit to help the drying. "Don't know for how long, but I don't think I stopped moving."

"A bit over two days," Janos offered. "C'mon, let's get you some sleep, the sheets should be changed now."

"Stay with me for a while." Jay murmured and nuzzled the Wolf as they stepped out.

"Of course," the Wolf promised, leading him back to bed, and the fresh sheets there. They crawled in, snuggling up, much more comfortable without blood caking Jay's fur together. It didn't surprise either of them when Jay settled into a deep sleep within minutes while Janos held him gently.

* * *

Mina purred lightly as she reached out to Jay's sleeping mind after he had returned, carefully pulling what she could about what he had done from it.

"* _I think I'm beginning to see what you meant,_ *" she told the Demon mentally. "* _You knew he would be reaching this point, didn't you?_ *"

"* _Given the right conditions, yes._ *" It rumbled back, clearly pleased. "* _This is the point of no return for him. He can't face what he's done except by the excuses he's already created. This is what a sense of safety, acceptance and permission create in his kind._ *"

"* _The Jedi did well to keep him under their 'protection',_ *" Mina mused. "* _Now, how do I control this?_ *"

"* _In any real sense, you can not._ *" It told her simply. "* _They become more uncontrollable, and more unstable, as they grow Darker. What you can do is ensure that those around him do not reject his behavior. Surround him with people who either do not question or agree with his path. You can suggest things, try to make what you want appealing to him, but you have already faced his reaction when he feels like he is being pushed into something. The one who controls him must be a master manipulator and very familiar with his quirks._

 _"*He will choose a territory to claim soon, and take it by violence and intimidation. Once he has that, he may well settle and become manipulatable. Neither of the others who turned made it that far. Their kin hunted them down and stopped them. This time, it could well be different._ *"

"* _This time, only the Jedi hunt him, and not particularly well,_ *" she agreed with a purr. "* _I intend to see that it is different this time. I do, however, need to make him willing to include me in his territory._ *"

"* _You carry your best method._ *" It reminded her. "* _He does not like you much, but as he grows Darker, he will care less about that and more about your value as a possession; your value for pleasure and kittens. Be wary though. His kin do hunt for him, and they are coming here. We have the time we need, but very little more than that._ *"

"* _Then he will need to be strong enough to fight them when they arrive,_ *" she rumbled. "* _Between his gifts and the skills he can be taught ...._ *"

"* _He can become the most dangerous thing either galaxy has ever seen._ *" The Demon almost purred, a deep, throaty rumble of excited pleasure at the thought. "* _Yes, and he is likely to see you of value if you can teach him as well._ *"

"* _Which means one thing ... I need to get him to Korriban,_ *" Mina told the Demon. "* _Not for long, but for long enough to visit some of the places Tembris had planned ... I need information, and to build my own skills quickly._ *"

"* _You will want to do it soon, before he thinks either of you are too far along to travel._ *"

"* _Which will involve taking him from here, at least for a time ... this will be difficult,_ *" she mused. "* _Even after a two-day blood spree._ *"

"* _The Kraken would be easier. He has an affection for that ship, a Dark Side personality._ *" It suggested.

"* _The Kraken? Tembris mentioned the ship,_ *" she mused. "* _But isn't it under Republic control?_ *"

"* _Yes, it is also something he can easily fix._ *" It chuckled deeply. "* _He can take any ship he wants._ *"

"* _Then we'll simply need to convince him that the Kraken would be prime territory for him to stake out,_ *" Mina mused. "* _I assume this is possible, yes?_ *"

"* _Yes, it would be,_ *" the Demon rumbled in pleasure at her idea. "* _He does view large ships that way._ *"

"* _And it would be_ more _than big enough to do the job,_ *" she purred mentally. "* _Should I bring it up? Gently, of course._ *"

"* _Yes, he's unlikely to think of it himself. Watch his mind carefully; he is unpredictable at this stage. It should work though, even if he rejects it at first. Just let him think about it if he does._ *"

"* _I'll watch him,_ *" she confirmed, nodding physically. "* _I've learned to do that more carefully by now. I suspect he wants to be rid of me when he can be,_ *" she muttered mentally.

"* _Yes, he does. You will find that desire dimming now that he is not so Light-Side. He will not find your Darkness so unpleasant._ *"

"* _I'd been considering establishing a mutual interest,_ *" she mused, looking down at Y'alla and tracing some of her fresher scars. "* _After that little incident on Naboo ...._ *"

"* _Yes, that tendency will increase as well._ *" It chuckled. "* _It would work better with someone who actually enjoys the pain, but she will do as well. It will just take more care and time._ *"

"* _Mmm ... I don't know that hunting up a pain-slut slave will be all that easy,_ *" she chuckled. "* _Let alone getting the funds from him for one._ *"

"* _If you can find one, I can arrange for him to 'forget' and leave the money for you to find._ *" It chuckled gleefully at the idea. "* _You have a valuable pet between your legs too._ *"

"* _I would rather use a pet I don't have plans for,_ *" she chuckled, groaning a bit as Y'alla started to pleasure her for the morning and ran her fingers along her lekku. "* _She can't have an 'accident' with him until he's a bit more attached to her._ *"

"* _It will have much more impact,_ *" it agreed easily and began to fade into the background while the females had their morning pleasure.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Shivasta stood up in front of the gathering of Jedi Knights, some with Padawans of their own, some full-fledged Masters, though few with her experience. Kanna and Jenna were there, along with their Padawans - she didn't like the idea, but the Council had approved their request to rejoin the hunt, and they _did_ have the experience. It was _almost_ comforting to know the hunting party had the extra help, but frankly, it was more disturbing to know that they needed it, badly.

It had been over a month since Toydaria, and they hadn't had a sign of him since.

"As you know," she explained, "Jedi Clawson was captured by the Sith some months ago. Since then, he has been sighted on several worlds by the group of Jedi sent to hunt for him. However, despite killing one of his captors, we have never managed to capture him, and he _has_ begun to fall to the Dark Side.

"However, we are still trying to _capture_ him, rather than kill. It is true that he is beginning to fall, but he is not Sith, and he can be helped. He's sick, and needs to be helped. You've all been equipped with gear that will make it possible to take him prisoner, and you are expected to use it. You will also have to attempt to take his companions prisoner, in all likelihood. One of them is pregnant; she is the most important to capture _unharmed_. She is most likely one of the worst of the Dark Siders involved, but she is carrying innocent lives." She paused, waiting for any reactions from the assembled Jedi, grateful that the Force made it possible to hide her mental and physical exhaustion from the prolonged, seemingly fruitless, hunt. All they knew was another dozen worlds he _wasn't_ on.

Reactions were about what she had expected; a mixture of disturbed, distressed and determined, but no one who actually objected. She knew Master Zraii would have chosen hunters for a lack of interest in killing Darksiders.

She'd have to remember to thank the Verpine later.

"Each of you have assignments to vessels and search areas. If you encounter the Sharufa, contact the rest of the fleet and begin pursuit. If possible, don't tip them off to your presence. You are hunting a Jedi capable of disabling your ship with a thought."

There were slight nods of understanding. All knew they were here on a dangerous hunt, though most were not personally familiar with Jay.

"Unlike most hunts, this one is likely to end more easily if we can encounter him off the ship." Master Fenrik spoke up as he surveyed the group. "I trust you have all read the profiles provided, both on Jedi Clawson and his captors. Keep them in mind in any encounter."

"If you have to approach to within ten kilometers of the Sharufa, do so only in fighters until it has landed. Getting too close to Jedi Clawson could allow him to shut off life-support on any vessel chasing him; we can't take that risk with non-sensitives," Shivasta informed them. "Are there any questions?"

"Has it been determined whether he was a target of convenience or the subject of plot?" A deep brown Ursine male asked.

"This was definitely targeted at him," Shivasta told the Grizzly. "It was months ago, but they prepared diversionary tactics and assassination attempts for everybody who would be in the way before capturing him."

Several nods greeted that, and an increase in concern.

She and Fenrik looked over the gathering, and without another question pending, dismissed the group to their individual missions.

* * *

* * *

* * *

A few days later, Mina was resting with Jay and Y'alla after another threesome; the three of them comfortably snug in their hotel room.

"Mmm ... Jay?" She murmured, tracing his faint rosettes with her fingertip and delighting in the light ripple of his powerful muscles.

"Yeah?" He nuzzled her, a hand on her growing belly as he enjoyed the feel of his kittens.

She paused for a moment, grunting as the kits inside of her decided to say they liked the attention by planting various limbs against assorted portions of her anatomy.

"I was wondering if you were thinking about where we should go after this?" She asked him.

"Home," he murmured with an indulgent smile for the antics. "A ship big enough to make the trip easy for whoever's coming."

"You've figured out how?" She asked him, cocking her head curiously.

"A fair chunk. It'll take a while to reconfigure the hyperdrive, but it's doable."

"Mmm ... what about the Kraken?" She asked him with a murmur, kissing his neck as he considered it.

"Quite suitable, really." He purred deeply, his mind going over the schematics and just how suitable the ship was to his needs.

"Why don't we see about retrieving him from the Republic then?" She suggested. "He doesn't belong with them, after all."

"He always was _mine_." Jay grinned dangerously, pleased with the idea, and having a ship that big and dangerous. "A very good use of time."

"Glad you approve," she smiled back, leaning forward to kiss him. "Mmm ... and our kits would be _well_ protected there as well."

"Yes, they would be," Jay rumbled and kissed her back as his hand slid lower to lightly tease between her legs. "And plenty of space so no one goes stir-crazy." He added with a chuckle.

"Yes, that would be good ... especially if we can whip up a bit of a crew to join us." She kissed him, licking his lips. "Mmm ... now, where were we ...."

* * *

* * *

* * *

Jay couldn't help but be pleased that everyone, even those who would normally growl and glare, gave way to him. As much as he didn't like having Mina along in the slave-markets, he did approve of the reaction everyone had to him with her around.

No one would be stupid enough to challenge him, or try to claim her.

Not even the T'surr he saw in control of one of the booths. While it didn't look away or act submissive the way most people did, it was definitely aware of Jay's dominance and that Mina was _his_.

Jay found indulging her a pleasure in it's own way too. It was how he could indulge his kits while she still carried them.

He would have to find a good midwife Healer, and soon. The Kraken had a medical section that was more than advanced enough, but the crew was an issue.

He was aware of her mind stretching out through the Force, keeping an eye on the slaves in the area as she looked for what she was really interested in. The tabby shecat wasn't just looking at the actual slaves either; she was keeping half a mental eye on some of the customers.

"Ooh, that's interesting," she murmured, cocking her head slightly as she picked up on something. "Jay? What would you think of picking up somebody who actually knows their way around a medbay?"

"Buy or hire?" He focused on her and the direction she was looking.

"Buy," she purred, indicating a lean Raccoon in pleasure slave gear. "He's more than he seems, by far."

Jay licked his whiskers back and reached out with the Force to do his own assessment. She was right; he might not be a full doctor, but there was something more about him, memories of another time and place. He grinned before putting a game face on and walked over to the booth with the Raccoon.

"Greetings sir, how may I help you?" The deep brown Mouse running the booth asked Jay with a friendly smile.

"We're looking for a pet, one into pain." He said easily, his eyes on the Raccoon.

"Well, I can certainly provide you with that," the Mouse said easily, catching Jay's interest and motioning for the Raccoon to come forward. "I assume you don't have any particular bias for gender?"

"Not really," Jay chuckled softly and stepped forward to run his hand along the Raccoon's jaw and neck, judging his reactions. 

He churred lightly, pressing into the contact and exposing his throat to further exploration, the lighter fur of his front occasionally broken up with bright nipple piercings, his sex covered barely by a small leather thong.

"Tamil here would be an excellent choice then," the Mouse explained. "He comes from some backwater planet in the Xagobah system, reasonably industrialized but not exposed to the outside all that much. As you can tell with a little exploration," he continued as Jay's fingers brushed along a scar hidden by reddish-grey fur, "he has proven to enjoy playing rough _quite_ a bit. We've actually had to restrain him a few times, to keep him from being damaged goods," he chuckled.

"Very good," Jay licked his muzzle again. "We would like to try him out. If he suits our tastes, we will buy him."

"We have a private room in the back, sir," the Mouse said easily, lifting the barrier for the counter as Tamil gave him a playful pout.

"* _The slave would rather we don't bother,_ *" Mina pointed out to Jay with a slight smirk. "* _Though I don't know that we want to make_ that _big a show of ourselves._ *"

"He will get along very nicely with my Minervan Mink, then." The tom laughed easily as he and Mina walked back with the Mouse and Raccoon.

"You have another pet, sir?" The Mouse asked.

"Several," Jay answered easily and skimmed the Mouse's mind as they walked the short distance to the private tryout rooms.

He picked up his name easily; Nevin. He could also tell that buying Tamil after this might be interesting; there was another buyer interested in him. At least he didn't seem to be putting too much of a premium on the Raccoon; he was just trying to get a measure of this buyer and figure out how much he could get without upsetting anybody.

It wasn't long before they were at the private room, with a large comfortable bed and a tasteful painting covering the collection of toys and tools Jay knew would be there.

"If you want to test his tolerances, the tools are behind the painting," Nevin explained. "Just don't do anything that leaves permanent damage; you break him, you've bought him."

"Oh, I think we can avoid breaking him," Mina purred.

"We're not _that_ inexperienced." Jay all but smirked before he closed the door and gave Mina a hand undressing.

"Mmm ... thank you," she purred, looking over at Tamil. "So, I know you can talk, pretty-boy ...."

"Yes, Mistress," Tamil said obediently, nodding his head. "However, it is impolite to do so in public without permission."

"Very well," she rumbled, taking her top off, her swollen belly showing clearly that she was carrying a large litter as she sat on the bed. "Mmm ... so, Jay, do we want him to stay dressed for a while, or show us all the goodies right away?"

"You know I prefer to see what I'm playing with." He rumbled and walked up to Tamil to cup the Raccoon's groin and trace his goods before cutting the leather thong off and continuing to feel the pet up. "Go pleasure my mate." He rumbled softly in Tamil's ear.

"Yes, Master," Tamil churred, moving over to the pregnant shecat and kissing her tender breasts, caressing her belly before one of his hands disappeared beneath it and found her clit, drawing a groan of pleasure from the woman about his age. The Raccoon's balls dangled temptingly between his thighs as he raised his striped tail invitingly.

"A good start," Jay chuckled and slid onto the bed to run his hands around Tamil's firm ass before driving his cock into the Raccoon's ass without a thought for preparation.

The cry of pain and pleasure around Mina's nipples sent a rush through both of them, the pregnant Cat reaching between Jay and Tamil to rake his back lightly with her claws.

"So pretty," she purred, moaning as he fingered her sex before she sank her claws into his back, drawing blood from the Raccoon as he moaned shamelessly, milking Jay's barbed cock with his body.

"Oh _yes_." Jay threw his head back and roared, his seed flooding Tamil's body as the exquisite pleasure of one who truly enjoyed pain rushed through him in a wave as intense as any pleasure.

The Raccoon moaned, his own cock hard as a rock and practically dripping with pre-cum as Mina laid back and spread her legs.

"* _When you're done, want to see what sort of toys they've left us?_ *" She asked Jay mentally.

"* _Sure._ *" He chuckled and pulled out of Tamil with a raking of his claws along his rump. "* _You want him in you, or is that pleasure for me?_ *"

"* _Mmm ... him first,_ *" she purred as Tamil whimpered pleasantly, welts forming beneath his fur from Jay's claws, her own tracing bloody patterns along his back. "* _But let's see what toys they have that might make it more interesting._ *"

"* _Quite a few, I'm sure._ *" He purred and moved the picture to see what was available.

The array of dildoes, blades, needles, cock-rings, and other toys was impressive, even to Jay's experience. He spotted one in particular quickly, a cock ring with stiff barbs on the inside pointing each direction. It didn't look like it would dig in, but it couldn't be overly comfortable to wear.

"Oh, yes." He purred deep in his chest and selected that before turning to the bed again. "On your back." He instructed the Raccoon easily.

"Yes Master," Tamil nodded, rolling onto his back while Mina and Jay compared mental images, finding them distantly similar. It was clear that the Raccoon was familiar with Jay's choice, and eager for it as he held his erect shaft up for the barbed ring.

It won him a look of approval from the tom who quickly locked it in place and played with the positioning to get a feel for the effect.

Tamil bit his lip, trying to stifle a moan of pain as the stiff hairs raked his sensitive cock. Mina purred, shifting to her knees and leaning to kiss him.

"Mmm ... just imagine, being at my mercy with that ring inside of me," she grinned.

"Yes Mistress," Tamil panted excitedly, watching as she moved down to claim a kiss from her mate before straddling his hips and pressing his cock, ring and all, deep inside her with more grace than her state would have indicated while her mate rubbed his chest along her back and nuzzled her neck, his own excitement clear.

The Raccoon cried out as she tightened her body around his shaft and started to ride his cock, working the ring along him, pain and pleasure shooting through his sex.

"I think somebody needs to be filled up," she purred, grinning down at him and tugging at the small rings in his nipples.

"Then I'm plugging that mouth." Jay chuckled and used a bit of Force to shift the pair up so he could drive into the Raccoon's ass without any awkward positioning and began to pound into him, aiming for his prostate.

Tamil cried out again, milking Jay's cock with his ass as his eyes teared up a bit at the pain he was enjoying so thoroughly. Mina leaned back, kissing Jay hungrily as she worked his cock.

"* _I think we have ourselves a perfect pet,_ *" she told him mentally, groaning as the Raccoon's cock grazed her g-spot. "* _And toy for him._ *"

"* _Very much._ *" Jay shuddered and almost whimpered himself in the emotional and physical sensations that were rushing over him from his bedmates. "* _He is going to be_ so _good._ *" He added and slid his arms around his mate to cup and fondle her breasts.

She moaned, leaning back to make a fine display of herself as Tamil reached down to finger her clit beneath her swollen belly, his cock hard as a rock, his teary eyes shining with pleasure.

"You may come, as long as you can still perform afterwards." Jay told him as the tom pressed up against Mina's back and buried his nose in her rich red hair as he grunted, close to the edge so quickly it startled him.

"Yes Ma-aaah!" Tamil cried out, almost screaming as his cock throbbed, the barbs around his shaft digging in painfully as he pumped his seed deep into his Mistress' sex, the shecat moving her body up and down his length even faster as she savored the feeling, and the pain each movement caused the slave.

She wasn't at all ignorant of the way the fact that he enjoyed that pain affected her mate either. For all Jay was turned off by pain in someone who didn't honestly enjoy it, what it did for him when the victim did was a rush of its own.

She'd have no problems working with him in this environment until he didn't care about whether they enjoyed it or not.

Then Jay's roar near her ear shattered her concentration as he came hard, his claws digging into her breasts slightly.

"* _Gentle,_ *" she warned him mentally, just before her own body spasmed in orgasm, milking Tamil's shaft as she moaned. She wanted to encourage Jay's sadism, but _not_ towards her.

She felt the apology from him, even though he wasn't capable of forming words in the intensity of pleasure rushing threw him.

"* _Want to play more, or take him home?_ *" Jay murmured as he nuzzled her and gently massaged her full breasts as he panted, coming down from the triple orgasm.

"* _Mmm ... you_ did _offer to take his mouth first,_ *" Mina pointed out. "* _But after that, I think we should introduce him to the others._ *"

"* _As you wish._ *" He chuckled easily and pulled out of their soon-to-be pet to climb to the head of the bed. He tipped Tamil's head back and smiled when the Raccoon opened his mouth eagerly.

The younger Raccoon nuzzled his master's balls, then took him deep into his throat as Mina kept milking his shaft, purring hungrily.

"Mmm ... that's a good look for him," she purred and leaned forward, kissing Jay tenderly. "And _you_ are enjoying this," she added with a grin.

"Very much." He shivered and moaned deeply as he lowered his head to nuzzle and lick her swollen breasts and slid his fingers under her large belly to tease her sex and clit while she road their soon-to-be-pet.

The Raccoon whimpered pleasantly, thrusting up into his mistress and pleasuring his master with his mouth and tongue, his cock in absolute agony that he was enjoying completely.

"And he's all ours," Mina moaned, caressing Jay's neck and shoulders. "Ooh ...."

"Yes," he purred deeply, thrusting into Tamil's mouth as he soaked up the pleasure in the room, especially the pleasure derived from pain. It was an intoxicant that he'd never experienced so fully before and knew he was already addicted to.

The Raccoon beneath them reached up, taking Jay's hips and helping him thrust deep into his throat, the skilled muscles working him hard and fast, practically begging him for his seed.

It was a desire that Jay would be hard-pressed to resist normally. With the intensity of the pleasure, the pain, of Mina's full body before him and his kittens so clear to him in the Force and the physical, he didn't even try.

He roared in abandon, feeding his seed to the male under him.

Tamil drank his Master's cum desperately, pumping his own into his Mistress' body as his breath washed over Jay's balls from his nose, Mina moaning as she came again, her body sweaty and mostly spent by the time she was done.

"Mmm, that's a good look for you." Jay grinned after they'd recovered and pulled out of Tamil's mouth with a kiss for his mate.

"Mmm ... and you," she purred, pulling off of Tamil and looking down at his shaft, a little blood trickling down him courtesy of the ring. "And especially good for him," she grinned, undoing the ring and licking some of the blood and her juices off of his cum-covered length as the Raccoon smiled shyly.

"Thank you, Masters," he rumbled, groaning at the attention from Mina.

"We will be your new owners soon." Jay told the Raccoon with a smile and got up from the bed to head for the compact sonic shower for a quick clean up, Mina following him.

"I think he'll do _very_ nicely," she purred, climbing into the shower behind him. "And he has medical training, I'm sure of it."

"Yes," Jay nodded and shook his fur out under sonic vibrations. "Not enough to replace a Healer for you, but a useful addition in many ways."

"And he can help us with emergencies ... work on his own injuries," she chuckled, cleaning her fur out. "Mmm ... don't think the kits like these any more than you do," she mused, putting a hand on her belly and stepping out.

"I'm not surprised," he chuckled easily and followed her back into the room to dress. "Tamil, clean up and get dressed while we negotiate your price."

"Yes, Master," the Raccoon nodded eagerly, fetching his bottom and heading in to the shower.

"I think he's been a little too enthusiastic for most," Mina purred, following Jay out to negotiate with the Mouse - only to find a Rat there, arguing with him.

Jay reached out instinctively into both their minds to find out what was going on.

The name he picked up on immediately was one that was familiar; Keval. So, this was the Rat who had so much trouble with Janos.

"Look, Nevin, you know Kobba was interested in that 'Coon. What do you _mean_ another pair of buyers is looking at him?"

"Just what I said, Keval," the Mouse said, looking up into the Rat's eyes defiantly. "Look, I run a fair stall here - that means Kobba doesn't own my stock until he's paid for it, just like anybody else. Somebody else comes by, they might make me a better offer than he does."

"Be careful, or I just might make Kobba an offer for _you_." Jay sneered at the Rat, already planning a very painful demise and knowing full well Keval was free now.

"Who the fuck are you?" The Rat asked Jay with a return sneer. It was clear that he wasn't in a particularly good mood, but his mind was weak. It wouldn't be hard at all to convince him to go somewhere he'd be more vulnerable.

"The Raccoon's new owner." Jay said simply and stepped up to go face to face with Keval, a clear signal to Nevin to step back and wait for the customers to settle things.

The Mouse did just that, backing off and waiting for them.

"Yeah? Well unless you've paid Nevin off already, that isn't guaranteed yet, is it?" Keval sneered back, looking up at Jay without a trace of fear in his eyes.

His mind, on the other hand, was another issue. He knew Jay was probably stronger than him, and the scar on his face and missing piece of ear added to his menacing appearance.

It was a reaction that the tom did everything he could to enhance short of outright mind control.

"Well, now, that is true." Jay acknowledged. "On the other hand, I know Kobba is interested in him as a business investment and that severely limits the price he's willing to pay. Also, since you are here, he's not so interested that he came himself or summoned Nevin to deal."

"It just happens to be that I'm somebody he trusts. More than he can say about most of the people here," the Rat pointed out.

And, of course, that made him somebody Kobba valued, somebody Kobba would protect ... in his mind.

Jay knew better. Hutt didn't protect anyone but themselves. At least not against someone like him, who could make a serious bid for power by killing most and buying out the rest.

"So what's he offering for the 'Coon?" Jay cut to the chase.

Nevin started to respond, only to be cut off by the tom. He wanted Keval to answer.

"Kobba's offering seventy five to start," the Rat told Nevin, trying to sidestep the insult of being treated like the errand boy he was.

"And to end?" Jay snorted, dismissing the amount as nothing. Which it was, to him.

"Yeah? Well what's your offer?" Keval asked him with a snarl.

Jay cocked his head, regarding the Rat for a moment and dug into his mind for the answer. Then turned to Nevin with a suitably outrageous outbid by doubling it. "Two-fifty."

"T-two ...." Nevin's eyes were wide as saucers, a look that the Raccoon standing behind them with Mina matched for a moment. 

"Sold," Nevin said quickly, knowing already that Keval couldn't beat that price without _really_ pissing his boss off. There was no way the Hutt would pay that much for a hooker, not even for a pain-slut like Tamil.

"Hold it," the Rat protested despite that fact ... but he knew he didn't have much he could say about it.

Jay simply smirked and pressed a Hutt cred-stick to Nevin's and accepted the controller for the kill-switch in exchange.

"This isn't over, bastard," Keval growled.

"* _Mina, why don't you take our new pet home while I deal with the Rat._ *" Jay didn't even glance at his mate. "I'm sure it isn't." He grinned dangerously. "The Miklar pack doesn't forget, or forgive, after all."

"* _Yes, dear,_ *" Mina purred. "* _Mmm ... bring home footage, if you can?_ *"

"* _Or you can join me when he's busy with Misha._ *" Jay chuckled mentally.

"* _I'll be there,_ *" she promised, mentally grinning more than he could ever remember her doing as she led Tamil out.

"Miklar ... what do you know about that bastard Wolf?" Keval asked with a growl. "He put you up to this, tryin' to make me look bad?"

"Hardly," Jay laughed easily. "Janos is my mate."

"Well, maybe I should send your boyfriend a message then," Keval muttered, reaching down towards his pocket.

"It's not going to work," Jay said calmly. "We are going to leave the market with this before it gets messy." He ordered with the bare touch of Force required to make the Rat obey.

"Yeah ... you're not worth it," Keval muttered, turning and starting to stalk away.

Jay smiled faintly and left as well, keeping a mental eye on the Rat and gradually steering him into the slums and then further down in a somewhat aimless wander that would put him into the kill zone Jay'd cleared a few days before.

As Keval recognized where he was, he started looking around more carefully, pulling his blaster out. It was clear he was expecting trouble.

Just not trouble that could shut him down completely.

"* _Into the building._ *" Jay told the Rat's subconscious mind. "* _Safety in there._ *"

It was always so much easier to get them when you were suggesting something they were already inclined towards.

Keval started to make his way into an abandoned building, his eyes everywhere but on the door as he made sure there wasn't anything already there waiting to ambush him.

Of course, Jay had already made sure there wasn't. At least not until Mina arrived and they entered themselves. He had no intention of letting anyone, or anything, spoil his fun.

Keval continued in, scoping the place out and making a tour of it that was distinctly familiar to the ones Jay usually made of a new place.

He'd be busy for some time.

"* _Everything ready, dear?_ *" Mina asked Jay mentally.

"* _Yes,_ *" he rumbled back. "* _Ready to play?_ *"

"* _Just tell me where to meet you,_ *" she purred, more excited than she'd been even while they were playing with Tamil. "* _Our new pet is getting himself acquainted with the others._ *"

"* _We should have some very relaxed pets when we get back._ *" He grinned over his shoulder to where her mental voice was coming from and sent her the location.

"* _Agreed,_ *" she chuckled. "* _I'll have a good cab bring me down there, don't think we want to fill Janos in until we can bring him a memento._ *"

"* _Not with what I have in mind._ *" Jay licked his whiskers back and rumbled in excitement as he waited patiently for his mate to come and the games to begin.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Janos shook his head in bemusement at what the three actual pleasure slaves did for introductions and left them to their fun. He had to admit that the Raccoon was attractive, and definitely enjoyed pain more than Y'alla. It would likely be a welcome break for the Twi'lek. She had too many new scars already.

At least she seemed to have _some_ taste for it ... giving, and receiving, to judge by the sounds coming from the room she, Misha, and Tamil were playing in.

Vondra, on the other hand, had been polite but declined to join them. Instead, the white-furred shewolf was out on the balcony, looking a little worried in the same dress she'd been wearing their first night at the hotel.

She was still just as stunning in it too. It did things to him he thought he was long past.

Getting the dress off her wasn't on his mind when he walked up behind her and slid his arms around her to nuzzle her ear.

"Whatcha thinking about?"

"Uhm ... things I probably shouldn't be," she admitted, blushing a bit beneath her fur. "It's not my place anymore ...."

"Then it's probably mine," he murmured and tipped her head up for a gentle lick along her muzzle. "Talk to me."

"It's about Master Jay," she admitted, pressing back against Janos. "He's ... I'm a little scared of him," she admitted. "And Mi-Mistress Mina."

"He'd never hurt you," he murmured softly. "And Mina has more survival sense than to try."

"I never thought he'd show up in bed covered in blood either," Vondra pointed out. "Has he ever ... done that before?""

"Not with me, but he has before," he nodded. "Usually it's in the field though, where you wouldn't be. It just means he got into a big fight and is too worn out to clean up before resting."

"Oh," she said, ducking her head and blushing beneath her fur. "I'd thought that he might have ... being Mistress Mina's mate and all, I wasn't sure how close their tastes were ...."

"He's into pain more than I am, but not nearly like she is." He nuzzled her lightly. "Jay's a warrior, like me. Blood usually means a fight, not sex."

"I'm sorry," she murmured, returning the nuzzle. "It was just ... bad timing, I guess. You two went hunting, he disappeared, then shows up a few days later all covered in blood, I guess I thought the wrong thing."

"Just remember it next time. He will likely do it again."

"I will, Master," she nodded. "Just not used to waking up to that," she smiled a little weakly, before looking back out off the balcony, across at one of the other nearby buildings. "It's been quieter than I expected."

"How so?" He nuzzled the crook of her neck and looked to where she was looking.

"Vondrich," she explained. "He wouldn't give up like this, not normally. I'd expected him to try something by now."

"He'll try, and he'll fail." Janos assured her. "It's how things will be."

"I hope so," she murmured. "He's persistent though. To be taking this long, he's probably working on something -" She was cut off by something zinging through between their muzzles, shattering the window behind them. She turned, her eyes wide with panic, before another shot caught her shoulder and sent her spinning to the ground, a plume of red from the wound spraying blood around the balcony.

Janos' ears flattened as he grabbed her and rolled into the room, his first focus on stopping the blood flow and immediate threat to her life.

Three more shots ripped through the curtain and into the floor, tracing his movement before he got the two of them out of the way, the last shot ripping his pants with a near miss. Some quick healing work and the worst of the bleeding had stopped, leaving Vondra whimpering in pain and clutching the wound.

The first miss had probably saved her life; if she hadn't twisted to see what had happened, the next shot probably would have gone straight through at least one vital organ instead of the meat of her shoulder. She was trembling, terrified and in pain, but she would live through it now.

Which left Janos free to deal with whoever had just volunteered to die painfully.

"I'm going to deal with that bastard." He growled and stood, pulling his lightsaber out and hit the balcony at a full Force-run, using its power and his own momentum to make it to the next rooftop and on towards the assassin's location, already locked in his mind.

It didn't take long to make it there, though he knew that he'd pissed off more than one guy in an air car on the way who'd made a convenient landing point. There was a Verpine there, the emerald-green insectoid chittering in a panic and bringing its crystalline shattergun around to aim at the Wolf it had been sent to kill, one of the glittering darts snapping by Janos' head, blood spraying from the shallow wound it tore in his skin.

It wasn't even painful enough to make the Wolf blink as he shifted out of the way of the next two crystalline darts in the volley and landed on the roof with the Verpine and a deadly intent.

It wasn't even a real fight; the Verpine only had the shattergun, and had been expecting to snipe both hir targets from a distance. Instead, shi got one more shot off, the gun making a loud snapping sound as the round went wild before Janos' lightsaber removed the insectoid's hands with the weapon still in it.

Next off came its forelimbs, cauterized by the weapon so it wouldn't die right away while the Wolf hacked off bits at a time.

At some point, he traded the lightsaber for the more satisfying tooth and claw, not stopping until the Verpine was practically in properly sized chunks to go into a stew. Wiping green ichor from his clothes, he spat at the remains of the assassin, satisfied that he'd dealt out a properly painful compensation for the attack on his pet.

And, with a little luck, left a message that Vondrich would understand.

He shook his fur out and gathered the Force again to go back to the hotel the way he'd left. It was better than walking into the lobby like this.

By the time he was back on the balcony, he could see a droid in the room working with Vondra, feel the anxiety and near-panic in the room. For a moment, his defensive response was to take the droid apart, especially when heard a pained whimper as it probed her shoulder to make sure the projectile wasn't in her, but he quickly controlled it.

The butler was watching the droid carefully, Misha and Y'alla very nearly panicked as they huddled together and watched with the Hound. Tamil seemed the most at ease with the situation, though it was clear to see that the Raccoon felt useless at the moment.

Janos walking in provided him with an obvious outlet for his impulses, and he was quickly at the Wolf's side.

"Are you injured, Master?" He asked.

"No," he shook his head slightly, but didn't object in the least to the Raccoon's knowledgeable touch as he closed the distance to Vondra and put a gentle hand on her good shoulder. "It's been dealt with, pet." He spoke softly. "It's over."

"No," she murmured, starting to relax as the med-droid injected her with a painkiller and sedative. "It's just beginning."

"Not once I get done with him, it's not." He promised, utterly determined to make it true. "He is _not_ going to get another chance at you."

"Good," she murmured, drifting off thanks to the drug, her body going mostly limp.

"I have treated her for her injuries and for possible shock," the droid explained, looking up at Janos and scanning him. "Do you wish your own injures to be cared for? They are minor, but it would not be any trouble."

"I'll tend them myself." He said easily and picked Vondra up to take her to bed. Of _all_ the times for Jay to be off hunting on his own.

"Very well," the droid nodded, trundling out of the room as Janos carried his pet into their room, the butler and Tamil working to calm the others down and get them into a better defended area.

* * *

"Hey, Janos?" Jay poked his head into the master bedroom to look at the Wolf holding a silent vigil over his pet.

"Hey," the Wolf said softly, stroking Vondra's hair softly as she slept off the sedative's effect and her rush from before. "You two have fun?"

"Sort of, what happened here?" He focused on what was clearly still wrong and walked in to sit on the bed next to Vondra and checked her condition himself.

"Vondra's old boyfriend decided to express his displeasure with our discussion," Janos growled. "Hired hit with a Verpine shattergun. She got damned lucky," he sighed. For the first time since Jay'd met him, he felt something unusual from the Wolf mixed in with his understandable anger; regret.

"I guess there's another head I need to retrieve, then." Jay murmured and leaned forward to nuzzle his mate lightly, a little bemused by how calm and centered he felt inside over the idea. "Is there anything left of the hitman?"

"Only if you're interested in Verpine stew," the Wolf muttered, returning the nuzzle lightly. "Frankly, I wouldn't bother with the pieces. And Jay? You're not retrieving that head," Janos said seriously.

"Are you going to wait until she's healed?" He glanced up. "You can trust me to take care of her while you hunt."

"Waiting until she's awake again at least," Janos said simply. "Want her to know it'll all be okay. And I want Vondrich to have enough time to hear about his hitman and get scared," he added with a growl, his anger nearly palpable.

"If leaving her with Mina was even possibly an option, I'd want to come with you." Jay rumbled, somewhat disturbed by his own excitement at Janos' rage and the Darkness it drew to him.

"I'm not leaving her alone here with her for an instant," Janos told him firmly. "I don't think she'd try anything, but I'm not taking the chance. I can handle Vondrich and his goons; be good to make sure I'm still in stalking form."

"I have no doubt you can; I just love a good kill." Jay licked the Wolf's muzzle appeasingly. "And Mina has no place anywhere near her. Part of why Tamil's with us. He's got a real taste for her kind of play, and he's got some medical training on top of it."

"And he's cute," Janos chuckled, returning the lick. "So, how'd your day go? Mina mentioned that this time I'd want details, but didn't say anything more."

"We ran into an old 'friend' of yours, who had the bad sense to pick a fight with me over who was going to buy that cute 'Coon." Jay chuckled a bit. "He lost more than his tail this time."

"Keval?" Janos asked, his ears perking up a bit. "Well, about time somebody got rid of him. Hope you found a way to do it that won't have Kobba wanting our heads?"

"I took him down to where the 'vrblther' slaughtered everyone. Plus he's only working for him, not indebted to him now." Jay nodded.

"If it was anybody else but Keval, I'd be worried, but I'll make an exception for that ass. He didn't cause any serious trouble in the market, did he?" The Wolf asked him with a bit of a nuzzle.

"No, he just ended up making one Mouse _very_ happy over the price for that 'Coon." He snickered. "He had the bright idea to shoot me, which was when he stopped being in control of his own ideas."

"I'm guessing that was after you told him about me?" Janos guessed. "By the way, Tamil is it? He looks to be getting along real well with the others. Attentive guy too; when I got back, about the only thing keeping him from being on Vondra and trying to patch her up himself was the droid in his way."

"He has medical training, and that's very good to hear." Jay nodded. "He's also a serious masochist. I was hoping that he'd take some of the pressure off Y'alla, since both _our_ pets are strictly off limits to Mina."

"I made that clear to Vondra earlier, in case it came up," he nodded. "Wasn't sure about Misha, though I'm sure they play when there isn't pain involved." Janos chuckled. "You should've seen the mood that Minervan Mink was in when you were out hunting. I think she almost managed to break the butler's composure a couple times."

"What, she didn't jump you?" Jay winked at him. "She's got someone who can keep up with her now. I think at least."

"Even Wolves slow down once in a while," Janos chuckled, shaking his head. "Her, I think even if she was as drugged up as Vondra here she'd be trying to fuck somebody."

"Or at least sprawled out with her legs spread in case somebody might get the idea." He snickered and licked Janos' cheek suggestively. "She does keep the others content when we want a little time to ourselves."

"That she does," Janos rumbled, kissing Jay lightly. "Speaking of which ... mmm ... you mind playing with Vondra in here yet? Promise I won't interrupt us the instant she wakes up," he teased lightly.

"I don't mind," he chuckled into the kiss and slid over into Janos' lap to wrap his arms around the Wolf's neck. "I've missed you."

"Mmm ... missed you too," Janos rumbled, kissing him and pulling him back down onto the large bed. "Now, why don't we see about getting reacquainted?"

"I like that idea," Jay nuzzled him and claimed a deep kiss as his hands explored his lover's upper body. "Game to be under me this time?"

"Mmm ... just take it slow, and leave us like this, and I'm game," the Wolf rumbled, far more at ease with the idea than he had been just a month or two ago.

"No problem," he rumbled and pulled Janos' shirt up to nuzzle the thick gray fur. "You know I want you comfortable."

"I know," Janos murmured, pulling his shirt off the rest of the way and starting to work on Jay's. "You're the only guy who gets even this far," he murmured, kissing the older tom between his ears as he nuzzled his chest.

He could feel the honor Jay felt at that statement, and the tom's determination to not do anything to disrespect that trust.

"Why don't I start with something a little more natural?" Jay purred and slid off the Wolf's lap to nuzzle his groin.

"Now _that_ I won't argue with at all," Janos grinned, reaching down to open up his pants as he spread his legs for the tom to settle between. "Going to have to get these patched," he observed, noticing the tear in them from the attack for the first time.

"Something to keep our butler busy with, so Misha doesn't scare him anymore." Jay snickered and nuzzled the Wolf's heavy balls before drawing one into his mouth to be carefully lavished with attention.

"Mmm ... or we just tell him he can play too," Janos rumbled, reaching down to fondle Jay's undamaged ear and the back of his head. "Damn that's good ...."

"* _I'm sure Misha would appreciate it._ *" Jay answered silently so his mouth could continue to work the furry orb in his mouth.

Janos groaned, pressing his crotch up into Jay's mouth, the kat's rough tongue working his balls as the Wolf's cock hardened quickly.

"Mmm, that's better." Jay grinned as he let the furry mass slide from his mouth to rub his face against the hard length of furless flesh. "Nice and hard and musky."

"Mmm ... yeah, but you're the only one who gets to play like this," Janos teased with a lusty rumble. "Get up here ...."

Jay grinned and gave the Wolf's smooth shaft a long nuzzle as he shed his own pants to reveal that he was more than ready to play as he shifted around to offer his cock to his mate's mouth even as the Wolf's disappeared into his own.

Janos groaned, muffling the sound quickly with Jay's barbed cock, lapping at it briefly before he swallowed the thick, musky length into his long muzzle, rumbling deeply as they worked each other with a familiarity that belied the short time they'd actually known each other.

While he worked, Jay called a bottle of the special lube to him and began to work his mate's ass open, stretching him gently and slowly.

He could feel the habitual tension in the Wolf, but it wasn't nearly as strong as it used to be. Instead, he got a groan of pleasure, a warm, skilled mouth suckling his cock as a thick finger pressed up into his bowels.

He rumbled in pleasure around the cock he was working on and lightly brushed one finger against the Wolf's prostate, eager to get him off now that the Wolf was ready to be taken.

Lupine pre filled his mouth, just before Janos groaned deeply, pumping his seed up into his hungry maw, suckling his barbed shaft desperately.

It was a desire that Jay had little resistance to and he let go, flooding his mate's mouth even as he eagerly swallowed Janos' come.

Soon, the Wolf's balls stopped twitching, and he was licking Jay's shaft clean with a satisfied rumble.

"Mmm ... damn that's hot," he grinned, licking Jay's balls and the furless pucker of his ass playfully.

"Yes, it is." He purred and nuzzled Janos' cleaned cock even as he gently pulled away to shift around. "Ready?" He gently urged his mate to his back and played his fingers along his cock with one hand while the other coated his own cock with the special lube that would make it a smooth shaft penetrating the Wolf.

"As I'll ever be," Janos nodded, making sure Vondra was comfortable and they'd have room, giving her an affectionate lick before spreading his legs.

Jay nodded and ran his fingers along the Wolf's cock as he pressed into his body with a slow motion, ready to stop or back out if he went too fast.

Janos groaned, his body stretching to accept the thick intruder, squeezing down around it as he reached up to wrap his arms around Jay's neck and pull him down for a kiss that was accepted and returned as the tom began to thrust.

"* _Force, you are hot._ *" Jay shuddered, close to the edge despite having just come. Being inside a male who rarely bottomed always did this to him, and that wasn't changing.

"Company," Janos managed to get out between his teeth, groaning as Jay hit his prostate again, his own cock getting hard again a bit more slowly.

A few sharp breaths later and Jay roared, his head thrown back as he came hard deep inside his mate.

Janos groaned, milking Jay's cock, but still not quite ready himself.

Still, the bouncing on the bed and the noise were enough to get through Vondra's half-drugged stupor, and the shewolf started to come to, blinking her eyes to the bleary vision of her Master, his tongue lolling out of his mouth with bliss, being fucked hard by Jay.

Of all the weird things she experienced in this pack, _that_ one she wasn't ready for. She gasped sharply, her eyes going wide as she half sat up.

"Ngh ... mornin'," Janos grunted. "* _Jay? Game for ... oooh ... adding her?_ *" He was pretty close, he was sure, but if Jay was up for it ....

"Oh _yes_." The tom's gaze locked on her body, the eagerness to touch and pleasure her clear to them both.

"Mmm ... Vondra? Want to join us?" Janos asked her, putting his hands on Jay's hips to stop him until the shewolf had decided and was in place. "Just between us, with me inside you."

She looked nervously at Jay and his lustful look at her, not quite sure what to make of the way the tom quickly controlled himself.

"I won't do anything you don't agree to." He promised softly, a low sound of pleasure from the way Janos' body was still working him.

"Al-all right." She nodded, still not quite sure what Janos had in mind.

Janos pressed Jay up, stroking his shaft lightly with one hand and motioning with his head for Vondra to take him into her. "C'mon, pet," he smiled warmly. "Me in you, Jay in me."

She nodded and moved to straddle him, first across the chest and then slid back until she could reach between her legs to feel his hard cock and guided it into her body with a soft sound of pleasure.

"Oh yes," Janos groaned, drawing her close for a kiss, pulling Jay tight against her back. "Now _this_ is incredible," he rumbled into her mouth.

The tom behind her whimpered softly. "Vondra ... may I touch?" He nuzzled her upper back, his hands at a loss as to what to touch with her off limits and Janos buried inside her.

"Yes, Master Jay." She murmured as she lifted her body up to give her Master an enticing view of her late-adolescent body as she road him.

She gasped in surprise as he cupped her breasts and kneaded them, her nipples between his fingers, before she relaxed into the touch and let it feel good.

Janos caressed her hips with his own hands, moaning as the two started to move in and along his body, his cock throbbing in time with his heartbeat, his ass milking Jay's shaft as Vondra's body milked his own.

He had to admit, watching his mate feel his pet up, her pleasure at the surprisingly gentle touch, was nearly as intense as the double-pleasure of their bodies working his own.

"So good." Jay murmured and leaned forward a little more to nuzzle Vondra's back. "* _Think she's up for it?_ *" He asked silently with an image of him in her ass instead of Janos'.

"* _No,_ *" Janos responded firmly, along with the mental image of her reaction to _his_ attempts, let alone how she'd handle Jay.

Just then, he let out a low groan, leaning his head back as he pumped his seed into Vondra's sex, his ass milking Jay's needily.

"Oh, _yeah_!" Jay cried out and let himself go, filling Janos' ass again as he rubbed Vondra's breasts and pressed against her back as he came.

Janos kept grinding up against Vondra, then back against Jay, enjoying the feeling of both their bodies as his knot swelled up inside his pet and Jay recovered enough to begin to thrust again.

* * *

"Mmm ... are you sure it's going to be another two months?" Mina asked Jay, groaning pleasantly as Tamil rubbed her feet. "I feel like they're going to end up popping out and taking me with them at this rate."

"Unless things go odd because of the cross-breeding, yes." He nodded seriously. "It is time to find a good midwife Healer to tend to you both. Tami can't be more than a couple weeks away by now."

"Lucky her," Mina murmured. "Any ideas how to find one? You haven't been interested in hitting the Market while Janos is off hunting that Vondrich fellow."

"A sensitive Healer with midwife training?" He shook his head. "Those kind aren't slaves for sale, we'll have to hire one. It's mostly a matter of checking listings and finding someone who has the qualifications and doesn't mind an exclusive contract for a few months."

"And sorting through a lot who aren't really sensitives," Mina pointed out. "A lot of 'em don't know it, and I don't know all the orders and traditions in the area that might be mentioned."

"But I do." He said softly, a reminder of just what he could do with a couple hours and a networked computer. "What is more important is what you want in one, besides the basic requirements."

"Mammalian," Mina said easily, flexing her toes with a bit of a groan, enjoying Tamil's attentions and the playful lick he gave her ankle. "And a non-pred."

That raised an eyebrow, and Jay's displeasure. "Non-pred?"

"Just a preference," she said, shrugging slightly. "If it was a Cat that'd be one thing, but not a Wolf or something like that."

Jay nodded. "Anything else you want in one?"

"Somebody who isn't going to take it upon herself to make sure the cubs are 'rescued' from their parents," Mina growled lowly.

"There's a reason I won't call a Jedi." He grumbled, his belief that they _were_ the most qualified clear. "Being on board the Kraken will help cool off any bright ideas like that."

"Here's hoping, though midwives are known to have a track-record of being stupid when it comes to children with potential," Mina murmured, Tamil nuzzling the insides of her thighs lightly to try and distract her from her mood. "Mmm ... I think that should do, probably. Though obviously, her skills at healing will be more important than her telepathic skills."

Especially if what Mina was starting to sense from her children was true.

"True," he nodded and stood. "We'll just have to keep an eye on her. I'll see about finding her, while you 'relax'." He chuckled lightly.

"Mmm ... sounds good to me," Mina purred, looking down at Tamil and flexing her claws as the Raccoon shivered in anticipation.

Jay just chuckled and shook his head as he headed out to start his search. That 'Coon was well worth his price for the peace he brought to the house. Mina had found what she needed and now she left everyone else in peace most of the time.

Y'alla still ended up cut sometimes, but not nearly as often, and she'd managed to get out some of her frustrations by giving Tamil what he wanted sometimes.

Fortunately, all the pets were currently occupied, Janos was out hunting up news on Vondrich and giving the Wolf hell, and Mina and Tamil would be busy for a long time.

Plenty of time for him to work.

He sat down at the desk in the study and began to pull up search criteria. Midwife Healer, Force-sensitive, feline, female, not Jedi.

It wasn't a long list; most people didn't list all those criteria. But it was long enough that he'd be busy for a while contacting them and doing the background research to eliminate any that had too many ties to the Jedi or other dangerous behavior.

He wasn't sure how long he'd been working before the door to his room slid open, a lean, slinky figure slipping in.

"Master?" Misha asked him softly.

"Worn Y'alla out already?" He chuckled in tolerant amusement for his pet's sex drive even though he didn't look up.

"Mmm ... she wanted to go shopping, I didn't think you'd mind," Misha smiled. "What are you working on?"

"No," he agreed easily as the computer continued to work its cross-referencing magic on the list that just kept getting shorter. "Trying to find a suitable midwife for our pregnant felines."

"Ah. Long, dull, slow work?" She guessed, moving closer and looking over his shoulder, draping her arms around his neck to nuzzle his undamaged cheek.

"Mostly watching the computer make names go away before I go talk to them." He nodded and nuzzled her back. "Not something I have to pay that much attention too." He rumbled lightly and shifted the chair back a bit to give her room in front of him.

"Mmm ... then perhaps Master would like a distraction while he waits?" She nearly purred, slinking around in front of him, kissing his collarbone, then down his body towards his crotch, kneeling mostly under the table as he spread his legs and stroked her hair as she undid his pants to nuzzle the velvety fur covering his sheath and balls.

"You won't hear me objecting." He purred deeply.

"Good," she grinned up at him, licking his sheath slowly to a low sound of approval and pleasure. "I've been known to have selective hearing about that sort of thing anyways," she teased.

"Such a nympho little Mink." He chuckled and lightly rubbed her small, rounded ears while he relaxed back and enjoyed her attentions. "You were a good choice."

She beamed at the praise, then licked around the entrance to his sheath. "Mmm ... would Master like me on his lap, then to get these attentions while he works?" She asked him, her eyes twinkling at the thought of him calling the contacts while she was sucking him off.

It was a thought that drew a groan of anticipation nearly as strong from him as he didn't resist the flow of her desires.

"You have a very dirty mind, my pet." Jay rumbled with a grin for her.

"And you adore it," she grinned, slipping up to rub her moist pussy lips against his sheath, coaxing his cock out while she kissed him. "Mmm ...."

"Almost as much as you do." He grinned and wrapped his arms around her, drawing her into a heated kiss as he grabbed her ass and pulled her into position to take his now hard cock deep into her body. "Ohhh, yeah."

She moaned lustily, milking his cock.

"Mmm ... so much better," she groaned, rubbing his back as he assisted her movements to make it as good for her as it was for him.

He leaned back and slid down in the chair a bit. It limited his thrusts to an extent, but it allowed them him to be buried even deeper into her hot, wet, eager body.

"So _hot_." He groaned and pulled her hips against his hard.

She kissed him hungrily, savoring the feel of his barbs and hardness inside her body. She bore down hard as she pulled up, then dropped on him quickly, moaning into his mouth. She was relishing every moment she had with a master who enjoyed her so much, and even more, valued her as more than just a warm hole to fuck. It was heaven to have one that truly enjoyed playing and her sense of fun.

Her master, too, was in heaven and not the least bit shy about letting her know he enjoyed her efforts as he took her hard, eventually working his head down to her breasts to lavish them with attention.

She threw her head back, her pale throat exposed as she cried out, her body spasming around his shaft, milking him desperately as she came.

She whimpered in anticipation when he held himself back, knowing he was going to wear her down into boneless puddle of pleasure before she'd kneel between his knees again to suck on him while he spoke with the various midwives left on this list.

* * *

* * *

* * *

One of Vondrich's guards looked around at his surroundings suspiciously, watching for any signs of activity. The Wolf had doubled his security in the past couple weeks, since things started getting strange. Rumor had it that customers were turning up scared and taking their business elsewhere, shipments of slaves had been freed or re-routed to other dealers, basically everything that _could_ go wrong in the business _was_.

And it had Vondrich increasingly infuriated and scared.

The lean Ringtail guard was just lucky he wasn't assigned to one of the shipments. That was a job that was practically suicide these days.

Before he even had the chance to realize the irony of his last thoughts, his brain processed the sound of a lightsaber flaring to life just in time for his head to roll away from his shoulders.

Janos extinguished his lightsaber, jumping back up out of the skylight he'd come down through.

One guard down, a dozen to go. Then he'd be after Vondrich himself. He waited a few moments, just long enough for the security cameras to swivel around and find the decapitated guard....

The alarms sounded, and the Wolf smirked in satisfaction as he started moving towards the edge of the building, getting ready to stalk his real prey. That should make this a bit easier.

Guards rushed towards the fallen one, searching the area as Janos slipped from one hiding place to another. When he could get one of them alone, he would finish them off, enjoying the game of cat and mouse with the reasonably well trained security forces almost as much as the combat itself.

With a half-dozen additional kills to his tally, he decided to end the game, and dropped down beneath a column suspending the lookout post from the roof of the building he was working his way into, another hotel that was better known than the Azine for being a place to hide and keep your ass out of the line of fire.

They were going to _hate_ him here after the night was over.

If they ever figured out who he was at least.

If they ever figured out who he was at least. Not that it'd be too hard; once he got close enough, he wasn't going to be too worried about cameras. If they didn't catch him, great. If they did, he didn't really care.

He just wanted Vondrich dead.

He climbed down the support, moving slowly enough he wouldn't slip or be spotted, but quickly enough that he made good time. When he reached the next roof, he dropped down behind the cameras, ripping them off their supports telekinetically and sending them careening down towards the ground hundreds of meters below.

"Hey!" A guard looked out of a nearby hatch, making the mistake of drawing Janos' attention. The next sound he made was a panicked squawk as his head was grabbed from a distance and he was yanked out of the hatch, followed by several grunts and groans of pain as he was slammed against the side of the roof.

The sickening 'crack' as his neck and several ribs snapped was Janos' cue to stop, but the Wolf continued for a couple more hits, just to be safe. He pulled a grappler out of his belt, tying the end around the guard's ankle, and reaching out through the Force to sense Vondrich's presence. The Wolf probably had no _clue_ how easy he was to find; somebody without the glow of a sensitive, but with the faint, palpable aura of menace and arrogance that a true Dark Sider held.

Finding him, Janos smirked. There was a window nearby, blaster and penetration resistant.

Anchoring the grapple, he threw the guard off the edge, letting him dangle just outside the window.

He grinned at the spike of fear he felt run through his target as he saw him, then looked up as another alarm went off, this one different.

Vondrich was calling his guards to him.

Janos chuckled and shook his head, igniting his saber. He'd wait until they were all down, then go through the few floors separating him from his target the fast way.

* * *

Vondrich knew as soon as he saw the guard dangling outside the window with his neck at an unnatural angle that the reason for all his troubles was here.

That nouveau-riche Wolf who had Vondra.

The dark furred one who didn't play by the rules.

Any rules.

For the first time in years, Vondrich knew the feel of real fear.

He licked his lips nervously and reached over to hammer the alarm button, summoning every guard in the place to come to him. Within seconds, he was surrounded by a small squad of furs and other hired guns, all glancing at the two doors and the window nervously.

The last thing they were expecting was for the ceiling to start glowing briefly, just before a segment of the roof above Vondrich collapsed, a blood-red beam flashing through the dust and confusion, felling guards left and right as everything went straight to Hell.

In the time it took even the best-trained guards to find a target and fire, the dust was settling and only the two Wolves were left standing.

Janos had to give the white one credit; he faced certain death with a modicum of the dignity and self-reliance that had no doubt built his empire, even though he was terrified to the core.

"I am worth more to you alive than dead." Vondrich said evenly.

"You tried to have my mate killed," Janos said simply. "And you didn't even have the balls to do it yourself; you hired a sniper to try and kill the both of us from a quarter mile away. You'd do _far_ better to pay me to make it quick."

"Mate?" Vondrich's eyes went wide as, to him, the situation changed in an instant and he trembled fractionally. "She's a slave, a Gamma."

"And _that_ is why I wouldn't have sold her to you for ten times what you're worth," Janos growled, his blood-red lightsaber glowing between them as Vondrich took a step back. "The T'surr made her a slave, but she's better than that at heart."

"Then fight me like the Alpha you claim to be." Vondrich dropped into a slight combat crouch. He didn't have a prayer of winning and they both knew it, but he had a better chance, and a more dignified death, than at a Sith's lightsaber.

"You really are a glutton for punishment, aren't you?" Janos smirked, reaching out to check the pseudo-noble's mind and make sure he wasn't trying to goad him into some sort of trap. While there was a hope that Janos wasn't as good in an Alpha fight -- unarmed combat -- as Vondrich was, the real reason for it was to die an Alpha, instead of to an assassin.

Janos had to admit, too, that if he wasn't a trained sensitive, Vondrich would have a pretty good chance of winning such a fight.

The white Wolf might be as Dark as any senior Sith, but he was still as loyal to his Wolf upbringing as anyone Janos knew. Loyal to the extent he actually wanted the strongest and best to inherit his empire; even if that Wolf was an assassin. That much was worth respect.

A _little_ respect.

Janos holstered his 'saber and fell back into a traditional combat stance, waiting to see if Vondrich would make the first move.

It was only seconds in coming, a classic in the half-ritualized combat pattern, as Vondrich closed to grapple with him.

Janos met the approach, the two of them locking in a grapple for a few moments that Janos knew he could control. He fought and wrestled with all his skill for a bit, gauging just how much he could hold back to taunt the white-furred Wolf with and still win.

A reasonably good amount, he realized with a mental smirk, thanks to the Force.

He backed off his moves, feigning fatigue and lack of skill as they struggled and Vondrich began to push him back. He made it just clear enough that he _was_ faking it to piss Vondrich off.

As they fought, he reached out to his surroundings, looking for ways to steer the noble towards potential traps by giving way in the right direction. Fights like this he could handle; he could control his opponent. It wasn't like with Tembris, where any challenge was met with a crippling display of the Force that left the smell of ozone mingling with blood, pain, and hatred.

It did exactly what he wanted. The white Wolf was getting angry and took the wrestling to the next level with a lunge forward with his jaws to grab and crush anything he could.

Janos grinned, rolling back and flipping Vondrich over his head, slamming him down against the floor behind him with muscle and Force alike.

He was rewarded by a grunt of pain, and half surprised by how fast the slightly older Wolf recovered and came at him again.

He snarled as a claw slashed his muzzle, drawing blood from the wound he'd received a few weeks before.

Couldn't get _too_ sloppy; he had to remember that.

He grabbed Vondrich's wrist with the next attack, throwing him across the room to stumble over the dismembered bodies of his guards.

"What's the matter, Dog-blood - prissy bitch like you can't take a real Alpha in a real fight?" He taunted him, sneering and knowing the cameras in the room were rolling the security footage.

He'd be having some fun with this ... and, the more he thought about it, Vondrich was more likely to live through the night after all.

Not that he'd be thanking him for it.

Vondrich growled, his ears flat as he got to his feet and began the circling pattern that typically began a fight.

He was in trouble and they both knew it, but the white Wolf would be damned if he didn't give the best showing of his life, and that meant keeping control.

"What's the matter?" Janos rumbled, circling opposite him. "I hit a little close to home? Don't like being reminded that the only reason you're any sort of Alpha is because you managed to bully enough Twi'lek sluts that you made yourself king of the slug-pets?"

"At least _I_ never took it under the tail and begged for more." Vondrich shot back, knowing exactly what it took to goad his opponent into a rage that would end things quickly.

The reaction was just what he'd hoped for, too. Janos' ears flat against his head, his fur bristling.

"That can change, you know," he growled menacingly, lunging for Vondrich with claws bared.

"What's wrong?" Vondrich smirked and dodged the first attack. "The truth hurts, sire's-toy?"

Janos snarled again, the spike in sheer rage strong enough that even Vondrich could feel that something was seriously wrong as the Dark Side answered the siren call of the younger Wolf's hatred. Steel-grey fur slammed into Vondrich from the front, smashing him against the wall as sharp teeth bit into his shoulder, narrowly missing anything vital.

As bloody as it was against his perfectly white fur, the mindlessness also gave Vondrich an opening to do some damage of his own and me clamped his jaws down around the side of Janos' face. He didn't have the strength to crush his skull, but he did manage to leave grooves in the bone from his sharp teeth as he tore away flesh and fur. He only released the grip as he felt Janos grab his balls, lifting him bodily by the crotch and slamming him onto the ground - then tightening his grip and ripping them and the cloth from his body.

He knew he screamed, but after that, he was barely cognizant of anything else as he tried to remember to breathe.

"Let's see how _you_ like it," Janos growled, ripping Vondrich's rich pants the rest of the way off of him, releasing him for just a moment to pull his own pants down.

Despite the incredible pain Vondrich was in, and the range clouding his own mind, Janos recognized the steely determination in the white Wolf not to beg.

Not even for his own death.

He had to respect that much, even as he was determined to see that same strength broken, by his hand or another's.

The rush of adrenaline and rage from the battle had him hard as a rock, something he took advantage of, grabbing Vondrich by the shoulders and starting to force his unlubed cock up into the older Wolf's virgin ass with no concern for anything beyond making this as painful for him as he could.

He knew almost immediately he'd made a critical miscalculation. After being castrated by having his balls ripped off, this barely registered as the white Wolf began to go into shock.

Janos reached out through the Force, using his limited healing skills to stop the bleeding and keep him conscious. It wasn't easy; the older Wolf had stopped fighting his surrender to oblivion. The fight was over and Janos had won.

Janos started to thrust, working his Force-skills into the older Wolf's minds to _make_ him respond the way he wanted to. To respond with pleasure, to enjoy, at least physically, the brutal treatment he was receiving.

It was slow going; Janos simply wasn't that good a healer. Eventually, though, Vondrich's cock began top harden with a moan that may have been of pleasure.

"How do you like that?" Janos asked, his mind coming back into focus as blood oozed from wounds along the side of his face, his cock slamming up into the white Wolf's prostate.

He got more of a grunt than an answer. Janos could feel the confusion in his subject; both the response of pleasure and why he was still alive.

He worked to weave his senses in more strongly, intensifying the feelings of pleasure directly through Vondrich's brain, licking his neck with a sort of twisted tenderness as the white Wolf began to whimper, his mind rejecting the pleasure he couldn't help but feel at this violation.

Janos could only shake his head slightly in frustration. While Janos was getting what he wanted, Vondrich was close to coming and humiliated beyond what he thought possible, he wasn't resisting either. Vondrich counted himself as dead and had turned a skill at ignoring injuries and forcing himself through things into ignoring this too.

An idea formed in the back of the Wolf's mind, and a vicious smirk curled his muzzle.

One way to see what it would take to break that skill.

He howled, pumping his seed up into the violated Wolf's bowels, jets of cum rushing against his prostate as the dark-furred Wolf above him stimulated the pleasure centers of his brain.

A deep howl, as much startled as pleasured, echoed just afterwards as Vondrich came hard despite not having his balls to empty.

Janos pulled out of him, seed dripping from Vondrich's ass as the younger Wolf lifted him up, reaching down to stroke his hard cock, responding to pleasure more than anything else at this point.

"You think I'm going to kill you, don't you?" He rumbled, shifting so the camera could see how hard he was.

"You don't, I'll be back." He growled softly. "I've dealt with your kind before."

"You wish it was that simple," Janos smirked, practically purring. "It's my choice whether you live or die. I own everything you have, don't I?"

"Only after I'm dead." Vondrich spat at him, making it clear he'd never surrender in the Alpha fight.

"And when the T'surr own you, you practically will be," Janos growled darkly. "Give you a taste of what you've given others. I think you'll be a very popular bedtoy, myself. With the crew, if nothing else."

"As long as I'm still breathing, you and your pet are going to die." Vondrich promised with a level of defiance that didn't jive with his condition.

"Then maybe if the T'surr and the Hutts they sell you to leave enough to be a threat, I'll consider killing you." Janos rumbled. "Until then? You're not worth it. If you've got a friend left who gives a shit about you, I'll be shocked, and you're only a threat when you've got expensive killers to throw at people."

"We'll see about that." Vondrich rumbled a promise.

"I guess we will," Janos rumbled, shifting his hand to tighten his grip around the older Wolf's throat, applying a sleeper hold that would quickly put him under.

He'd been planning on killing him, to be honest, but he'd pissed him off _just_ enough that he wanted more. Putting the proud Wolf through the humiliation of the T'surr breaking him would be just about enough.

And this time, Janos wouldn't be stopping them before the effects were permanent.

* * *

Janos glanced around as he made his way through one of the seedier slave markets of Nar Shaddaa. The smell of a thousand slaves filled the air, sweat and sex and pain and fear mixing to make a pungent cocktail that, frankly, he could live without.

Vondrich was being carried behind him by a servant droid holding his leash and leading the white-furred Wolf on a repulsorlift cart that would normally be used for hauling simple cargo. He was a bit of a mess, but Janos had cleaned him up fairly well.

And made sure he was conscience for the brief moments it took to use his lightsaber to clean up the ragged edges and gaping wound of his crotch.

On the plus side, he hadn't had to sedate him again afterwards. It didn't change the disturbing appearance of the wound, noted by many as he walked through, but it was a pain the Wolf had deserved.

Janos spotted the slaver he was looking for, a massive T'surr bargaining with a Walrus-like Aqualish over a pair of house slaves. The lowest ranking T'surr who would have the authority to make a purchase, particularly a cheap one.

The grey-furred Wolf reached out, teasing Vondrich's mind back towards consciousness as he took the leash from the droid, paid its rental, and let it go.

The sound of the pained waking drew the Aqualish's attention before the T'surr's after they finished their deal. Their reactions were distinctly different however. The Aqualish twitched its flat, wide nose in distaste, but Janos could almost taste the interest in the T'surr for the white Wolf that was clearly going to require a great deal more punishment before he was suitable for anything.

"If you two are done?" He asked, looking at the Aqualish with a mildly bored expression. The powerfully built creature shrugged, wrapping its broad hand around the leashes of its new slaves, and walked off elsewhere through the slave market.

"I have a slave who isn't worth the trouble to me anymore," Janos told the T'surr, pulling Vondrich over to the low-ranking slaver.

"Type of slave?" It asked in rudimentary Basic as it looked the badly beaten and mutilated Wolf over.

"Pleasure slave had been the plan. Could still be, if he was broken properly, but I don't have the time or inclination to do the job myself. He should be a good laborer, if nothing else."

"How much you want?" It focused on Janos.

"For this one? I'll take fifty peggats," the Wolf shrugged. "Just want him off my hands, mostly."

The crab-like humanoid looked over the white Wolf again, suspicious as such a low price. Though for an untrained, troublesome slave it wasn't too unreasonably low. It would likely take months to make him useable for anything from the look of him so far.

"Forty." It offered in counter. "Damaged goods." It pointed to the obvious castration and cauterizing burns.

"Forty-five," Janos countered. "He's unruly, but not _that_ useless. Slaves don't need their balls anyway."

"Forty-five. Agreed." It nodded fractionally and opened the coin-bag it had dropped the house-slaves price into to pull out the coins. "It have a name anymore?"

"Not any more, though you'll have to convince it of that fact," Janos said easily, accepting the coins and putting them in his own pouch. "Good luck with him. Once he's trained, I'm sure he'll be a _very_ dedicated worker."

The T'surr just took Vondrich's leash before dragging the half-conscious Wolf on the sled back to his superiors.

Janos smirked and turned, leaving the market with a very satisfied feeling inside.


	18. Epilogue 1: Janos and the Santross

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Four months after leaving the Kraken, Janos and Vondra have finally dropped off the last former slave and are headed to Corellia to meet her family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written with Karl Wolfemann

"Y'know, if somebody'd told me I'd be doing this a year ago, I'd have fed them their own teeth," Janos mused as he rested in bed with Y'alla, Misha and Vondra, the white-furred Wolf snuggled closest as their trip around the Core drew to a close. A few more hours, and they'd be in the Corellia sector, ready to end these last few crazy months.

"All of our lives have been turned upside down this year." Vondra murmured, her head on his chest as she relaxed.

"For the better, I think." Misha grinned and nuzzled Vondra's neck.

"For some of us," Janos agreed. "Jay... he kinda got the short end of the stick. But he's still back with his real mates now." He rubbed Vondra's back with one hand, Y'alla's with the other. "Mmm ... almost all over at least. Don't think anybody would have thought I'd be becoming respectable," he chuckled. "Even as much as I have."

"I think you're quite respectable." Vondra nuzzled him. "Even if you are pretty rough around the edges."

"That's a different sort of respectable," he chuckled. "Usually, at least. Here's hoping things go well when we get back to Corellia."

"You don't mind the others staying with me, for now at least?" He asked Vondra with a soft whisper.

"No, I don't." She smiled indulgently up at him. "They don't exactly have anywhere else to go."

"All right," he chuckled, kissing her. "Just not sure if the whole non-monogamous thing went both ways."

"Well, I'd be upset if you started ignoring me in favor of another, but otherwise I don't mind." Vondra nuzzled him.

"That's never going to happen," he chuckled, returning the nuzzle and kissing her. "I wouldn't be here with you now if it was going to."

"Now we should get out of bed and make ourselves presentable, lest Aunt Dymesta get the wrong idea." Vondra nuzzled him affectionately.

"Oh, all right," Janos chuckled, doing a poor job of faking a level of disgruntled he really didn't feel. He did want to make a good impression, after all.

It wasn't every day you met the current matriarch of a pack like the Santross.

* * *

Vondra was dressed in her best dress, the soft lavender one that Janos practically drooled over every time she wore it. It was the only thing she had on board that she considered suitable to see her aunt and head of the family-pack in.

It also exemplified her new self-confidence and status as a grown woman despite her youth.

Janos, for his part, was dressed in his Azine best. It wasn't a suit - mercifully. It was, however, the closest he came and still felt comfortable in, expertly tailored to fit his powerful body. For the first time in a long time, he didn't even stow anything in the various locations meant to conceal a blaster or his lightsaber.

"So, ready to come home?" He asked Vondra as they waited at the hatch to the Sharufa, Y'alla and Misha all currently waiting on the ship yet.

"Yes," she smiled and nuzzled him with an affectionate lick before opening the hatch. There to greet them was a perfectly prim and proper male Lynx in traditional butler robes of contrasting black and white. Beyond him lay the great Santross estate and the manor houses of its most powerful members.

"Welcome home, Lady Vondra." He bowed deeply to her in a formal greeting, though the warmth in his voice was honest. "The Lady has arranged for your comfort while you stay. If you and the gentleman would follow me, please."

"Of course, Gennin." She smiled warmly at her lifelong guardian and friend. "It is good to see you made it back."

"The Lady is a very generous and loyal employer." He agreed.

Janos smiled, keeping quiet but polite as he saw Vondra really getting back into her element. He couldn't miss the way she relaxed at the first breath of air here, or the sight of servants she'd known all her life. 

He was now all the more glad for the time at the Azine to get used to this. Even if he was to be her no-blood lover, he'd have to get used to these people and their ways, least they decide against him for real.

He kept one ear on the conversation between butler and Lady and the other on the surroundings. The pair was mostly talking shop; who was dead, who was back, who was MIA, who was now in what position in the family and companies.

It was a very effective look at their rank, holdings and structure on the walk to the main mansion. One they both needed, given how much things had likely changed in the past months since the T'surr attack on her kin.

One thing he couldn't help but be surprised at was how short the MIA list was. Only five members of the family were assumed to still be in slavery. That was out of almost thirty that had been captured alive.

It brought a whole new level of meaning to 'money talks'. The family fortune had bought hunters and lawyers all across Hutt space and paid the price for their kin and tickets home. In a way, it was a crisis they were well prepared to deal with. It had been treated much like they did any kidnapping and random. They paid, and then hired bounty hunters to deal with the people involved. The few million spent buying the family back wasn't even the most expensive event in living memory.

A part of him wondered why they hadn't found Vondra by the time he did. He knew, he really did, that it wasn't a sign that they didn't care about her.

It was just _so_ hard to keep that part of his mind insisting that that was the case under wraps. Paranoia was a harsh mistress.

It was also one that had kept him alive _far_ too often to escape from, even when he did realize that when he got her was the first time she'd been out of T'surr hands since the attack.

He followed the two of them into the manor house, trying not to seem too out-of-place. This place made the Azine look like a two-credit flophouse, sculptures and paintings were everywhere and there wasn't a single thing he saw that wasn't made of the rarest, highest quality material possible.

The credits it had cost to buy back assorted family members clearly hadn't put too big a dent in the Santross family fortunes.

The real dent had been in their numbers, with all those who had died or been so broken they probably were dead now.

"Your room is ready, as always, Lady Vondra." The butler's words drew Janos' attention back to what was being said as a door opened and Vondra walked inside.

Despite his temptation to do otherwise, he didn't move to follow Vondra into her room. Given that losing her virginity to the slavers who'd caught her supposedly made her "damaged goods," he couldn't imagine that the Santross would take kindly to them spending their evenings together. Certainly not officially, likely not at all.

"This way, Sir." Gennin motioned him to follow after the door closed on Vondra's room.

"Thank you," Janos nodded, following, memorizing the layout of the house and the shortest route between his room and Vondra's. It was not a short distance. 

Nothing was going to happen to her, not here.

But if something did, he was going to be there before it was finished happening.

He was shown to a set of rooms in what he guessed was the guest wing of the house, while Vondra's was with other family members from the smell of the paths. His area was much less traveled.

He could not, however, fault their treatment of him. These were definitely not the servant's quarters, where someone of his heritage would normally be. It was a gorgeous suite of rooms; entry room, a living room, bedroom and bathroom done in the same fineness and style that was on display throughout the entire mansion.

"If you require anything, do not hesitate to call, Sir." Gennin bowed to him.

"Thank you," Janos said, returning the bow, though not as deeply. As the door closed, he started to look around the room. If Jay had seen him he might have laughed, if he hadn't been busy doing the same thing. Janos wanted to know what his options were if he had to leave quickly.

He'd felt safer on Nar Shaddaa than he did on Corellia. Not many people could say that.

Two hours of investigation had provided the exits and entrances, two of which were less than obvious, a handful of spy devices and the fact that he had been given a very nice place. He was getting ready to shower when he heard a polite knock on the door.

"Yes?" He asked as he opened the door to two very attractive Poodle bitches, both a soft steel grey with large black eyes.

"We are here to assist with your bath and grooming, Sir." One smiled at him with a professional warmth.

"Ah ... thank you," he said, stepping back to let them in, accepting their presence politely for all that the idea of being helped with a bath was a concept he really hadn't been used to since he was about five. At least not when it wasn't really a sex game, and that was not what these two had in mind.

They followed him into the bathroom, and started to help him undress. He'd spotted the more formal clothes in the other room, and figured he'd be changing, so he just made sure he took note of where they put his old things.

To his credit, he'd had the sense not to try and hide a blaster or lightsaber in them tonight. That could have been very awkward to explain, especially the lightsaber. He was sure these two, like everyone else here, would report everything he did to the matriarch and he'd be answering for it if she didn't approve, and probably even if she did.

Formal dinners could be more like interrogations than meals. He just _really_ hoped they wouldn't ask too much about what he'd been up to with Vondra during the months they'd been together since he'd saved her. He suspected they didn't expect it to be anything they would approve of, despite her condition on arrival. Still, it'd be nice not to have to go into any real detail.

He allowed himself to be guided into the large, deep tub, which was more like a deep hot tub than bathtub in size and stood still for the pair, now also naked, as they began to work his fur with shampoo in the most thorough cleaning he could remember.

He was just grateful that he didn't need it _too_ badly. The Sharufa's facilities were pretty good, and he and Vondra had both been pretty thorough before showing up.

He made a mental note to try and _avoid_ thinking about her too much as they started cleaning his nether regions, his body beginning to tingle in the expected ways, the Wolf putting all his will into _not_ responding to it. He half suspected that wouldn't even blink if he got hard, but he was just as sure they wouldn't help him out with it. It was a situation to avoid if he could.

Gratefully, they finished his sheath, balls and ass quickly despite being quite thorough.

"If you would move into the shallow end, Sir." The one who'd spoken before asked him politely.

He did so, water dripping from his fur, a part of him wondering just what the Santross _did_ with all the servants to take care of everything. A part of him knew very well that they had a number of large businesses to run, but the practical part of him pointed out that if they didn't even bother to really _bathe_ themselves....

Still, the skilled hands were nice, and he could see how it could be appealing to have these two lovely creatures working over you every day. Especially if you could take advantage of them instead of convincing your cock not to respond to the stimulation.

He wrenched his thoughts onto more pleasant diversions than what the two steel-gray Poodles might be like in a situation that wasn't going to happen, focusing instead on trying to remember what he could of his history that might be favorable.

Except for his combat record, not too much that hadn't happened recently, and that wasn't necessarily going to be too helpful. It wasn't that he was trying to convince the Santross that he was more than he was ... he just wanted to _try_ and cherry-pick the information so he came across as more than a hot-headed mercenary who'd gotten mixed up in events that he was still trying to sort out.

Definitely don't mention Sith, do mention that he'd worked _with_ Jedi recently. It might be a bit of a stretch, but it wasn't a lie either. Towards the end, he was definitely on their side and done well enough that they'd let him go with one of their prize ships, trusting him to return it.

If Jay was still alive and not locked up somewhere or in hiding, he could even confirm that much. The Healer ... Shivasta ... would probably be willing to as well.

Just _really_ hope they didn't have anybody who could run his name through the Bounty Hunter's Guild databases. He hadn't pissed off the Jedi enough to become a target, but the Guild had at least one low-priority contract out on him that he knew of, and an up-to-date list of reasons he'd be a profitable target.

Mostly reasons that various crime lords and shady mercantile families wanted identifiable body parts. When he stopped to think about it, it didn't take long to remember the list of planets that wanted to ask him a few questions about assorted crimes that had happened there.

Fortunately, Corellia wasn't one of them ... didn't have close contact with any of them either, from what he remembered. Maybe it _would_ be a good idea to stick around here for a while.

"Thank you," he said automatically as the Poodles finished cleaning his legs and stood to walk with him to the dryer cubical not far away. One took a detour to pick of an assortment of brushes and bottles before joining them.

Again he stood still and let them do what they wanted, grooming his thick fur into a perfect fluffy sleekness that would make him look his absolute best. Every inch of him was worked over under the blowers, bringing to mind the grooming Jay had giving him once. For the tom, it had been an act of affection and social bonding as well as very pleasurable. These two had no feelings for him, but they were _very_ well trained in their duties and did a better job.

He'd never look more presentable than he would after all this fuss, he had to give them that much as he looked at himself in the full length mirror.

"Any suggestions for what to wear to dinner?" He asked them, figuring they probably had some.

"Of course, Sir." One smiled at him easily even as she shooed her companion off to get the formal robes. "Would you like your scars covered?"

"Is anybody likely to mind them?" He asked seriously. "They usually work in my favor in my circles."

"No Sir." She told him the truth easily.

"Then don't worry about it," he said, shaking his head. "Not of one of 'em anybody's going to see is something I'm ashamed of."

"Thank you," he said, helping them to help him dress. "Can I ask a question?"

"Of course, Sir." She nodded easily and honestly.

"Is your partner just the quiet type?" He asked, looking over at the other Poodle, hoping he wasn't overstepping some social boundary.

"At work, yes Sir." She nodded. "The family found it too disturbing when we finished each other's sentences, so we came to an agreement that I would be the one to talk at work. She's very chatty off duty."

"All right," he chuckled, realizing what the situation was. These twins were much nicer than the last pair he'd run into, fortunately. "I was just curious."

He looked at himself in the mirror as they finished dressing him. As usual, he thought he looked ridiculous, but it was what formal clothing consisted of in the Core.

At least he was more likely to live through the meal than on the Rim, even if they didn't like him too much right now.

"We will show you to the dinning room now, please." The Poodle who spoke said after she and her twin were dressed and all combed out.

"Thank you, Miss...?" He trailed off, leaving it up to her if she was going to introduce herself or not.

"Elle, Sir." She giggled slightly and blushed under her steel gray skin and fur.

"Emma, Sir." The normally silent one spoke up in a voice that matched her sister as well as her body did.

"If you would follow us, Sir, it is right this way." Elle motioned him out of the room and look the lead with her twin back into the main section of the house.

It wasn't long before his sharp nose picked up on the delicacies on offer not far away.

He was more grateful now than ever before that he'd had employers who weren't Hutts who expected him to attend meals. He had some idea how to behave there, though usually as a guard rather than a guest.

"You look good," Vondra's soft, almost seductive voice snapped his attention to where the young shewolf was approaching from.

"Thanks," he smiled at her, definitely glad to see her. "And you look great," he added, looking up and down her body. She did too. Her clothing here was much less sensual, less enticing than what she had arrived in, but it still showed off her incredible silver-white fur that really shone after the attention it had received.

"Thank you," she blushed lightly. "Perhaps after dinner I can show you the gardens."

"I'd like that, if you can arrange it," he smiled, reaching over to take her hand, squeezing it lightly. "Home agrees with you."

"It's home." She said simply, a little unsure what home wouldn't be good.

"Long story," he said, shaking his head. "So, will it look bad if we come in together?"

"Not as long as we're proper about it." She smiled slightly, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"And just what would the line between propriety and impropriety be?" He asked with a chuckle.

"We're bordering on it now," she smiled fractionally and squeezed his hand.

"Just let me know if I come too close," he said, releasing her hand reluctantly as they started towards the dining hall.

"I will," she agreed just as reluctantly. "It's pretty simple. Don't touch. At least not in front of family."

"Just be glad I didn't greet you the way I wanted to then," he chuckled. "Any idea what we're up for?"

"Dinner." She said simply. "We eat, we talk, serious questions will probably wait until after dessert when everyone retires to the library for drinks."

"How untoward is it to go for drinks that aren't alcoholic?" He asked her softly. Not that he was planning on getting drunk, far from it. He dearly wanted to avoid any chance of that happening.

"It'll be a ... surprise, I'm sure." She nodded, her voice as soft as his. "It's usually just a glass of Sidan Branda to wind down with. No one gets drunk."

"I can handle that," he said easily. Hell, he probably wouldn't even feel it; the Branda was good, but not up to his tolerances. "Just really want to make as good an impression as I can."

"You will, love." Vondra smiled warmly at him, then quickly composed herself to face her family for the first time in almost a year as the twins opened the grand double doors to the dinning room set to serve several score at three tables. Tables that were nearly full of white Wolves in fine formal garb that turned to look at the newcomers.

Janos, for his part, did his damnedest not to look like he felt - like a nerf calf tossed into a pit of rancors, hoping that if he held still he wouldn't be noticed.

"Welcome, Lady Vondra, Mr. Miklar." A powerful built male Wolf with light gray fur greeted with a deep bow. "Your seats are this way."

"Thank you, Jenron." Vondra smiled warmly at him in as much of a greeting as she was allowed here.

Janos followed his lover and the servant to the seats reserved for them, two empty places at the main table next to the family matriarch. He was out of place visibly as well as mentally here; he stood out like an ink blot on a white page, the only grey Wolf sitting amidst the white ones on this half of the table.

At least he was dressed and groomed to their standard. There were a handful of other fur colors in the room; grey, black, tri-tones ... even a Red Wolf. But they were scattered about and stood out a bit less. They all had years here and had been accepted into the Santross family-pack.

He glanced at Vondra when he heard her gasp, her gaze locked on door they had come through moments before.

He looked over at whatever had gotten her attention, and saw an attractive, older, white-furred Wolf-bitch stepping in, her own eyes locked on Vondra.

'Mother' he sensed across the bond between them, a thought and impression that Vondra didn't even really know he was privy to.

He felt her tense, the desire to rush up and hug the mother she thought dead battling with being proper at a large family dinner.

The contest only lasted a moment and Vondra was on her feet, rushing into an embrace that was returned with all the fierce protective love a devoted mother had to offer. He could feel the tearful words as Vondra heard and uttered them, but not what they were.

He took a moment to covertly glance around at the reactions and was pleased that everyone seemed to be pleased at the exchange. The family matriarch, Vondra's mother's older sister, was smiling indulgently at the pair as the greeting broke up and Vondra's mother dabbed the tears from her daughter's face and walked with her to their seats, Vondra's mother sitting on the other side from Janos.

"Mother, this is Janos Miklar; the one who rescued me. Janos, my mother, Tessra Santross." Vondra introduced them.

"A pleasure to meet you, Lady Santross," Janos said, standing and bowing politely to mild approval from various family members.

"I thank you for rescuing and returning my youngest daughter." Tessra inclined her head in return.

"Once I found out who she was, I felt rather obligated to," he admitted. "I'm just glad I found her before somebody else did."

"Do you remember who you acquired her from?" Tessra looked at him steadily, a deadly intent behind the question.

"Mother, that is not dinner conversation." Vondra interrupted quickly, decidedly uncomfortable with the topic. "I'm home, leave the rest for later, please."

"Very well," she nodded slightly and relaxed as the first course of sweet, thick soup was delivered by a small army of servants so everyone had a bowl within a minute or so.

Janos waited until the others had started to eat before doing so himself, recognizing that he was a guest, and making sure he didn't do anything that would seem to be a challenge to his hosts. He was on his best behavior, manners developed through talking with Vondra, and observing people of similar class at their own formal meals and dinners.

It was a moment he was also glad that all here were Wolves. The basics of their social structure and manners, the subtle things often missed, were things he knew just by living.

"So where are you from, Janos?" The expected questions began from a female across the table and to the left.

"Dark side of Roon, actually," he admitted. No use trying to lie about it to them. At least he probably wouldn't get the usual response from the Santross; he knew some of their business interests traded with the supposedly inaccessible planet.

It did raise a few eyebrows, however.

"Where is the rest of your pack?" Dymesta asked conversationally.

No matter how much he didn't like it, it was an incredibly legitimate question. Wolves rarely lived alone, and he was as far as they could tell.

On the other hand, when he thought about it, it explained a _lot_ about why he'd let Tembris talk him into the whole mess with Jay and the Sith.

"My family-pack died on Roon or in the Cloak," he said, telling the truth. As long as they didn't ask for _how_ on all of them, that was safe enough. "The other packs I've been a part of ... I have a military background; when a mission goes poorly, the pack doesn't always stay together."

That earned him a slight nod and the conversation drifted elsewhere for a while as everyone enjoyed the rich appetizer.

"Why did you not simply accept our bounty on returning my daughter?" Tessra asked pointedly.

Well, it was really only a matter of time before _somebody_ asked.

"I've grown to care for her, Lady Santross," he said, keeping his voice steady as he looked at the older shewolf and felt her glare back, not satisfied with the answer at all.

He really, really wished there was a better way to say it in public.

"He loves me, Mother." Vondra spoke up, her voice soft and deferential. "We have a life-bond."

"A _what_?" Tessra growled darkly, her ears flat as everyone stared at the pair.

He could sense Vondra's surprise at the response - and how badly she wanted to crawl under the table just now.

"A life-bond," he said, clearly serious. "I'm not asking a mate's privilege or status, Lady Santross, I know I don't rate it." Not in their eyes at least. "But I do care for her, deeply, and given everything that's happened before and since I met her we both thought it was prudent at worst."

He could all but feel the question boiling to the surface, whether he'd slept with her yet, the certainty that he had, and if Vondra had truly agreed to this.

Tessra controlled herself after a tense moment, though she was definitely very upset.

"We will speak more of this later, Janos." She promised before making the effort to return to the meal.

Well, it could have gone worse. It probably would have ended in bloodshed if it had, but it could have gone worse.

"So what do you do for a living?" Someone else asked as the tension subsided and a course of lightly grilled red meat arrived.

"Used to do mercenary work," he explained, knowing it wasn't making his case all that much better. "Bodyguard, soldier, similar work. Now, probably back off a couple steps from doing it myself."

"It's quite a change to go from soldier to CO." A male commented.

Even without knowing for sure, Janos picked up on the subtle body language and manners that spoke of military service.

"It is," he agreed easily, eating slowly. "I've led before, and I plan to start out small. But honestly, I don't need to be in the field anymore unless I want to be, and I'd go stir-crazy doing nothing. Seems the next logical step."

"True," the male nodded in acceptance and understanding.

There was another long, uncomfortable pause that lasted until the fish course was served and tasted.

"How did you acquire my niece?" Dymesta asked him, almost startling the silent table.

"The T'surr who had her at the time had put her up for sale at a Hutt's slave market on Toydaria," he explained softly. "The self-same slaver made the mistake of trying to enslave me, and biting off much more than he could chew in the process."

"The T'surr's fate?" Dymesta pressed him.

"Very thoroughly dead," he said with grim satisfaction. "Deservedly so, I might add."

"Good," she nodded with an equally grim expression. "You have a second bounty coming to you then."

"It isn't necessary," he said, shaking his head slightly, one of many things he'd said lately that he honestly couldn't believe he was saying. "I already collected more than enough from taking out the slaver, and I didn't bring Vondra back for the bounty."

He knew they looked at him with the same kind of disbelief that he felt, only some held a trace of approval along with those who were even more suspicious of him now.

"Why did you bring her back, then?" Dymesta asked levelly.

"She belongs here, with her family, not out on the Rim," he said seriously and was a bit surprised when Vondra reached under the table to squeeze his leg. "She isn't a slave, as much as the T'surr hoped they could prove otherwise."

"Do you intend to stay here?" She asked evenly, her approval now apparent to his senses.

"Possibly, if I'm welcome. At least some of the time; if I do start the business I mentioned before, I'll probably be out on the Rim for a good amount of time when I'm starting out."

That seemed to earn him a bit of surprise, but Dymesta nodded thoughtfully and returned to the meal while the talk turned other things of no importance.

As grateful as Janos was that he wasn't the center of attention for a while, it also made the next five courses and a sweet fruit and cream desert go very slowly. The food was very good and despite eating slowly and drinking the wine in small sips with a great deal of water and juice to spread it out, he was incredibly full when the last plate was taken away.

"Come, Janos," Dymesta said as she stood, signaling the end of the meal. "Join us for drinks in the library.

He noticed that she _hadn't_ phrased it as a request or suggestion. Not that he could have turned her down even if she had. He stood along with the others who were moving, and with Vondra, and followed them out.

He realized a moment later that Vondra was leaving with a group of younger females, laughing and joking and generally fawning over her. It left him to deal with the older adults on his own.

Well, she hadn't been 'asked' to join them after all. And she had other people to catch up with, anyways.

Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that he would rather be marched out to a sarlacc pit. Here was where the dirty questions got asked. The things you don't say at dinner or in polite company.

Still, as the group with him dwindled down to three, the pack matriarch, Vondra's mother and the military male, he had to admit that it was less intimidating than the entire family.

The walk and the great library blew his mind away as he absorbed just how many paper editions they owned in addition to the fine holo system linked to the galactic net. He'd never been much of a reader, but he appreciated the probable value of the collection, particularly given the obvious age and hand-crafting of many of them.

"So, you are in love with my niece," the family matriarch began as the former soldier began to pour four glasses of a rich, dark liquid that smelled of spirits and earthen age.

"I am," he nodded, taking a large round glass as it was offered to him. "And I do realize how awkward that makes things."

"Perhaps," she considered him levelly. "I doubt she fully understands the issues this will raise. Why do you intend to go back to the Rim? You will have the resources of this pack to create your company if we take you in."

"She may not," he admitted. "And it's not just a matter of resources, Lady Santross. You don't just put out a 'help wanted' ad for something like that, not if you want to get a real good company started, especially not if you're looking for Wolves. Most Wolf merc's who aren't already members of an established company are lone-wolves for one reason or another. There's a certain amount of convincing and selection that goes into it, and personal contact works a lot better for that, from their end. I wouldn't be staying there permanently, and I think we can both agree that it would probably be better if the temptation factor wasn't there for Vondra or myself for a while."

"At least two years, until after her honeymoon." Tessra nodded seriously. "You should not be seen together as more than friends or it will hurt her chances for a good mate even more than Fate has already been done."

"Whoever she ends up with should know that she's a stronger woman than she looks," he told the Santross' respectfully. "She's come a long way, and overcome quite a bit, from where she was when I met her."

"Most Santross bitches are," Dymesta chuckled softly. "We are a matriarchy after all."

"She is my baby girl," Tessra added softly. "She will have a good formal mate."

"She deserves one," he nodded. "Certainly better than that Vondrich asshole, if you'll excuse the language."

"I wouldn't wish him on a Tekkrin." Tessra growled with a decisive nod of agreement from the male present.

"Now, back to you." The male brought things back on target. "I'm sure you are aware that you have an impressive list of contracts and bounties out on you, mostly on the Rim, but even the Jedi want to have a chat with you."

"A chat I already had with some of them; they lent me the ship we arrived in." Janos pointed out, trying not to react defensively. "I'm not a crook, I've just had some questionable choices in employers. When you work out on the Rim as a mercenary, even a bodyguard, you're bound to piss somebody off who'll decide to put a contract out for the Guild."

"True enough." He nodded.

"How does Vondra feel about the risk to your life?" Dymesta asked evenly.

"I think she'd prefer that I stay here where it's reasonably safe," he admitted. "She's aware of it, but neither of us has really brought it up."

"That is not going to be acceptable after her wedding." Tessra told him simply. "She has been through enough losses already in her life. I would not see it happen again."

"It's the main reason I'm not going back to my old line of work," he pointed out. "This might sound a little strange, but I've grown to be more concerned about that sort of thing since I met her."

"I would call that a good thing." Dymesta smiled faintly at him and sipped her drink. "Now, to be blunt about this. Is she still a virgin?"

"No," Janos admitted. If they were going to be blunt about it, he wouldn't beat around the bush. "She wasn't by the time I met her; the T'surr had 'prepared' her to be a pleasure slave," he said with a shudder. "That's what I meant, in part, about what she'd overcome."

"Have you been with her?" Tessra asked with a shudder of her own for memories that were still very fresh for her as well.

"I have," he admitted. "For what it's worth, I didn't know who she was at first, and I didn't treat her like a slave even at the time. I believe she'll confirm that."

"Do you care for her enough to not touch her as a lover until after she is married?" Tessra got to the point quickly.

"Until after her first litter was what I'd expected when I came here," he pointed out. "Based on what she told me."

"That would be preferable." Dymesta nodded slightly. "We will make arrangements as quickly as is seemly." She promised with a very personal understanding still fresh despite the decades that had passed for her. "Until then, you are still welcome as a guest in this house."

"Thank you," he said, inclining his head respectfully. "I appreciate your hospitality, and understanding. I do have to explain something; back on the ship, there are two other slaves rescued along with Vondra, a Mink and a Twi'lek who've requested to stay with me. Will there be any trouble bringing them to my quarters while I'm staying here? The ship has to be sent back to Coruscant at first opportunity."

"As long as they can behave reasonably well, they may stay with you." Dymesta made the choice for her household. "Understand they their behavior is your responsibility, just as yours is Vondra's."

"I can arrange for one of our pilots to take it to the Jedi Temple." The male told them. "I've been thinking about bringing Siffith here anyway."

"Very well." Dymesta nodded to him, signaling the male to leave and make the arrangements. "Do you have any personal belongings on board?"

"Some, but I can remove them quickly enough," Janos said easily. "If you like, I can turn the power cells to my weapons over to you for safekeeping. And yes, I can vouch for their behavior. Misha's a little promiscuous, but she can behave well enough when she's told to."

"Minks are at best promiscuous." Dymesta chuckled. "I'm sure she will find willing partners if she cares to. Do retrieve your things, and you may keep the power cells. A sensitive rarely needs such things to be deadly."

"Thank you," he said, standing and bowing politely before finishing the drink he'd left mostly untouched up until then. "I'll make sure they're on their best behavior."

"Good." Dymesta nodded to him in dismissal.

"I will see you take good care of my daughter." Tessra smiled slightly at him, a warm kind of wary approval in her manner for this Wolf she'd normally not even hire as a guard.

* * *

Janos took a deep breath as he waited near the entrance to the Santross gardens. He had to fill Vondra in on the conditions of their relationship now ... and he wanted to see her, badly. It was dark, late at night, and Misha and Y'alla had both settled in well.

Or at least he assumed that Misha jumping Y'alla and making out with her within thirty seconds of getting in the door qualified. He was just glad he didn't _only_ have the Minervan Mink, or he'd never get out of the bedroom.

"I thought you would never get those two settled in." Vondra's voice was light with amusement as she stood from a fine wooden bench and walked gracefully to meet him. The formal dress of dinner had been replaced by one no less fine but much more relaxed and light.

He was glad to see she'd changed; it made the fact that he'd done so too feel more natural. Of course, he really didn't think that the robes would have worked _too_ well out here.

"Just be glad Misha took 'no' for an answer," he chuckled, taking her hand and squeezing it lightly before they started to move into the gardens. "So, how'd it go once you abandoned me to your elders?" He teased lightly.

"I was a pup again," she smiled fondly for memories that weren't from long before she'd been captured. "It was a nice break. Everyone fussing over me. A lot of questions about you too."

"Oh dear," he chuckled. "I hope they didn't decide that it was in your best interests for me to disappear quietly in the middle of the night?"

"Janos, it was a dozen teenaged girls talking about boys." She rolled her eyes and laughed easily as she led him into the formal garden. "That kind of thought is left for the adults."

"Are you kidding?" He laughed. "I remember what happened the last time a pack of teenagers decided they didn't like somebody I knew. Though the good news is that your mother and aunt seem to have accepted me, albeit I think grudgingly."

"Probably after extracting a promise not to touch me until I'm married." She grumbled slightly, though it wasn't ruining her good mood at having him alone again.

"Well, that depends on the type of touching," he smiled, squeezing her hand lightly. "But close enough," he admitted. "And preferably not until after you've had your first litter. But your mother _did_ say she'd work on making arrangements as quick as she could."

"That's still a long time." Vondra murmured. "Even hurrying it'll take at least a couple years. One for arranging the marriage and one for planning the wedding, then another six months to a year for the honeymoon. They weren't even looking for a mate for me yet when the attack happened."

"I know," he admitted as they found a relatively private corner and he drew her into a hug. "But it's better than never, and a hell of a lot better than you not being home."

"Yes," she murmured and relaxed against his broad chest. "It's a very long time to me, though. You'll be busy out on the Rim. I'm going to be here with little to do but remember what you're like."

"Not much else we can do," he pointed out gently, rubbing her back. "And once you're married and we establish that your husband doesn't hate my guts, we just have to be careful and discreet. By then, I ought to be able to settle down a bit better too."

"I would like that," she murmured and reached up to nuzzle his neck. "We can have a little fun while you're here too."

"Mmm... depending on the type of fun you mean," he rumbled softly, returning the nuzzle. "Love you," he said with a soft whisper.

"What my folks don't know, we won't get in trouble for." She licked the underside of his jaw and pressed close with the knowledge of exactly how to turn him on without touching anything obvious.

"We're going to need somewhere a _lot_ more private than this for that," he pointed out, moving back slightly. "And as much as I want you just now, I think we both know that the first night isn't a good time to take a chance. They'll be watching us like hawks."

"Before you leave?" She looked up at him hungrily. "Something to remember."

"If we get the chance while it's still reasonable to stay here," he said softly, kissing her tenderly. "But we need to behave until then, get 'em to back off a bit."

"All right," she stepped back slightly. "I do think you'll enjoy the gardens, though. These formal ones aren't the only ones."

"Why don't we take the tour then," he smiled, giving her a quick nuzzle before they worked their way out of their niche and into the main corridors of the gardens for a slow, leisurely and completely acceptable walk of some of the many great gardens the Santross maintained.


	19. Epilogue 2: Rebuilding a Triad

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A taste of Jay's path to healing; the beginning of a very long, painful road.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written with Karl Wolfemann

Shivasta rumbled softly as she snuggled up against Jay from behind. They'd been at the Temple for six months since he'd returned, and he'd really made quite a bit of progress for the time. She didn't have to shield herself as carefully as she had before, and things were slowly starting to return to normal.

Including his hands, she mused as he sleepily turned and wrapped an arm around her. The metallic prosthetics were still just that, and felt rather odd against her skin, but he'd managed to work joints into them now, and the Clawsons figured it would be another year and a half or so before he finally finished them off.

Shivasta just wondered if that time-table would be changing after they left today. The past six months had been interesting to say the least. She honestly wasn't sure what all had been traded between the Jedi and the Clawsons, but she did know that Jay had given them a couple of old lightsabers he'd designed to study. She could only imagine what they'd be like when they made it back to their part of space. 

She could barely believe how many holocrons the family had found on the market and acquired with money from the Temple or Jay to help pay for whatever they were taking back with them, including the Kraken.

What Jay would manage to do with the fighter they left for him was anyone's guess too.

She wasn't sure whether she should be pleased or disturbed by how distant he was keeping from his kittens. On one side, it would help the parental bond fade naturally now that the bulk of it had been transferred to Jennie. On the other, it wasn't all that natural or healthy for him to let his children go.

But she knew that, as hard as it was for him, it would be harder to lose them if he was closer to them.

And that the Clawsons wouldn't let him keep them even if he wanted to. Marie's response to the Jedi and their view of the Force was just as adamant as ever - Jay had learned the Jedi ways, but no other Clawson would if she had her way. She'd even restricted communication to those who were not sensitives with Jedi who had agreed to not speak of the Light and Dark.

It was enough to make Shi really wonder if the Force didn't work that way in their territory ... and what would happen to the Clawsons if they'd stayed in the Republic any longer than they were. It may well be more than just xenophobia or normal social issues that had both Jay and his sister so sure that he couldn't return with them.

She kissed Jay's cheek softly. Today was when the Kraken would leave Coruscant. It wasn't going to be easy for him to let the Clawsons go after so long.

He murmured softly, not really awake but responding to her touch and her disturbed thoughts as he nuzzled her.

She smiled and kissed his cheek softly. It was all going to work out, as she reminded herself constantly. They were scheduled to go to Naboo after this, to start his rehabilitation and reparations. Everything was really going the best they could hope for.

Especially hopeful to her was that he _wanted_ to go, wanted to make amends as best he could, any way he could.

"* _You're thinking again._ *" Fenrik's sleepy, amused mind caressed hers.

"* _One of us has to,_ *" she teased back, reaching over Jay to rub his back lightly. "* _We should probably start waking up so we can meet the ship before it leaves._ *"

"* _He's so innocent when he's asleep,_ *" he signed in reluctance to bring Jay back to the real world and all its problems. Despite that, he ran his hands along Jay's side, caressing him affectionately as he kissed his exposed neck.

"I know," Shi murmured softly, joining Fenrik in helping coax him to consciousness. "But he'll be upset if he misses saying good bye."

"I'd be surprised if they didn't wait for him." He said softly and nibbled Jay's good ear, still reluctant to test the healing done on the other one despite its apparent wholeness.

Jay murmured and shifted into the contact, his pleasure at being between his mates again undeniably clear despite his barely-awake state.

"I know," Shi murmured. "But he is enjoying it," she added with a slight giggled, reaching down to caress the firm planes of his ass.

"He always enjoys it." Fenrik chuckled and shifted so his half-hard cock slid along the crease of Jay's ass and between Shi's hands. "I still can't forget how close we came to losing him." He murmured and hugged Jay close against his chest.

"It's never going to happen again," Shi murmured, pressing Fenrik's shaft against Jay's ass and kissing him. "And if somebody would wake up a bit more quickly, we could take advantage of the fact we're together again," she teased, fairly sure he was more awake than he was letting on.

"Yeah, but you talk so sweet when you think I'm not listening." Jay rumbled and slid his metallic hands along her back to pull her close. "I like that too." He added before kissing her with all the passion in his soul and dropped his shields a bit more now that he was awake enough to manage it.

"Mmm ... we talk sweet when we know you're listening too," she murmured, kissing him back. His metallic hands felt very strange, but better than they had before he could move his fingers. He was careful too not to hurt her with his limited sensation, something she didn't hesitate to point out as a sure sign he was more Light than Dark now. The Dark simply did not care about such things.

"Yes, you do." Jay rumbled and slid one hand between them to caress her lower lips lightly, encouraging her to lift her leg for him.

She did so easily, wrapping her arms around both her mates, hooking her leg over Fenrik's.

"Take me, Jay," she murmured, how much she wanted him clear across their bond, less shielded now than it had been in months.

With a deep groan Jay spread her lower lips and pressed up into her in a single, smooth motion that Fenrik mimicked as he slid into Jay. For a long, silent moment, no one moved as they all relished this return to the normal and the pleasure of being together.

It didn't last too long before Fenrik started to thrust lightly, Shi milking Jay's shaft with her sex. Even after six months back together, and only six months apart, the feel of finally _being_ together again hadn't dulled in the least.

But then it hadn't dulled in the forty-some years before that either. Each time was just as intense and meaningful as the first.

A part of Shi knew that it wasn't good to judge someone's mental health based on their sex life, but another part of her knew just as surely that it was an incredibly good sign that he reacted this way. The openness he gave them in their passion was even truer than in therapy when he was trying. It gave her a look into his mind that simply wasn't available at any other moment.

For Jay, it was a pretty good indicator.

She kissed him deeply, passionately, pressing against him and milking him needily as Fenrik searched for his prostate with his throbbing, barbed shaft.

Jay moaned and shuddered, reminding them both of the one thing that had really changed; his endurance. He could keep going just as long as always, but his desire to hold back at any given moment was gone.

It was something they might be able to work on it, but they still enjoyed their shared company. All things considered, it was a small issue.

"Fill me, Jay," Shi murmured, kissing his neck when he pulled her tightly against his hips. "Go ahead, let it go...."

A low groan and tightening balls preceded him burying his face in her hair and emptying his balls into her eager body.

Fenrik groaned next, emptying his own into Jay's bowels and biting down lightly on his shoulder as Shi worked Jay's shaft through his orgasm. A short moment more, and she came as well, sighing in pleasure as her body clamped down around him and he continued to thrust, pushing her even higher.

"Morning," Jay murmured to his mates when they'd finally stilled.

"Morning," Shivasta murmured, kissing him as Fenrik nuzzled the back of his neck. "Mmm ... today's the big day."

"Somehow, I thing the Senate will be grateful to have Kraken out of orbit." Jay chuckled weakly and turned his head to kiss Fenrik. "Things can start to return to normal around here."

"You're going to miss them, aren't you?" Fenrik asked, kissing him again.

"I've always missed them," he murmured with a sigh. "At least they survived well."

"And they'll raise the kits well," Shi nodded, hugging him. "Are you going to be okay?" She asked, probably for the thousandth time in the past week.

"I have to be, don't I?" He regarded her steadily before kissing her lightly. "I'll be okay."

"Good," she murmured, kissing him back. "We should have plenty of time before we have to get going, shower and eat and meet them. Want to work on your hands a bit, or leave that be for now?"

"Leave it be, more shower time." He winked mischievously. "I'll have plenty of time to work on them."

"Y'know, some people slow _down_ when they get into their sixties," Fenrik smirked, nipping his shoulder and pulled out from his mate with a groan before slipping from the bed and starting for the shower, flicking his tail playfully.

"By Jedi standards, we're barely in our forties." Jay countered and pulled out of Shi with a heated kiss. "I don't plan on slowing down for at least another century."

* * *

Shi and Fenrik as Jay's mates, along with Zraii and Essani as the Jedi who had the most interaction with the Clawsons, hung back slightly while Jay hugged his mother and sister goodbye. His flowing civilian clothing was a subtle indicator to all that he was not going to be held to Jedi standards of self-control right now. The touching and tears flowed freely, the sense of loss and grief on both sides palatable to all present along with the family stubbornness and gritty determination to make things work out.

The emotions he was feeling, though not controlled in the least, were at least reasonably positive ones, given the situation.

"* _They have left us with a means of contacting them?_ *" Shivasta asked Essani silently.

"* _Yes,_ *" she nodded slightly, her fur tinged both golden and gray. "* _And they intend to drop by in about five years, ostensibly to check his recovery and hands. Jay may be ostracized officially, but I don't think his close kin intend to leave him out of the loop any more than is strictly required by distance._ *"

"* _I hope they don't. He'd prefer to know what's going on, and have the reassurance that they will be back when the time finally comes for him to go home,_ *" Shi pointed out. "* _He'll be a long, long time in recovering._ *"

"* _I don't think anyone has any illusions about that._ *" She signed mentally. "* _Even if it was only six months he was gone, he descended a very long ways._ *"

"* _I had hoped it wouldn't be as bad as it seemed,_ *" Shi admitted. "* _I'm just glad we found him when we did, or I don't know how much damage he would have done._ *"

"* _He was beginning a genocidal campaign against the T'surr when you finally got to him._ *" Essani shuddered fractionally. "* _I understand there was the beginning of an intent to obliterate all life._ *"

"* _If necessary, and if he was pushed far enough,_ *" Shi admitted reluctantly to such a capability in her mate, her own response to the fact clear mentally. "* _I think he had just about decided that the easiest way to make the pain stop was just to eliminate every possible source of it._ *"

"* _It would also fall in line with how fallen Clawsons act in their galaxy._ *" Essani added. "* _Ah, the family goodbyes are over._ *"

"* _You're turn,_ *" Shi observed with a hint of a mental smile as Jay, still trying to hide the tears streaking his fur, reluctantly moved back to his mates. The kits were already on the ship; no one wanted to make this parting any more difficult than it already was for him.

"Everything's going to be okay," she reassured him softly, a hand on his shoulder as Fenrik leaned forward to lick the tears away.

"I know." Jay murmured. "It still hurts to see them go."

Essani stepped forward, an interpreter nearby to translate for her.

"The Order hopes to hear from you again soon, particularly if any of the technology we provided you with is helpful," she said through the young Twi'lek.

"We intend to keep in contact, such as is possible with the distances involved." Marie promised. "Thank you for your hospitality to us, and for taking in my brother."

"And thank you for helping us to bring him home, and to rescue his kittens. Force be with you all."

"Clear skies and Force be with you and yours, Master Essani." Marie bowed slightly and turned to enter the ship she had come in with her kin.

The Jedi waited as they boarded the ship and it lifted of, pulling out and launching towards the capitol ship waiting on the other side of Coruscant's defensive screen.

"Want to go back to your workshop, or our quarters?" Shi asked Jay gently.

"Our quarters, I think." He murmured, resisting the urge to rest his head on her shoulder out of deference to the robes she was wearing and how Jedi should act in public.

Despite her temptation to do otherwise, she didn't tell him not to worry about it. He needed to work on his self-control, and if he was willing to do so on his own she wouldn't interfere for now.

Instead, the three of them left for their quarters, and she reached down to take his hand gently, squeezing it softly.

* * *

  


* * *

"Master Shivasta is claiming a recovery that is far too quick." Master Noloth commented in the meditation chamber where he and Master Essani were waiting for Jay's Healers to arrive for a weekly report three weeks after the Clawsons had left Coruscant.

"* _She is not claiming a complete recovery,_ *" Essani pointed out to the elderly Lizard. "* _Only that he is fit to leave the Temple and Coruscant for a prolonged length of time if accompanied by at least one of his mates. Ulic Qel Droma turned from Sith Lord to an intensely contrite fallen Jedi in a single day. Jay never fell as far to the Dark,_ *" she pointed out.

"Knight Droma was also severed from the Force for his actions." Master Noloth reminded her, playing Devil's Advocate as much as anything else. It was his place in the proceedings, as someone who wasn't linked to Jay as Master, mate or good friend. "Not coddled by his mates and sent back out on missions after seven months."

"* _He was severed from the Force by a Jedi who acted in anger and grief,_ *" Essani pointed out. "* _And the missions are not for the Jedi Order, they are helping to make amends for what he has done while under the influence of a very twisted Dark Sider._ *"

Master Noloth stilled his reply when the door slid open for the two Master Healers, who bowed in greeting to them before settling down into a meditative circle.

"Thank you for your patience, Masters," Shivasta said respectfully, bowing her head. "Master Dyba and I were comparing our observations, and lost track of the time slightly."

"* _What have you determined?_ *" Master Essani nodded to them, her fur carefully white.

"Jay is not yet ready to be sent away from the Temple for prolonged periods without being supervised," Shi explained. "However, he has reached the point where he is not likely to try an escape anymore, even under emotional duress. His self-control is returning, though still shaky, but supervision will help with that. It is our opinion that he is ready to begin making efforts to make peace with his actions during the six months he was captured."

"What path is he to follow to make this peace?" Noloth asked evenly.

"The Clawsons place a high value on reparations for a crime committed," Shivasta explained. "He does as well, as his record when he has helped to bring a criminal to justice during the past forty years will suggest. Starting on Naboo, he will be searching for ways to make reparations for his actions. He cannot reverse what he has done, of course, but doing something that would have been important to the people he has hurt will help him to make peace with what he has done, and perhaps help those hurt by his actions to find peace of their own."

"Does he still require your or Master Fenrik to be with him, or will another Jedi suffice if necessary?" Noloth asked her simply.

"It would be unadvisable for Master Shivasta to ever not be nearby." Master Dyba answered instead. "Even if he is ready for it, which I do not believe he is yet, the unknown of when the bonds with his kittens will finally sever must be taken into account. They are weak parent-child bonds, less than even a Master-Padawan bond, but with four of them that are likely to break close together it is unlikely he will be able to control himself when it happens. I would also not advise him to be more than a day's travel away from a Mind or Soul Healer until that has happened and been dealt with."

"Which is why we are starting on Naboo," Shivasta agreed. "It is only four to five hours journey in the Sharufa to an astronomical outpost we have established."

"You are certain you can contain him if the worst happens?" Noloth looked at Shi seriously.

"I can," she nodded. "I may be forced to keep him heavily sedated, but I can contain him and do the basic healing work until a healer can arrive if that is necessary. Master Fenrik will be available for missions during this period, though for obvious reasons we would prefer if he accompanied us when it was possible."

"* _Understood._ *" Essani agreed. "* _We will endeavor to keep him nearby. As long as someone can cover his classes, he should be able to. He has not been on the active roster for some time now after all._ *"

"Gods, I half-think Jay and I forgot about them," Shivasta admitted, blushing slightly. "My apologies, Masters. We will see about making arrangements before we leave."

"* _You had other things to focus on, as did he._ *" Essani smiled mentally at her, still remembering the young girl of half a century before that blushed so easily when Jay was mentioned. "* _We kept the position filled, as we do with every Jedi who finds themselves on a more important mission. Just as Jay's Artisan apprentice has been taken care of, since he can no longer teach him the final lessons. We will continue to do so._ *"

"Thank you," Shivasta said, inclining her head gratefully. "If there are no objections then, we should prepare to leave. I don't expect the meeting on Naboo will be an easy one, and we would rather get it under way while Jay is still willing."

"* _Agreed._ *" Essani gave her consent.

"Agreed," Noloth nodded slightly. "I do expect regular updates on his actions and progress."

"You know I already agree." Master Dyba sort of chuckled. "He is ready for this. It is critical to take advantage of his willingness while he is."

"My next report will be in a week then, via holonet," Shivasta promised, bowing to the three Masters present politely. "Thank you."

"* _May the Force be with you all on this journey._ *" Essani offered warmly in parting.

**Author's Note:**

> Art: [Fenrik, Shivasta and Jay by Shane Nelson](http://www.fur-and-fantasy.com/Artwork/Fen-Shi-Jay_by_Shane_Nelson.jpg) Nudity.  
> Art: [Fenrik, Shivasta and Jay #2 by Shane Nelson](http://www.fur-and-fantasy.com/Artwork/Fen-Shi-Jay_2_by_Shane_Nelson.jpg) Explicit sexual content.
> 
> Pairings: Doruth Parn/Tes Ramaris, Jay Clawson/Shivasta Stormwarden/Fenrik Aren, Doruth/Jay Clawson, Jay Clawson/Mina Callan/Janos Miklar, Janos Miklar/Vondra Santross, Various others. A lot of various others.


End file.
